A MODEL FOR AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE RESPONSE TO KISSIMMEE RIVER RESTORATION

When the Kissimmee River was channelized in the 1960s and 1970s and pl aced under stage-fluctuation management, the dynamic interactions betw een the river and the floodplain were essentially removed. Correspondi ngly, aquatic invertebrate life in the river and floodplain ecosystem shifted from a riverine to a more lacustrine fauna. A relinkage of the Kissimmee River with the floodplain following restoration will result in numerous changes to such ecologically important factors as streamf low, substrate composition, food quality and quantity, and water quali ty, all of which will influence invertebrate communities. These factor s and their function in the ecosystem as the fauna shifts from predomi nantly lacustrine back to riverine are presented in a conceptual model . As an integral component of all aquatic ecosystems and a key link be tween primary producers and higher trophic levels, aquatic invertebrat es are a valuable group with which to evaluate the recovery of the Kis simmee River. Utilization of a geographic information system mapping a pproach linking expected increased habitat heterogeneity and invertebr ate richness with restoration efforts is suggested as an economical me ans of monitoring recovery of the Kissimmee River ecosystem.