flows. Dissolved oxygen data from continuous loggers (to be presented in the final report) will provide more detail related to environmental watering and natural pulses. Weekly water samples collected during the natural flow events in March 2012 illustrate the progression of the associated blackwater event through all sites, with Little Merran Creek being the only system continuing to be affected by early April and all sites returning to normal levels by May 2012. There was no immediate response of frogs to the environmental watering in Colligen Creek in The abundance of frogs in Colligen Creek did not change in response to the February 2011. February environmental watering or during the unregulated high flows in March. In contrast the abundance of frogs increased in March and April in Yallakool, Wakool and Little Merran Creeks with the most notable increase occurring in Yallakool Creek. The frog community in Colligen Creek was different to that in the other three rivers. It is not clear whether this was influenced by the environmental watering in Colligen Creek or reflects specific geomorphic features of the study reach. A more comprehensive understanding of frog responses to environmental watering would be gained by increasing the number of sample reaches within each river in order to capture the full extent of geomorphic diversity within each river.
flows. Dissolved oxygen data from continuous loggers (to be presented in the final report) will provide more detail related to environmental watering and natural pulses. Weekly water samples collected during the natural flow events in March 2012 illustrate the progression of the associated blackwater event through all sites, with Little Merran Creek being the only system continuing to be affected by early April and all sites returning to normal levels by May 2012. There was no immediate response of frogs to the environmental watering in Colligen Creek in February 2011. The abundance of frogs in Colligen Creek did not change in response to the February environmental watering or during the unregulated high flows in March. In contrast the abundance of frogs increased in March and April in Yallakool, Wakool and Little Merran Creeks with the most notable increase occurring in Yallakool Creek. The frog community in Colligen Creek was different to that in the other three rivers. It is not clear whether this was influenced by the environmental watering in Colligen Creek or reflects specific geomorphic features of the study reach. A more comprehensive understanding of frog responses to environmental watering would be gained by increasing the number of sample reaches within each river in order to capture the full extent of geomorphic diversity within each river.
ecosystem-response-monitoring-natural-edward-wakool.docx