FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DISTRIBUTION OF SUBMERGED AQUATIC MACROPHYTES IN JEMEZ MOUNTAIN STREAMS, NORTHERN NEW MEXICO, USA

Submerged aquatic macrophytes (SAMs) have been studied extensively in lotic ecosystems at low elevations, but few studies have been conducted in high-elevation systems, and factors controlling SAM distribution at high elevation are not well understood. After anecdotal and published documentation of abundant SAMs in high-elevation streams in the Jemez Mountains, northern New Mexico, USA, we wanted to determine what combination of physical factors are controlling the presence or absence of SAMs in the Jemez River watershed. We surveyed several sites on the three major river systems in the watershed along a gradient of elevation for physical factors, presence-absence, and percent cover of each taxa. Our results showed that SAMs were observed in 60% of surveyed sites that were associated with deeper, narrower, lower-velocity streams with low gradients. This evidence suggests that SAMs at high elevations are subject to similar abiotic controls found for SAM presence at lower elevations.