Colonization and succession of benthic macroinvertebrates in a new reservoir

The purpose of this study was to examine the colonization and succession of benthic macroinvertebrates in shallow areas (<7 m) of Lake Anna, a new mainstream impoundment in the southeastern U.S.A. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled for the first three years after filling by means of artificial substrates placed on the bottom and retrieved with SCUBA. Lake Anna was well colonized by benthic macroinvertebrates during the summer season immediately after impoundment. The total density of organisms increased in each of the first three years. Major changes in the fauna occurred between the first and second years, but the changes between the second and third years were more subtle. The fauna could be divided into two distinct groups based upon the time when the organisms were most consistently abundant. The first colonizers appeared to be dependent upon the components of the former terrestrial ecosystem for food and habitat. As autochthonous factors began to regulate succession, diversity increased and the dominant species shifted to an assemblage of second colonizers. These factors included: (1) decomposition of terrestrial vegetation and detritus leaving bare substrate, (2) sedimentation, (3) improved food quality of the organic matter in the sediment because of ingestion and egestion by the organisms themselves, (4) increased plankton populations, and (5) appearance of macrophytes. As the second colonizers became firmly established in the third year, distinct patterns of spatial distribution began to appear among species with similar niches.