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Deeds J, Amirbahman A, Hugger K, Kaufmann PR, Matthews LJ, Merrell K, Norton SA. Assessment Indices of Littoral Habitat Condition for Lakes in Maine and New England, USA. Lake Reserv Manag 2023; 39:141-155. [PMID: 37969555 PMCID: PMC10642257 DOI: 10.1080/10402381.2023.2207490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Littoral habitat is critical for lake biota but is adversely affected by residential shoreland development through the loss and reduced structural complexity of lakeshore vegetation. There currently exists no assessment methodology for evaluating littoral habitat condition of individual lakes in northeastern US. We addressed this assessment need by creating multi-metric indices of littoral habitat condition that focus on lakeshore residential development as the primary stressor. We did this by using habitat metrics derived primarily from National Lake Assessment (NLA) Physical Habitat (PHAB) survey field observations to create Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) models that assign lakeshore stations into littoral habitat condition categories. Lake PHAB survey data were used from New England NLA surveys as well as state-level surveys completed in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Prediction success rates in New England models averaged 83%. The Maine LDA models, which used finer scale survey methods, had an average prediction success rate of 89%. We used 95% bootstrapped confidence intervals to make assessment designations of natural (meeting reference quality), diminished (not meeting reference quality), or intermediate (existing between natural and diminished) littoral habitat condition for each lake. Our results show that efficacious single-lake littoral habitat assessments may be completed within the framework of NLA PHAB methodology, but confidence in assessment results, and therefore better-informed management decisions, can be improved with finer-scale observation data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Deeds
- The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Augusta, Maine 04333
| | - Aria Amirbahman
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California 95053
| | - Kirsten Hugger
- The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Concord, NH 03302
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR, and Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA
| | - Leslie J. Matthews
- The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Montpelier, VT 05620
| | - Kellie Merrell
- The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Montpelier, VT 05620
| | - Stephen A. Norton
- School of Earth and Climate Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469
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Saraiva SO, Rutherfurd ID, Kaufmann PR, Leal CG, Macedo DR, Pompeu PS. Wood stock in neotropical streams: Quantifying and comparing instream wood among biomes and regions. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275464. [PMID: 36197927 PMCID: PMC9534444 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Instream wood plays important chemical, physical and ecological functions in aquatic systems, benefiting biota directly and indirectly. However, human activities along river corridors have disrupted wood recruitment and retention, usually leading to reductions in the amount of instream wood. In the tropics, where wood is believed to be more transient, the expansion of agriculture and infrastructure might be reducing instream wood stock even more than in the better studied temperate streams. However, research is needed to augment the small amount of information about wood in different biomes and ecosystems of neotropical streams. Here we present the first extensive assessment of instream wood loads and size distributions in streams of the wet-tropical Amazon and semi-humid-tropical Cerrado (the Brazilian savanna). We also compare neotropical wood stocks with those in temperate streams, first comparing against data from the literature, and then from a comparable dataset from temperate biomes in the USA. Contrary to our expectations, Amazon and Cerrado streams carried similar wood loads, which were lower than the world literature average, but similar to those found in comparable temperate forest and savanna streams in the USA. Our results indicate that the field survey methods and the wood metric adopted are highly important when comparing different datasets. But when properly compared, we found that most of the wood in temperate streams is made-up of a small number of large pieces, whereas wood in neotropical streams is made up of a larger number of small pieces that produce similar total volumes. The character of wood volumes among biomes is linked more to the delivery, transport and decomposition mechanisms than to the total number of pieces. Future studies should further investigate the potential instream wood drivers in neotropical catchments in order to better understand the differences and similarities here detected between biomes and climatic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah O. Saraiva
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Ian D. Rutherfurd
- School of Geography, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, and Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Cecília G. Leal
- Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ), Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, Lancashire, United Kingdom
| | - Diego R. Macedo
- Departamento de Geografia, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Paulo S. Pompeu
- Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação, Instituto de Ciências Naturais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Kaufmann PR, Hughes RM, Paulsen SG, Peck DV, Seeliger CW, Kincaid T, Mitchell RM. Physical habitat in conterminous US streams and Rivers, part 2: A quantitative assessment of habitat condition. Ecol Indic 2022; 141:109047. [PMID: 35991318 PMCID: PMC9389467 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Rigorous assessments of the ecological condition of water resources and the effect of human activities on those waters require quantitative physical, chemical, and biological data. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's river and stream surveys quantify river and stream bed particle size and stability, instream habitat complexity and cover, riparian vegetation cover and structure, and anthropogenic disturbance activities. Physical habitat is strongly controlled by natural geoclimatic factors that co-vary with human activities. We expressed the anthropogenic alteration of physical habitat as O/E ratios of observed habitat metric values divided by values expected under least-disturbed reference conditions, where site-specific expected values vary given their geoclimatic and geomorphic context. We set criteria for good, fair, and poor condition based on the distribution of O/E values in regional least-disturbed reference sites. Poor conditions existed in 22-24% of the 1.2 million km of streams and rivers in the conterminous U.S. for riparian human disturbance, streambed sediment and riparian vegetation cover, versus 14% for instream habitat complexity. Based on the same four indicators, the percentage of stream length in poor condition within 9 separate U.S. ecoregions ranged from 4% to 42%. Associations of our physical habitat indices with anthropogenic pressures demonstrate the scope of anthropogenic habitat alteration; habitat condition was negatively related to the level of anthropogenic disturbance nationally and in nearly all ecoregions. Relative risk estimates showed that streams and rivers with poor sediment, riparian cover complexity, or instream habitat cover conditions were 1.4 to 2.6 times as likely to also have fish or macroinvertebrate assemblages in poor condition. Our physical habitat condition indicators help explain deviations in biological conditions from those observed among least-disturbed sites and inform management actions for rehabilitating impaired waters and mitigating further ecological degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip R. Kaufmann
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research
and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific
Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation
Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Robert M. Hughes
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation
Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Amnis Opes Institute, 2895 Southeast Glenn Street,
Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Steven G. Paulsen
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research
and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific
Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - David V. Peck
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research
and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific
Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | | | - Tom Kincaid
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research
and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific
Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
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Riato L, Hill RA, Herlihy AT, Peck DV, Kaufmann PR, Stoddard JL, Paulsen SG. Genus-level, trait-based multimetric diatom indices for assessing the ecological condition of rivers and streams across the conterminous United States. Ecol Indic 2022; 141:1-13. [PMID: 36003067 PMCID: PMC9393879 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Taxonomic inconsistency in species-level identifications has constrained use of diatoms as biological indicators in aquatic assessments. We addressed this problem by developing diatom multimetric indices (MMIs) of ecological condition using genus-level taxonomy and trait-based autecological information. The MMIs were designed to assess river and stream chemical, physical and biological condition across the conterminous United States. Trait-based approaches have the advantage of using both species-level and genus-level data, which require less effort and expense to acquire than traditional species-based approaches and eliminate the persistent taxonomic biases introduced over vast geographic extents. For large-extent assessment programs that require multiple taxonomic laboratories to process samples, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA's) National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA), the trait approach can eliminate discrepancies in species-level identification or nomenclature that hinder diatom data interpretation. We developed trait-based MMIs using NRSA data for each of the three large ecoregions across the U.S. - the East, Plains, and West. All three MMIs performed well in discriminating least-disturbed from most-disturbed sites. The MMI for the East had the greatest discrimination ability, followed by MMIs for the Plains and West, respectively. The performance of the MMIs was comparable to that observed in existing NRSA fish and macroinvertebrate MMIs. Our research shows that trait-based diatom indices constructed on genus-level taxonomy can be effective for large-scale assessments, and may also allow programs such as NRSA to assess trends in freshwater condition retrospectively, by revisiting older diatom datasets. Moreover, our genus-based approach facilitates including of diatoms into other assessment programs that have limited monitoring resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Riato
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Post-Doctoral Fellow c/o U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35 St., Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Ryan A. Hill
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35 St., Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Alan T. Herlihy
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - David V. Peck
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35 St., Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35 St., Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - John L. Stoddard
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35 St., Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Steven G. Paulsen
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35 St., Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
