Investigating taxonomy and importance

of macroinvertebrates in a cedar swamp

environment

By Ryder Lynch

lynchr5@go.stockton.edu
Basic Information and definitions
● Macro-invertebrate
○ any animal lacking a backbone and large enough to see without the aid of a microscope.
Macroinvertebrates are exothermic (or cold-blooded) and may be aquatic or terrestrial, the
aquatic organisms often being larval or nymphal forms of otherwise terrestrial species
(britannica).
● Dissolved Oxygen
○ Dissolved oxygen refers to the level of free, non-compound oxygen present in water or other
liquids. It is an important parameter in assessing water quality because of its influence on the
organisms living within a body of water. In limnology (the study of lakes), dissolved oxygen is an
essential factor second only to water itself . A dissolved oxygen level that is too high or too low can
harm aquatic life and affect water quality (fondriest).
 My hypothesis
I hypothesis that the pH in the studied
areas will be high, and the dissolved
oxygen in the studied areas will be low
(due to location) and there will be various different
species of macroinvertebrates.
Areas of Research
Double Trouble Stockton University Brendan T Byrne

All three red circles indicate where my samples were taken. Each location either had a large cedar swamp, or
a small dedicated areas that housed a small cedar swamp.
 Research
Take water and soil samples from: Conduct the following tests:
1. Double Trouble 1. pH
2. Brendan T Byrne 2. Dissolved Oxygen
3. Stockton University 3. Temperature
My testing method
What methods did I use for my
experiment?

● Litmus papers for pH

● CHEMetrics K-7512 Dissolved

Oxygen Kit (1-12 ppm)

● Neptonion Aquarium
Thermometer

Example of dissolved O2 testing

CHEMetrics K-7512 Dissolved This kit uses Indigo Carmine to test the
levels of dissolved oxygen in water in
Oxygen Kit (1-12 ppm)
ppm (parts per million).

Water is collected then poured into the

beaker. Inside the beaker you place an
ampoule of Indigo Carmine, break the
tip and allow the water to mix with the
indigo carmine. Once mixed, the
ampoule will turn a shade of blue,
indicating the amount of DO in the
sample.
https://www.amazon.com/CHEMetrics-K-7512-Dissolved-Oxygen-
Range/dp/B00N5IHZOI/ref=sr_1_3?
crid=2HCFXAKQG9J2H&dchild=1&keywords=chemetrics+dissolved+oxygen+t
est+kit&qid=1616554702&sprefix=CHEMetrics+%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-3
Experiment data
Most common: Acari (mites)

Second most common: Thysanoptera

(thrips)

Other common: Collembola (springtail),

Hymenoptera (ant), & Araneae (spider)

Acari was the most common

macroinvertebrate identified amongst
each location. Each sample had little to
no macroinvertebrates, with the most
being at Double Trouble and Brendan T
Byrne (24 in total)
My discoveries
1. pH levels were the same in each location

2. Dissolved oxygen was different

a. DT: 6 (average)

b. BTB: 10 (high)

c. SU: 3 (low)

3. Temperature was around the same

a. DT: 36°F (2.2°C)

b. BTB: 37°F (2.7°C)

c. SU: 45°F (7.2°C)

This pie chart
breaks down the
percentage of the
amount of macro
invertebrates
identified in each
location.
Final Points and Ideas.
● Both Double Trouble and Brendan T Byrne had the same amount of identifiable
macroinvertebrates. This is due to each cedar swamp's location being away from
often walked paths and the lack of ability to reach these areas if not wearing the
proper clothing.
● Stockton University's sample was taken off of an often walked path by the freshman
dorms, so the number of macroinvertebrates in this area was low.
● The low pH and high dissolved oxygen of samples (excluding Stockton University)
could have also created an environment where it would be hard for anything to exist
without proper balance and nutrients.
Conclusion
The original hypothesis was incorrect, and in fact, was the opposite
of what my data showed. To continue this research, testing would
be redone in more than three areas and take other factors such as
weather (other than temperature) or any area management (control
burns or cutting) into consideration while gathering new data and
results.