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The Fauna of Four Streams in the `Black Mountain' District of South Wales

1948; Wiley; Volume: 17; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/1609

1365-2656

J. R. Erichsen Jones,

Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior

The general ecology of running waters has not been greatly studied in this country, and of recent years investigations have tended to take the form of specialized study of particular animal groups, like the work of Puri (I925) and Smart (I944) on the Simuliidae. The metallic pollution prevalent in north Cardiganshire, as a result of the lead mining carried on in the nineteenth century, has been a considerable stimulus to study of the fauna and general ecology of the rivers and streams of west Wales. The work was begun by Carpenter (I924), who studied first the rivers Rheidol and Ystwyth, and later (I927) dealt with the faunistic ecology of Cardiganshire streams, including those of the high Plynlimmon plateau, on the lines of a broad survey. This study, however, does not give a complete picture of the fauna of any particular stream and the only detailed descriptions Qf the fauna of Welsh mountain streams are to be found in my paper (194I) on the River Dovey, in which 57 species are recorded for the main stream above the 400 ft. contour, and my paper (I943) on the River Teifi; here about 6o species are recorded for the upper portion of the river from its source to the Tregaron Bog (500 ft.). In the summer of I947 the writer was presented with an opportunity to make a study of the streams in the Black Mountain district of south Wales. When the work was begun it was anticipated that the many streams of the area would prove to have a general similarity of environmental features, fauna and flora, and that a detailed survey of one could be taken as representative. A preliminary reconnaissance was sufficient to show that this was not the case. Four streams were eventually selected for systematic study. Three run on the southern slopes-the upper reaches of the River Amman and its main tributaries the Nant Garw and Nant Pedol, and one on the northern slopes-the River Clydach.