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Effects of forested buffers on benthic macroinvertebrate indicators of water quality in the Western Finger Lakes, New York
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Inland Waters
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2021-01-18
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Abstract
Forested riparian buffers are implemented by watershed managers to reduce pollutant runoff into
waterbodies. They have been shown to accomplish this task in rivers and streams, but few studies
have investigated their efficacy around lakes. Hemlock and Canadice are oligo-mesotrophic lakes
with reforested watersheds, including a shoreline buffer strip. Immediately to the west and east of
Hemlock and Canadice, Conesus and Honeoye lakes are unprotected, meso-eutrophic systems
with mostly mixed, forested, agricultural, and developed land uses. This study explored whether
having a shoreline forest buffer strip supports a macroinvertebrate community indicative of
good water quality in lakes. In addition, this study examined relationships between individual
subwatershed land use and biotic indicators of water quality, as determined by benthic
macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrate community composition showed some dissimilarity
between lakes (R = 0.09, p = 0.04), with the largest dissimilarity between Conesus and Honeoye.
Comparisons did not follow expected patterns based on land use, management protections,
and presence of a shoreline forest buffer strip. No difference was found in a biotic index of
water quality between the lakes. The benthic community of each lake was rated as moderately
impacted by humans. Subwatershed land use generally did not correlate with biotic indices of
water quality within lakes. This finding suggests that near-shore forest buffers had no
measurable effect on benthic macroinvertebrate communities and their biotic indicators of
water quality. Macroinvertebrate communities in these lakes are likely driven by within-lake
habitat conditions and legacy effects of agricultural land.
Citation
: Mitchell C. Owens, Clayton J. Williams & James M. Haynes (2021) Effects of forested buffers on benthic macroinvertebrate indicators of water quality in the Western Finger Lakes, New York, Inland Waters, 11:1, 78-88, DOI: 10.1080/20442041.2020.1804786