A local-scale in situ approach for stressor identification of biologically impaired aquatic systems

Biological diversity, ecological health and condition of aquatic assemblages at national wildlife refuges in southern indiana, USA

The National Wildlife Refuge system is a vital resource for the protection and conservation of biodiversity and biological integrity in the United States. Surveys were conducted to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of fish, macroinvertebrate, and crayfish populations in two watersheds that encompass three refuges in southern Indiana. The Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge had the highest number of aquatic species with 355 macroinvertebrate taxa, six crayfish species, and 82 fish species, while the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge had 163 macroinvertebrate taxa, seven crayfish species, and 37 fish species. The Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge had the lowest diversity of macroinvertebrates with 96 taxa and six crayfish species, while possessing the second highest fish species richness with 51 species. Habitat quality was highest in the Muscatatuck River drainage with increased amounts of forested habitats compared to the Patoka River drainage. Biological integrity of the three refuges ranked the Patoka NWR as the lowest biological integrity (mean IBI reach scores = 35 IBI points), while Big Oaks had the highest biological integrity (mean IBI reach score = 41 IBI points). The Muscatatuck NWR had a mean IBI reach score of 31 during June, which seasonally increased to a mean of 40 IBI points during summer. Watershed IBI scores and habitat condition were highest in the Big Oaks NWR.

Patterns in stream fish assemblage structure and function associated with a PCB gradient

Stream fish assemblage structure and function were examined for significant response along a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) gradient from two PCB-contaminated streams (Clear Creek and Richland Creek watershed) at three locations and a control stream (Little Indian Creek), Indiana, USA. Fish were sampled in the summer months of 1995 and from 1999 to 2002. 51 fish assemblage attributes-including structure (i.e., fish composition) and function (i.e., trophic, reproductive, condition guilds), biomass, and index of biotic integrity (IBI) metric scores-were evaluated for significance according to an increasing PCB gradient. Eight biomass attributes of fish assemblages decreased with increasing PCB concentration: number of species biomass, number of sunfish biomass, percent sunfish biomass, number of sucker biomass, percent sucker biomass, biomass of sensitive species, percent sensitive species biomass, and percent carnivore biomass. Three biomass attributes increased with PCB concentration: percent minnow biomass, percent pioneer species biomass, and percent tolerant species biomass. Seven species composition and relative abundance characters decreased with increasing PCB concentration: number of species; number of darter, madtom, and sculpin; number of darter; number of sunfish; number of sucker; number of sensitive species; and percent individuals as carnivores. Percent individuals as pioneer species increased with increasing PCB concentration. Two IBI metrics, percent individuals as headwater species and number of minnow species, increased as PCB concentrations increased, whereas number of sucker species and percent individuals as pioneer species decreased with increasing PCB concentration class. We observed a direct response between decreased relative abundance and biomass of carnivores and increased relative abundance minnows as the PCB gradient increased. Total IBI score did not detect subtle changes to the fish community that were observed along a PCB gradient, whereas diagnostic analysis of the individual metrics did.

A survey on the utility of the USEPA CADDIS stressor identification procedure

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made available on the worldwide web a systematic stream stressor identification procedure, the "Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information System" or CADDIS. We report here the results of a survey of regulators and scientists in 11 states who use CADDIS or another stressor identification procedure in their work. The 13 survey questions address guidelines as to what impairment scenarios to approach with stressor identification, what information is needed to perform stressor identification, and what the stakeholder role is in performing stressor identification. At the time of this survey (the summer of 2009), the EPA CADDIS website was less commonly used among the state regulators surveyed than the published EPA stressor identification document on which it is based. The respondents generally find the EPA stressor identification procedure useful and capable of being adapted to their individual needs. Survey respondents all use stressor identification in their Total Maximum Daily Load work, but also in a wide variety of other applications. All the "types of evidence" included in the CADDIS stressor identification procedure are used by the practitioners surveyed with the exception of the results of ecological simulation models. While the CADDIS documentation encourages the involvement of stakeholders in stressor identification, most respondents do not assemble stakeholder teams of local officials and citizens to participate in stressor analyses.

Predicting biological impairment from habitat assessments

The goal of biological monitoring programs is to determine impairment classification and identify local stressors. Biological monitoring performs well at detecting impairment but when used alone falls short of determining the cause of the impairment. Following detection a more thorough survey is often conducted using extensive biological, chemical, and physical analysis coupled with exhaustive statistical treatments. These methods can be prohibitive for small programs that are limited by time and budget. The objective of this study was to develop a simple and useful model to predict the probability of biological impairment based on routinely collected habitat assessments. Biological communities were assessed with the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), and habitat was assessed with the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index. Two models were constructed from a validation dataset. The first predicted a binary outcome of impaired (IBI < 35) or non-impaired (IBI ≥ 35) and the second predicted a categorical gradient of impairment. Categories include very poor, poor, fair, good, and excellent. The models were then validated with an independently collected dataset. Both models successfully predicted biological integrity of the validation dataset with an accuracy of 0.84 (binary) and 0.75 (categorical). Based on the binary outcome model, 22 sites were observed to be impaired while the model predicted them to not be impaired. The categorical model misclassified 47 samples while only seven of those were misclassified by two or more categories. The impairment source was subsequently identified by known stressors. The models developed here can be easily applied to other datasets from the Eastern Corn Belt Plain to aid in stressor identification by predicting the probability of observing an impaired fish community based on habitat. Predicted probabilities from the models can also be used to support conclusions that have already been determined.

Biological response signature of oil brine threats, sediment contaminants, and crayfish assemblages in an Indiana watershed, USA

The Patoka River watershed contains a divergent landscape of oil and gas exploration, intensive agriculture, and surface mining mixed with National Forest, Wildlife Refuges, and a large recreational reservoir. We evaluated species diversity among different land uses, including, commercial, forested, residential, and agriculture, and determined relationships among disturbance scale, habitat requirements, contaminants, and patterns in species distributions. Primary burrowing species, Cambarus polychromatus, Cambarus cf diogenes (Lacunicambarus A), and Fallicambarus fodiens, were tolerant of higher concentrations of contaminants than aquatic tertiary burrowing species. Cambarus polychromatus was among the last species of crayfish at the most disturbed sites, while it was absent from pasture and agricultural landscapes that allowed cattle access along banks. Four species of Orconectes were found in the reference and agricultural landscapes within the watershed, including O. immunis, O. indianensis, O. inermis inermis, and O. propinquus. Orconectes indianensis distribution was determined by the presence of rock habitat and absence of contaminants. No Orconectes species were found in acid mine leachate-affected streams with high levels of molybdenum. Cambarus laevis was found in the highest-quality reference areas, which were associated with karst habitats and no contaminants. Burrowing crayfish species were associated with the oil derricks in the lower and middle watershed, which contained increased concentrations of strontium, phosphorus, and various organic parameters associated with oil brine PAHs.