4/4/2017 StreamsandRiversChapter8|TexasAquaticScience

TexasAquaticScience
(http://texasaquaticscience.org)
Aguideforstudentsfrommoleculestoecosystems,and
headwaterstoocean

StreamsandRiversChapter8

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ4HpuT5uGk)

Texasstreamsandriverssupportdiverseecosystems
thataredependentuponthesizeandflowofwater.
Thehealthieststreamsandriversarethosewiththe
leastalterednaturalprocesses.

QuestionstoConsider
Whatarethepartsofastream?Howdothey
functiontogether?
Whatistheriparianzone?Whyisitimportant
tohaveplentyofplantsgrowingalongsidea
stream?
Whatisthefloodplain?Arefloodsnatural
disasters?
Whatisstreamorder?Howcanithelpus
understandtheaquaticcommunitylivingina
particularplace?
Whatcanthepresenceorabsenceofaquatic
invertebratestellusaboutthehealthofa
stream?
Howareplantsandanimalsadaptedtoliving
inflowingwater?
Howcanriversandstreamsbekepthealthy?
Howarehealthystreamsvaluabletopeople?

ChallengeQuestion

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Discussthesignificanceofthephrase,
everyonelivesdownstreamfromsomeone
else.

Chapter8:StreamsandRivers

Streams and rivers contain flowing water. The word

stream can be used to describe all flowing natural
waters. Water flow in streams is called stream flow.
Thewordriverusuallyreferstoalargestream.

Texashas15majorriverbasinsandover3,700named
streams(seeChapter3,Fig.3.2).Ifyoulinedupallthe
streamsandriversinTexasendtoend,theywouldflow
over over 191,000 miles distance. Most rivers begin
within the state and all empty into the Gulf of Mexico.
Riversformseveralofourborders.TheRedRiverforms
theborderbetweenTexasandneighboringstatestothe
north.TheSabineRiverformsourborderwithLouisiana
to the east. The Rio Grande forms our border with
Mexico in the south and west. It is the second longest
riverintheUS.

ThecharacteristicsofTexasriversdifferfrombeginning
to end because they flow through several natural
physiographic regions. (see Chapter 3, Fig. 3.3)
These regions have different types of bedrock, soil,
elevation, weather, vegetation, and land use. This
directlyaffectstheshape,length,flow,plants,animals,
water quality, and streambed composition of the
riversthatrunthroughit.

Although stream flow in some Texas rivers is fed by

springs, most of the water entering streams comes
from runoff of rain falling on land in the watershed.
Some streams and rivers may also receive large
amounts of water from a city wastewater treatment
facility.

The amount of rainfall an area receives has a great

influenceonthesizeandflowofastream,whichinturn
has a great influence on the kind of aquatic
ecosystems found in it. Rainfall varies from over 50
inchesperyearinEastTexastolessthan10inchesper
year in the west. (see Chapter 2, Fig. 2.2) In some
areas,Texasstreamsstopflowinganddryupbecauseof
toolittlerainfallorduetohumanusesofstreamwater.
Streams that naturally dry up during periods of low
rainfallarecalledephemeral.

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Regardless of their size, shape, or location, all healthy

Texas streams and rivers share a common feature
they support diverse ecosystems. The plants and
animals living in them exist in balance with the
processes that recycle nutrients and other aquatic
resourcesessentialforlifeinaquaticcommunities.

Partsofastream
When most people think of a stream, theyre usually
thinkingofthestreamchannel.(Fig.8.1)Thechannel
is the deep part of the stream where water collects to
flowdownstream.Streamchannelsalwaysrundownhill.
In a straight stretch of stream, the main force of the
current is in the middle. The deepest water is also
usuallyinthemiddle.Thepartneartheshoreisusually
theshallowest.Whenthereisasharpcurveintheriver,
the strongest current and deepest water moves to the
outsideedgeofthecurve.Inflowingwater,thereisless
currentnearthebottom.

Areas where the stream flow slows and water depth

increases are called pools. Shallower, fasterflowing
streamareasarecalledriffles.Theseareascanusually
be identified by looking for small waves seen on the
surface.Thefastmovingwaterbetweenriffleareasand
poolsiscalledarun.Rapidsmayformwherethewater
flows downhill very fast and pushes up against
underwater obstacles. Rapids are where you see very
turbulentwaterflow.

In naturally flowing streams its common to see riffle

runpoolrunrifflesequences.Alternatingslowandfast
movingwatersmakegreathomesforaquaticlife.

Thechannelisonlyonepartofthestream.Thestream
banksaretheshoulderlikesidesofthestreamchannel.
Stablestreambankshaveplantsgrowingonthem.The
roots hold soil in place and minimize stream bank
erosion.Whenastreambankerodes,itcancoverthe
streamsbottomwithsediment,orfineparticlesofsoil.
Sedimentation can smother aquatic organisms and
destroytheirhabitat.

