Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration

Macroinvertebrates play a key role in aquatic ecosystems as indicators due to their sensitivity to changes in environmental conditions. Regular macroinvertebrate sampling is conducted in the Deveroux slough at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) to monitor species abundance and diversity and assess the ecological health of the system. We examined how salinity and dissolved oxygen (D.O.) influenced the abundance and diversity of four macroinvertebrate species: Amphipods, Diptera Chirominid, Ostracods, and Copepods. We predict a higher abundance of invertebrates when salinity levels are low and D.O. levels are high. Samples were taken across sixteen (16) different sites at Deveroux Slough. Filter beakers and mesh sweep dipnets were used to collect samples, with algae and core samples taken by CCBER. Data was transferred to an Excel spreadsheet, and R Studio was used for data analysis. Amphipods and Chironomids were most abundant at low-salinity, moderate D.O sites, Ostracods at low to moderate salinity, high D.O sites, and Copepods at high salinity, high D.O sites. The slough has the most abundance when salinity is low and DO is moderate and when salinity and DO levels are high. This is likely due to the invertebrate biological niches fitting under either of those extremes. Tracking species abundance in the slough is critical for future restoration projects. Ongoing research still needs to be conducted to understand the ecosystem as it stands today, and will continue to do so in the future. 

This poster was presented at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) EEMB Undergraduate Research Symposium on May 3rd, 2025.