A Pre-impoundment Bottom-fauna Study of Cherokee Reservoir Area (Tennessee)

Abstract
Pre‐impoundment bottom‐fauna data from five stations are presented for the Cherokee Reservoir area, Tennessee. Production was found to be much lower in the deep‐water pools than in the shallow‐water riffle areas. In the riffle areas the two taxonomic groups, Trichoptera and Diptera, made up 93.3, 81.4, and 92.8 per cent of the total population while the Trichoptera and Sialidae comprised 69.3, 80.0, and 88.4 per cent of the total volume at three different stations. The gradual increase in volume over a period of 3 months at the most productive station was concluded to be due almost entirely to the increment in numbers of Trichoptera rather than to the growth of individual organisms. Pollution of the Holston River by sewage and industrial wastes was an important factor that limited production of bottom organisms. Physicochemical data are given and are correlated with bottom‐fauna data to support the contention that pollution resulted in a decrease in the fauna upstream toward the source of pollution. It is concluded that impoundment of the Holston River by Cherokee Dam will reduce the effects of pollution in the reservoir area. It is expected that the principal components of the Holstou River bottom fauna will not survive impoundment and that whatever organisms do survive impoundment or invade the reservoir area, the total production per unit area will not be as great in the reservoir as it was in the original river channel. Comparisons between the pre‐impoundment bottom fauna of the Cherokee and Watts Bar Reservoir areas point to the fact that while Cherokee is the more productive, the bottom fauna at Watts Bar has a better chance of surviving impoundment, and hence, that Watts Bar Reservoir will probably produce more bottom organisms than did the original river. This contrast is a result of environmental differences between the habitats of the two areas.

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