Mb. Griffith et al., LATERAL DISPERSAL OF ADULT AQUATIC INSECTS (PLECOPTERA, TRICHOPTERA) FOLLOWING EMERGENCE FROM HEADWATER STREAMS IN FORESTED APPALACHIAN CATCHMENTS, Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 91(2), 1998, pp. 195-201
We monitored the lateral dispersal of adult Plecoptera and Trichoptera
following emergence from 4 headwater streams that drain adjoining for
ested catchments on the Allegheny Plateau of West Virginia We assessed
these dispersal distances to examine the lateral distance traveled by
particular taxa and the variation in these distances among streams. T
he number of adults captured decreased with distance from a stream for
16 of the 17 more common plecopteran and trichopteran taxa The 16 tar
a had mean maximal lateral dispersal distances of from 44.1 m for Homo
plectra monticola (Flint) to 81.4 m for Leuctra spp. These distances a
re generally < 1/2 the median distance of 301 m between adjacent headw
ater streams in this region. This suggests that direct lateral dispers
al of adults among headwater streams may be relatively uncommon for ma
ny species.