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Kaufmann PR, Hughes RM, Paulsen SG, Peck DV, Seeliger CW, Weber MH, Mitchell RM. Physical habitat in conterminous US streams and rivers, Part 1: Geoclimatic controls and anthropogenic alteration. Ecol Indic 2022; 141:109046. [PMID: 35991319 PMCID: PMC9389819 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic alteration of physical habitat structure in streams and rivers is increasingly recognized as a major cause of impairment worldwide. As part of their assessment of the status and trends in the condition of rivers and streams in the U.S., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) quantify and monitor channel size and slope, substrate size and stability, instream habitat complexity and cover, riparian vegetation cover and structure, anthropogenic disturbance activities, and channel-riparian interaction. Like biological assemblages and water chemistry, physical habitat is strongly controlled by natural geoclimatic factors that can obscure or amplify the influence of human activities. We developed a systematic approach to estimate the deviation of observed river and stream physical habitat from that expected in least-disturbed reference conditions. We applied this approach to calculate indices of anthropogenic alteration of three aspects of physical habitat condition in the conterminous U.S. (CONUS): streambed sediment size and stability, riparian vegetation cover, and instream habitat complexity. The precision and responsiveness of these indices led the USEPA to use them to evaluate physical habitat condition in CONUS rivers and streams. The scores of these indices systematically decreased with greater anthropogenic disturbance at river and stream sites in the CONUS and within ecoregions, which we interpret as a response of these physical habitat indices to anthropogenic influences. Although anthropogenic activities negatively influenced all three physical habitat indices in the least-disturbed sites within most ecoregions, natural geoclimatic and geomorphic factors were the dominant influences. For sites over the full range of anthropogenic disturbance, analyses of observed/expected sediment characteristics showed augmented flood flows and basin and riparian agriculture to be the leading predictors of streambed instability and excess fine sediments. Similarly, basin and riparian agriculture and non-agricultural riparian land uses were the leading predictors of reduced riparian vegetation cover complexity in the CONUS and within ecoregions. In turn, these reductions in riparian vegetation cover and complexity, combined with reduced summer low flows, were the leading predictors of instream habitat simplification. We conclude that quantitative measures of physical habitat structure are useful and important indicators of the impacts of human activities on stream and river condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip R. Kaufmann
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research
and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific
Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation
Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Robert M. Hughes
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation
Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Amnis Opes Institute, 2895 Southeast Glenn Street,
Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Steven G. Paulsen
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research
and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific
Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - David V. Peck
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research
and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific
Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | | | - Marc H. Weber
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research
and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific
Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
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Fergus CE, Brooks JR, Kaufmann PR, Pollard AI, Mitchell R, Geldhof GJ, Hill RA, Paulsen SG, Ringold P, Weber M. Natural and anthropogenic controls on lake water-level decline and evaporation-to-inflow ratio in the conterminous United States. Limnol Oceanogr 2022; 67:1484-1501. [PMID: 36212524 PMCID: PMC9533913 DOI: 10.1002/lno.12097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Lake water levels are integral to lake function, but hydrologic changes from land and water management may alter lake fluctuations beyond natural ranges. We constructed a conceptual model of multifaceted drivers of lake water-levels and evaporation-to-inflow ratio (Evap:Inflow). Using a structural equation modeling framework, we tested our model on 1) a national subset of lakes in the conterminous United States with minimal water management to describe natural drivers of lake hydrology and 2) five ecoregional subsets of lakes to explore regional variation in water management effects. Our model fit the national and ecoregional datasets and explained up to 47% of variation in Evap:Inflow, 38% of vertical water-level decline, and 79% of horizontal water-level decline (littoral exposure). For lakes with minimal water management, Evap:Inflow was related to lake depth (β = -0.31) and surface inflow (β = -0.44); vertical decline was related to annual climate (e.g., precipitation β = -0.18) and water management (β = -0.21); and horizontal decline was largely related to vertical decline (β = 0.73) and lake morphometry (e.g., depth β = -0.18). Anthropogenic effects varied by ecoregion and likely reflect differences in regional water management and climate. In the West, water management indicators were related to greater vertical decline (β = 0.38), whereas in the Midwest, these indicators were related to more stable and full lake levels (β = -0.22) even during drought conditions. National analyses show how human water use interacts with regional climate resulting in contrasting impacts to lake hydrologic variation in the US.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Emi Fergus
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR
- Corresponding author at: 200 SW 35 St, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA,
| | - J. Renée Brooks
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division
- Oregon State University, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Science, Corvallis, OR
| | | | | | - G. John Geldhof
- Oregon State University, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Corvallis, OR
| | - Ryan A. Hill
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division
| | - Steven G. Paulsen
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division
| | - Paul Ringold
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division
| | - Marc Weber
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division
