A Modified Freeze-Core Technique to Quantify the Depth Distribution of Fauna in Stony Streambeds

Abstract

A freeze-coring device using liquid nitrogen is described, which enables one person to take a columnar core, extending from the surface to at least 50 cm below a stony streambed. An experiment to validate the technique showed that animals did not flee from the advance of the freezing-front. Using frozen streambed cores, the vertical distribution of benthic invertebrates of two streams in southern Ontario was investigated. In contrast to previous estimates,~70% of the fauna was found in the top 10 cm of the streambed, and invertebrate densities were often lower by an order of magnitude. These differences are attributed to problems of quantifying previous sampling methods.