Life in a Mountain Brook

The merging of several spring rills creates a stream. If there is a steep slope and a rocky underground, the stream is called a mountain brook. There is always a strong current and temperatures remain almost unchanged throughout the year. Due to the turbulent flow, there is always enough oxygen in the water.

How do the creatures adapt to the environmental conditions in a mountain brook?

As a result, the inhabitants of a mountain brook are usually organisms that are very dependent on oxygen. Additionally, they do not tolerate great temperature changes. For adapting to the speed of the flow, different species have developed different methods.

Very often you find animals with a flattened body. The flattening is sometimes achieved through a shell, which is very heavy in most cases to prevent drifting. An example of an animal that uses this strategy is the caddis worm.

A different form of adaptation is the development of organs of attachment. The best example is the Liponeura with its sucker.

Yet another way of adaptation is the escape to zones of the brook where the water flows a little slower. That would be hollow spaces between stones or in the bottom of the brook altogether. Mayflies (left picture) and alderflies use these regions, for example