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Mejia FH, Connor JM, Kaufmann PR, Torgersen CE, Berntsen EK, Andersen TK. Integrating regional and local monitoring data and assessment tools to evaluate habitat conditions and inform river restoration. Ecol Indic 2021; 131:1-108213. [PMID: 34803520 PMCID: PMC8597654 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Restoring degraded rivers requires initial assessment of the fluvial landscape to identify stressors and riverine features that can be enhanced. We associated local-scale river habitat data collected using standardized national monitoring tools with modeled regional water temperature and flow data on mid-sized northwest U.S. rivers (30-60 m wide). We grouped these rivers according to quartiles of their modeled mean August water temperature and examined their physical habitat structure and flow. We then used principal components analysis to summarize the variation in several dimensions of physical habitat. We also compared local conditions in the Priest River, a river targeted for restoration of native salmonid habitat in northern Idaho, with those in other rivers of the region to infer potential drivers controlling water temperature. The warmest rivers had physical structure and fluvial characteristics typical of thermally degraded rivers, whereas the coldest rivers had higher mean summer flows and greater channel planform complexity. The Priest River sites had approximately twice as many deep residual pools (>50, >75, and >100 cm) and incision that averaged approximately twice that in the coldest rivers. Percentage fines and natural cover in the Priest were also more typical of the higher-temperature river groups. We found generally low instream cover and low levels of large wood both across the region and within the Priest River. Our approach enabled us to consider the local habitat conditions of a river in the context of other similarly sized rivers in the surrounding region. Understanding this context is important for identifying potential influences on river water temperature within the focal basin and for defining attainable goals for management and restoration of thermal and habitat conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francine H. Mejia
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Cascadia Field Station, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Jason M. Connor
- Kalispel Tribe Natural Resources Department, Usk, WA 99180, USA
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
- Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Christian E. Torgersen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Cascadia Field Station, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Feio MJ, Hughes RM, Callisto M, Nichols SJ, Odume ON, Quintella BR, Kuemmerlen M, Aguiar FC, Almeida SF, Alonso-EguíaLis P, Arimoro FO, Dyer FJ, Harding JS, Jang S, Kaufmann PR, Lee S, Li J, Macedo DR, Mendes A, Mercado-Silva N, Monk W, Nakamura K, Ndiritu GG, Ogden R, Peat M, Reynoldson TB, Rios-Touma B, Segurado P, Yates AG. The Biological Assessment and Rehabilitation of the World's Rivers: An Overview. Water (Basel) 2021; 13:371. [PMID: 33868721 PMCID: PMC8048141 DOI: 10.3390/w13030371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The biological assessment of rivers i.e., their assessment through use of aquatic assemblages, integrates the effects of multiple-stressors on these systems over time and is essential to evaluate ecosystem condition and establish recovery measures. It has been undertaken in many countries since the 1990s, but not globally. And where national or multi-national monitoring networks have gathered large amounts of data, the poor water body classifications have not necessarily resulted in the rehabilitation of rivers. Thus, here we aimed to identify major gaps in the biological assessment and rehabilitation of rivers worldwide by focusing on the best examples in Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North, Central, and South America. Our study showed that it is not possible so far to draw a world map of the ecological quality of rivers. Biological assessment of rivers and streams is only implemented officially nation-wide and regularly in the European Union, Japan, Republic of Korea, South Africa, and the USA. In Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, and Singapore it has been implemented officially at the state/province level (in some cases using common protocols) or in major catchments or even only once at the national level to define reference conditions (Australia). In other cases, biological monitoring is driven by a specific problem, impact assessments, water licenses, or the need to rehabilitate a river or a river section (as in Brazil, South Korea, China, Canada, Japan, Australia). In some countries monitoring programs have only been explored by research teams mostly at the catchment or local level (e.g., Brazil, Mexico, Chile, China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam) or implemented by citizen science groups (e.g., Southern Africa, Gambia, East Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada). The existing large-extent assessments show a striking loss of biodiversity in the last 2-3 decades in Japanese and New Zealand rivers (e.g., 42% and 70% of fish species threatened or endangered, respectively). A poor condition (below Good condition) exists in 25% of South Korean rivers, half of the European water bodies, and 44% of USA rivers, while in Australia 30% of the reaches sampled were significantly impaired in 2006. Regarding river rehabilitation, the greatest implementation has occurred in North America, Australia, Northern Europe, Japan, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea. Most rehabilitation measures have been related to improving water quality and river connectivity for fish or the improvement of riparian vegetation. The limited extent of most rehabilitation measures (i.e., not considering the entire catchment) often constrains the improvement of biological condition. Yet, many rehabilitation projects also lack pre-and/or post-monitoring of ecological condition, which prevents assessing the success and shortcomings of the recovery measures. Economic constraints are the most cited limitation for implementing monitoring programs and rehabilitation actions, followed by technical limitations, limited knowledge of the fauna and flora and their life-history traits (especially in Africa, South America and Mexico), and poor awareness by decision-makers. On the other hand, citizen involvement is recognized as key to the success and sustainability of rehabilitation projects. Thus, establishing rehabilitation needs, defining clear goals, tracking