Macroinvertebrate Investigation

Revised October 2011

PURPOSE: To introduce students to living aquatic macroinvertebrates in a field

setting. Suggested Grade
level: K-6
SUMMARY: Students will collect live macroinvertebrates from a river or stream.
They will then classify and count the invertebrates and use that data to determine the Duration:
EPT index (explained below). 30 minutes

Setting:
BACKGROUND: Many macroinvertebrates make their homes in riffles and pools Outdoors
of gravel-bed streams. By turning over stones and examining the underside, you
may find aquatic macroinvertebrates. Aquatic macroinvertebrates are often used as
an indicator of water quality. The orders of Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Plecoptera
(stoneflies), and Tricoptera (caddisflies) are generally sensitive to pollution. Water
Quality Biologists use these three orders to calculate an EPT index to determine the
quality of a water body. If we find families from these three orders of invertebrates
living in a stream or river the water is most likely not impacted from pollution.
However, it is important to remember that the absence of these families does not
always mean the quality is poor. There could be other reasons these families are not
present.

MATERIALS:

Kick nets* (see page 4 on building your own kicknet)

Plastic tubs (1 per 5 students) *
Large transfer pipettes (1 per student)*
Plastic petri dishes (1 per student)*
Magnifying glasses (1 per student)* * Available for loan at USU Water Quality
Dichotomous keys Extension or through your local Extension office.
Please contact USU Water Quality Extension for
Buckets (2) details 435-797-2580 or
Waders http://extension.usu.edu/waterquality

PROCEDURE:

1. Choose your sample site. Be sure to take into account the safety of your students (see safety tips
on page #5).

2. Explain to your students how to collect a macroinvertebrate sample.

a. One student will wade into the stream and place the net so the mouth of the net is
perpendicular to and facing the flow of water.
b. Another student will stand upstream from the net and disturb the stream bottom with
his/her feet and hands.

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 c. Students can carefully pick up and rub stones directly in front of the net to remove
attached animals. The stream bottom materials and organisms will be carried into the net
by the current.
d. Tell the students to continue this process until they see no more organisms being washed
into the net.

3. Have the students hold the sample over a plastic tub, and use a bucket of stream water to wash
the organisms into the tub.
A different “family” refers to animals that
4. Have students sort and identify the
are related (e.g., all mayflies) but have
macroinvertebrates using the transfer pipettes,
enough different physical characteristics
magnifying glasses, petri dishes, and
that they can easily be divided into separate
dichotomous keys. List the number of different
groups. (See dichotomous key).
families on the table below and calculate an EPT
index.

5. Discuss the different invertebrates the students found and what types of land uses might be
impacting the site (see Background from “Water Pollution Graphing” lesson).

Aquatic Invertebrate Group (Orders) Number of different found

Mayfies (Order Ephemeroptera)

Stoneflies (Order Plecoptera)

Caddisflies (Order Tricoptera)

TOTAL

Total “families” equals EPT Value:

> 10 Not affected (excellent water quality)

6-10 Slightly affected (good water quality)
2-5 Moderately affected (fair water quality)
<2 Severely affected (poor water quality)

NOTE: A low EPT value does not always mean poor water quality.
Factors other than pollution, such as physical characteristics of the
stream or river, may cause the absence of some invertebrates.

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 CONTINUED LEARNING:

Have students rate the quality of the water using the EPT Value found above (or Water Quality Rating
Index found in the Utah Stream Team Manual) found above. Have students sample other sites along the
same stream or from two different types of water bodies (stream and lake) for comparison. Discuss what
is different or similar between sites. You can also keep a yearly record and have students compare their
sites over time.

Utah State University is an affirmation action/equal opportunity institution

NR/WQ/2005-05

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 Make your own Kicknet

Kick nets, which consist of screening material

stretched between two poles, are used for sampling
macroinvertebrates. Sampling is done by pushing
the two poles into the substrate until the edge of
the screen rests on the bottom. Organisms are
dislodged by disrupting the substrate on the
upstream side of the net, allowing them to be
carried by the current into the screen.

Materials
- two 3 ft x 5/8 in sections of wooden dowel
- one 3 ft x 2 ft section of fiberglass window
screen
- staple gun
- duct tape (optional)

Directions
1. Stretch window screen
length-wise between dowels

2. Wrap end of window screen around dowel once and staple along length of dowel. Wrap screen
around the dowel a second time and staple again. You can repeat a third time if necessary
and/or secure window screen to dowel with duct tape.

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 Safety tips for macroinvertebrate sampling
Kids and water are a natural combination. To ensure the two mix well, consider the following
guidelines before going to the stream site:

 If possible, have 1 adult supervisor per six students.

 If you choose to split up into groups, keep a good line of communication between groups
at all times (e.g. stay within hearing distance).
 Be aware of medical considerations and have ready access to first aid.
 Know which students are allergic to bee stings and how to handle a reaction.
 Know the causes and early warning signs of hypothermia and heat exhaustion.

Be aware of these safety precautions in choosing a stream site: Do not let students
enter the water
 Avoid steep, slippery banks. Holes, vertical banks, and other hazards can without being
be especially difficult to see when the banks are very heavily vegetated. prepared, i.e.
 Scout the area for dangerous trash such as broken glass, rusted wire, or waders, good
metal scraps. wading shoes, and
 Scout the area for poison ivy, poison oak, and stinging nettle. an available change
 Moving water is deceptively dangerous. Don’t let students enter water of clothing.
over their knees or water that is moving very fast!
 Never visit a stream during a lighting storm and beware of sudden storms that could
produce flash floods.

About aquatic macroinvertebrates

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are small animals that live in water, are big enough to see with the
naked eye, and have no backbone. These animals include many types of insects as well as other
animals such as worms, mollusks, and crustaceans.

Most aquatic macroinvertebrates make their homes in rocks, leaves, and the sediment of
streambeds. These organisms have many special adaptations allowing them to live in demanding
environments. Marcroinvertebrates that live in riffles and fast-moving water may have features
that help them hold on to rocky or hard substrates such as hooked feet or suction cups; or flat,
streamlined bodies that can handle rapid water velocities.

Macroinvertebrates that house themselves deep in muddy substrates may have different sets of
adaptations for low oxygen environments such as air tubes or oxygen trapping red hemoglobin in
their tissue. See the “Adaptations” column in Appendix C for more examples.

These bugs are important because they are an integral part of the food chain. They provide food
for fish and other aquatic organisms. Many of them are also key indicator species. They can tell
us about the quality of the water where they are found. Bugs that have a low tolerance to
pollution tell us that the water they are found in is relatively healthy. If we do not find these
bugs, then it could possibly be due to some sort of pollutant or other impairment to the water
body.

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