Shape of a River - Geomorphology
Habitat (pg 2 of 2)
As water moves through a meandering channel,
changes in streamflow cause the sediment to be
scoured, sorted, and deposited in riffles and
pools.
Floods cause scour in pools which makes the
pools deeper. Larger particles such as gravel,
cobble and boulders tend to deposit in riffles
during floods and high flows. However, during low
flows finer particles such as sand and silt deposit
in pools and fine sediment is scoured from
riffles.
Riffle habitat provides feeding locations for
many species of fish and spawning habitat for
species such as walleye, lake sturgeon, trout,
darters, and suckers. Many aquatic invertebrates
rely on riffle habitat. Pools and eddies provide
spawning and feeding areas for species such as
smallmouth bass, and provide some invertebrate
species with slow water and finer sediment.
