Catchment-scale urbanization diminishes effects of habitat complexity on instream macroinvertebrate assemblages

Abstract

While provision of in‐stream habitat complexity remains common practice in efforts to restore streams, the evidence of positive effects on in‐stream communities is inconsistent. In streams of urban catchments, where both reach‐scale habitat manipulation and catchment‐scale actions to ameliorate the disturbance regime of urban stormwater runoff are common management responses, clearer understanding of the effects of habitat complexity under different degrees of urban impact are needed. We experimentally assessed the effect of increased surface complexity in wood, the dominant hard substrate in our 18 study reaches on 14 small streams, on in‐stream macroinvertebrate assemblages across a range ..