Oral Presentation Australian Freshwater Sciences Society Conference 2022

Freshwater macroinvertebrate biodiversity patterns across four catchments in the Beetaloo region, Northern Territory. (#44)

Erica A Garcia 1 , Jessica English 1 , Jenny Davis 1
  1. Research Institute for the Environment & Livelihoods , Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT, Australia

Driven by the pressure to develop the shale gas resource within the Beetaloo Sub-basin, a Geological and Bioregional Assessment (GBA) baseline survey program was undertaken in 2020-21. The objective of the program was to compile a comprehensive baseline dataset of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity distribution in the region. Here we focus on the aquatic macroinvertebrate survey results from 20 sites across four catchments. The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) database showed that 182 species, spanning 15 orders, had been recorded from the region. Our study found 236 species across 26 orders. The highest species richness was 73 and the lowest was 19 with overall median richness of 39. There were only two flowing water sites sampled and they were the second and third highest in richness and were in the same catchment as the site with the highest richness. These data can be used as baseline information against which assessments of ecological change over time, including those in response to human activities, can be made. Furthermore, these data will be used as part of a larger survey to assess macroinvertebrate biodiversity patterns in the Northern Territory.