ABSTRACT
Among the goals of regulated river management is the maintenance of biotic integrity under other than natural discharge regimes. The assumption has been made that adequate habitat for target fish would insure adequate habitat for other aquatic organisms. Aquatic macroinvertebrates occupy a unique compartment within the structure of a lotic ecosystem. Acting as shredders, collectors, and filterers of allochthonous organic input and as grazers of primary producers, the invertebrates serve as a crucial step in the energy dynamics of lotic ecosystems. A variety of models to predict macroinvertebrate distribution have been developed. These techniques have been based upon acquisition of density estimates in relation to various physical parameters related to or controlled by flow. Those models which appear to show the most promise to provide habitat, distribution, or biomass information when associated with the appropriate predictions of regulated flow hydraulics and releases are reviewed in this chapter.
