Do faunal assemblages reflect the exchange intensity in groundwater zones?

The exchange of water with groundwater is a key determinant of water quality and faunal assemblage. Water exchange not only occurs with running waters, but also through percolation, interception (soil, porous alluvium), and evaporation. The aim of this study was to identify how different types of exchange were related to the groundwater faunal assemblage of an alluvial aquifer. Hydrological exchange is largely governed by pore space and thus ultimately by geological formation. In the Marbling Brook catchment of Western Australia the different geological formations did not eventuate in hydrochemically distinct groundwater zones. The cluster analysis of faunal assemblages revealed five groups within the faunal samples which did not reflect spatial patterns such as geological, chemical or topographic features. Discriminant analysis showed that these five groups were best characterized by a range of abiotic features including dissolved oxygen, land-use, and temperature. These variables signal different types and intensities of exchange with the surface. Handling editor: K. Martens