Hyporheic community composition in a gravel-bed stream: influence of vertical hydrological exchange, sediment structure and physicochemistry

Summary 1. We studied the relative contributions of the magnitude and direction of vertical hydrological exchange, subsurface sediment composition and interstitial physicochemistry in determining the distribution of hyporheic invertebrates in the Kye Burn, a fourth order gravel‐bed stream in New Zealand. 2. In winter 2000 and summer 2001, we measured vertical hydrological gradient (VHG), dissolved oxygen, water temperature and water chemistry using mini‐piezometers, each installed in a different upwelling or downwelling zone. Next to every piezometer, a freeze core sample was taken to quantify the sediment, particulate organic matter and invertebrates. 3. Dissolved oxygen concentration at 25 cm was high on both occasions (>9 mg L^?1) but was higher in winter than summer. Interstitial water temperature was higher in down than upwellings and was substantially higher in summer than winter. Other features of the subsurface sediments and interstitial nitrate–nitrite concentrations were similar on both occasions and in up and downwellings. Interstitial ammonium and soluble reactive phosphorous concentrations were higher in winter than summer and ammonium was higher in up than downwelling areas. 4. The proportion of fine sediment (63 μm–1 mm), sediment heterogeneity and VHG accounted for the greatest proportion of variance in invertebrate distributions in both summer and winter. 5. The hyporheos was numerically dominated by early instar leptophlebiid mayfly nymphs and asellotan isopods. Water mites were a taxonomically diverse group with 13 genera. Taxonomic diversity (Shannon–Weaver), but not taxon richness, was higher in upwelling areas, reflecting lower numerical dominance by a few taxa in these locations. 6. Sediment composition (particularly the amount of fine sediments) and vertical hydrological exchange determined the composition and distribution of the hyporheos. Patchiness in these factors is important in planning sampling regimes or field manipulations in the hyporheic zone.