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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
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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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.
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