Ecological Health & Function

Flow Regime

CATEGORY: Structural Complexity

hydrograph indicator

Microhabitat Indicator

See how Microhabitat scores
The microhabitat indicator considers physical habitat relevant to small aquatic species such as benthic macroinvertebrates and larval fish, particularly the availability of interstitial spaces among the river bed substrate, degree of embeddedness, armoring, proportion of fine sediment, algae cover, and patches of organic material or detritus accumulations

Microhabitat score by Riverscape

Did You Know?

Algal growth and die-off in riverine systems is typically cyclical: this cycle depends on having both low flows (to allow growth) and high flows (to scour, detatch, and flush out the algae).

Low flows, combined with elevated nutrient levels, can magnify growth periods during dry summer months. Algae can take hold and establish when flows are low, and then they are typically scoured away by high flows in the spring. The high flows act as a reset each year.

This pattern was exemplified in the Middle Yampa River segment in 2022: during fieldwork for this project in May and June, algal cover was minimal, but coverage in the same reaches was substantial over several visits that occurred during low flow conditions (July through October).

Go Back to the Middle Yampa Score

What else goes into the scoring?

Attribute Areas