%0 Electronic Article %A MATTHAEI, CHRISTOPH and UEHLINGER, URS and MEYER, ELISABETH and FRUTIGER, ANDREAS %I Wiley %D 1996 %D 1996 %G English %@ 0046-5070 %@ 1365-2427 %~ Katalog der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig %T Recolonization by benthic invertebrates after experimental disturbance in a Swiss prealpine river %V 35 %J Freshwater Biology %V 35 %N 2 %P 233-248 %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2427.1996.00496.x %X 1. Although the crucial point of disturbance experiments in streams is the extent to which they can simulate an actual spate, this aspect has been widely neglected in the design of such studies. Similarly, the influence of the specific hydrological disturbance regime of a stream on its benthic community has received much theoretical attention in recent years, but hypotheses have rarely been tested in the field.2. Our field experiment compared the structure of the benthic invertebrate community in the prealpine River Necker in north‐eastern Switzerland with predictions of the patch dynamics concept about the faunal composition of frequently disturbed streams. We also compared the resistance and resilience of the invertebrates between two sites in the River Necker. A similar substratum composition at both sites, but higher shear stress values both at baseflow and bankfull discharge at site 2, implied a higher disturbance frequency at the latter site. Five patches of stream bed of ≈ 9 m2 were disturbed by kicking and raking at each site, while five similar areas served as controls. From each plot, six Surber samples were taken: the first immediately after the disturbance, and the following five 1, 3, 6, 10 and 30 days later.3. Resilience of the total benthic invertebrate fauna was high. The total number of individuals recovered to undisturbed densities within 30 days at site 1 and 6 days at site 2. Taxon richness recovered within 3 days. In accordance with theory, taxa with high recolonization rates made up a major percentage of the total number of individuals, especially in disturbed plots. However, this percentage was lower at site 2 in spite of the higher disturbance frequency at this site. Rhithrogena spp., Leuctra spp. and the Simuliidae recovered faster to undisturbed densities at site 2. In contrast, absolute recolonization rates of these taxa were higher at site 1, where total invertebrate densities were more than twice as high as at site 2.4. Our results suggest that the time since the last disturbance should be considered as an important factor in studies of benthic invertebrate communities in prealpine rivers, because disturbances can alter the community structure. In frequently disturbed streams, very short sampling intervals may be needed to detect differences in taxon‐specific colonization rates. The specific hydrological disturbance regime of such streams is also important, because even within‐stream differences in the resilience of the benthic invertebrate community are possible. %Z https://katalog.ub.uni-leipzig.de/Record/ai-49-aHR0cDovL2R4LmRvaS5vcmcvMTAuMTA0Ni9qLjEzNjUtMjQyNy4xOTk2LjAwNDk2Lng %U https://katalog.ub.uni-leipzig.de/Record/ai-49-aHR0cDovL2R4LmRvaS5vcmcvMTAuMTA0Ni9qLjEzNjUtMjQyNy4xOTk2LjAwNDk2Lng