The riparian zone is the transition area between the

streamedgeandtheuplandsandtypicallyhastreesand
smaller plants extending outward on either side of the
stream.Ariparianzonewithheavyplantgrowthmaybe
the best protection, or buffer, against nonpoint
source water pollution. For example, lawn fertilizers
cancauseproblemswhenwashedbyrainintoastream.
A healthy riparian zone can help absorb the fertilizers
beforetheygetintothewater.

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Plantsgrowingintheriparianzonehelpkeepthestream
healthy in many other ways. Trees shade and cool the
water, which increases the amount of dissolved
oxygen the water can hold. Shaded stream segments
may be as much as 10 degrees cooler than segments
exposed to direct sunlight. Roots help hold the stream
banks together, reducing stream bank erosion. Leaves
andlandinsectsfallingintothewaterfromvegetationon
the banks provide organic matter for aquatic food
webs.

Therelativelyflatlandextendingoutwardonbothsides
of a stream or river is called the floodplain. During a
flood,thelargeamountsofadditionalwateroverflowthe
stream banks and spread out to cover the floodplain.
(Fig. 8.2) Flooding is a natural characteristic of all
streams. By allowing excess water to spread out,
floodplains reduce the floodwaters speed. As a result,
less damage occurs in the stream and to areas
downstream. People may ignore the natural function of
floodplains and build roads and houses in them,
resultinginlossoflivesandpropertyduringfloods.(Fig.
8.3)Theseareasalsooftencontainrichsoilsbestsuited
tofarming.

Aquaticecosystems
Texas ranks second in the US for biodiversity in its
rivers and streams. They are home to more than 250
species of fish, including about 25 nonnative species.
This great diversity of aquatic life reflects the great
diversityofhabitatsfoundacrossTexaslandscape.With
lotsofrainfallintheeastandnorth,EastTexasstreams
havemorediverseaquaticcommunitiesthanstreamsin
aridWestTexas.

The most common stream fish in Texas are minnows,

darters, suckers, sunfish, bass, and catfish. More than
50 species of mussels inhabit Texas rivers. There are
also thousands of other species of aquatic
invertebratesfoundinTexasstreams.

Livinginfastwater
Stream plants and animals have developed special
adaptationsforlifeinriverandstreamhabitats.Plants
living in moving water have long, thin, flexible stems
thatofferlittleresistancetothecurrent,andstrongroot
systems to hold the plants firmly in place. (Fig. 8.4)
Mussels burrow in the bottom sediments to avoid the
current. Snails use a broad, flat foot to stick to rocks.
River otters have an oily coat to keep them dry and
warm.Fishsuchasshinershavestreamlinedbodiesthat
allow them to remain stable in currents. Catfish and
manydarterspeciesarebottomdwellerswithflattened

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heads and large pectoral fins angled to help them stay

on the bottom in swift currents. Most darters do not
have swim bladders allowing them to remain on the
bottom of the stream. With these advantages they can
staydownlowandfeedeveninswiftwater.

Streamorderandaquaticcommunities
Precipitationfirstcollectsatthetopofthewatershed,
in the headwaters of each stream. From there water
flowsdownhillintinytrickles.Asthesetricklesorrunoff
begin to combine they first carve out a small stream
channel by erosion. This first small stream channel is
calledafirstorderstream.Thisisasmallstreamwith
no tributaries coming into it. Firstorder streams
combine to form larger streams, called secondorder
streams.Theselarger,secondorderstreamscombineto
form even bigger thirdorder streams and so on. The
MississippiRiverswatershedisthelargestintheUSand
theriverisa10thorderstreamwhenitemptiesintothe
GulfofMexico.TheAmazonRiverinBrazilistheworlds
largest river because it carries more water into the
oceanthananyother.Itisa12thorderstreamwhenit
reachestheAtlanticOcean.

Knowing the order of a stream and whether it has a

perennial or intermittent flow can help you
understandwhataquaticlifeitcansupport.(Fig.8.5)

Firstand secondorder streams. In the headwaters

of a stream the water is shallow, the stream bottom is
oftenrocky,andtherearefewaquaticplants.Alackof
foodlimitsthenumberofanimalsthatcanlivethere.In
early order streams the benthic community of
organisms, called benthos, is a key part of the food
web. These include benthic macroinvertebrates,
such as mussels, aquatic insects, and other
invertebratesvisiblewithouttheaidofamicroscope.

Because there is little aquatic plant growth at the

headwaters, animals at the bottom of the food web
dependontheleaves,stems,andanimalsthatmayfall
intothestreamfromtheland.Aquaticinsects,suchas
stonefly nymphs, chew and tear leaves and stems into
tiny bits. They are called shredders. Small pieces not
eatenbyshreddersareeatenbyfilteringandgathering
collectors. Grazers (snails, for example) appear
further downstream as the channel widens. Here
sunlight strikes the stream bottom allowing algae to
grow on rocks and plant stems. Grazers feed on the
algae. Productivity increases as you go downstream.
Foodbecomesmoreabundantanddiverse,andsodoes
theaquaticcommunity.

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