Ten years after livestock grazing exclosures were created, macroinvertebrate populations were sampled to determine the effects of this management on stream quality. The measured water quality and visual estimates of riparian vegetation and bank stability were lower in the grazed areas than the ungrazed areas, which probably affected the macroinvertebrate communities. Macroinvertebrate species, densities, and biomass differed between the grazed and ungrazed areas; where the grazed areas had greater populations of more tolerant macroinvertebrates. Although the data suggests that grazing is the cause of the differences in the macroinvertebrate communities, no pre-treatment data was collected prior to the building of the exclosures and it is not possible to imply direct cause and effect.
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