An unprotected tributary has no detectable impact on macroinvertebrates in a Wild and Scenic River in the southeast (Chattooga)

The use of land in the Stekoa Creek watershed could impact its greater drainage basin, the Chattooga River watershed, Georgia, USA. Leaf litter packs were used to collect invertebrates in Stekoa Creek and in the Chattooga both above and below its confluence with Stekoa Creek. Macroinvertebrate community characteristics can be indicators of the health of the environment that is inhabited. Macroinvertebrates were identified and communities were analyzed to determine similarity, richness, and diversity. Land cover data were analyzed using Geographical Information System to understand land use and subsequent invertebrate community assemblages of the Stekoa and Chattooga watersheds. While no differences were found in invertebrate assemblages, there was a higher amount of urbanized land in the Stekoa watershed. These results suggest that while there are some landscape level differences between watersheds, a response in the invertebrate community was not detected.