progress towards achieving them, and involving local populations and stakeholders are key recommendations for rehabilitation projects (Table 1). Large-extent and long-term monitoring programs are also essential to provide a realistic overview of the condition of rivers worldwide. Soon, the use of DNA biological samples and eDNA to investigate aquatic diversity could contribute to reducing costs and thus increase monitoring efforts and a more complete assessment of biodiversity. Finally, we propose developing transcontinental teams to elaborate and improve technical guidelines for implementing biological monitoring programs and river rehabilitation and establishing common financial and technical frameworks for managing international catchments. We also recommend providing such expert teams through the United Nations Environment Program to aid the extension of biomonitoring, bioassessment, and river rehabilitation knowledge globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria João Feio
- Department of Life Sciences, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Robert M. Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
- Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Marcos Callisto
- Laboratory of Ecology of Benthos, Department of Genetic, Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Susan J. Nichols
- Centre for Applied Water Science, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | - Oghenekaro N. Odume
- Unilever Centre for Environmental Water Quality, Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
| | - Bernardo R. Quintella
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Évora, 7000-812 Évora, Portugal
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mathias Kuemmerlen
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity Centre for the Environment, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Francisca C. Aguiar
- Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Salomé F.P. Almeida
- Department of Biology and GeoBioTec—GeoBioSciences, GeoTechnologies and GeoEngineering Research Centre, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Perla Alonso-EguíaLis
- Mexican Institute of Water Technology, Bioindicators Laboratory, Jiutepec Morelos 62550, Mexico
| | - Francis O. Arimoro
- Department of Animal and Environmental Biology (Applied Hydrobiology Unit), Federal University of Technology, P.M.B. 65 Minna, Nigeria
| | - Fiona J. Dyer
- Centre for Applied Water Science, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | - Jon S. Harding
- School of Biologcal Sciences, University of Canterbury, 8140 Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Sukhwan Jang
- Department of Civil Engineering, Daejin University, Hoguk-ro, Pocheon-si 1007, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Samhee Lee
- Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), 283 Goyangdaero, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Jianhua Li
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education of China, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Diego R. Macedo
- Department of Geography, Geomorphology and Water Resources Laboratory, Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana Mendes
- MED—Instituto Mediterrâneo para a Agricultura, Ambiente e Desenvolvimento, LabOr—Laboratório de Ornitologia, Universidade de Évora, Polo da Mitra, 7002-774 Évora, Portugal
| | - Norman Mercado-Silva
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservacíon, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, 62209 Morelos, Mexico
| | - Wendy Monk
- Environment and Climate Change Canada and, Canadian Rivers Institute, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Keigo Nakamura
- Water Environment Research Group, Public Works Research Institute, 1-6 Minamihara, Tsukuba 305-8516, Japan
| | - George G. Ndiritu
- School of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Karatina University, P.O. Box 1957, 10101 Karatina, Kenya
| | - Ralph Ogden
- Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | - Michael Peat
- Wetlands, Policy and Northern Water Use Branch, Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | | | - Blanca Rios-Touma
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Medio Ambiente y Salud (BIOMAS), Facultad de Ingenierías y Ciencias Aplicadas, Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad de Las Américas, Vía Nayón S/N, 170503 Quito, Ecuador
| | - Pedro Segurado
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Adam G. Yates
- Department of Geography, Western University and Canadian Rivers Institute, London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
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Fergus CE, Brooks JR, Kaufmann PR, Pollard AI, Herlihy AT, Paulsen SG, Weber MH. National framework for ranking lakes by potential for anthropogenic hydro-alteration. Ecol Indic 2021; 122:10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107241. [PMID: 33897301 PMCID: PMC8059521 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Lakes face multiple anthropogenic pressures that can substantially alter their hydrology. Dams and land use in the watershed (e.g., irrigated agriculture) can modify lake water regimes beyond natural ranges, and changing climate may exacerbate anthropogenic stresses on lake hydrology. However, we lack cost-effective indicators to quantify anthropogenic hydrologic alteration potential in lakes at regional and national extents. We developed a framework to rank lakes by the potential for dams and land use to alter lake hydrology (HydrAP) that can be applied at a national scale. The HydrAP framework principles are that 1) dams are primary drivers of lake hydro-alteration, 2) land use activities are secondary drivers that alter watershed hydrology, and 3) topographic relief limits where land use and dams are located on the landscape. We ranked lakes in the United States Environmental Protection Agency National Lakes Assessment (NLA) on a HydrAP scale from zero to seven, where a zero indicates lakes with no potential for anthropogenic hydro-alteration, and a seven indicates large dams and/or intensive land use with high potential to alter lake hydrology. We inferred HydrAP population distributions in the conterminous US (CONUS) using the NLA probabilistic weights. Half of CONUS lakes had moderate to high hydro-alteration potential (HydrAP ranks 3-7), the other half had minimal to no hydro-alteration potential (HydrAP ranks 0-2). HydrAP ranks generally corresponded with natural and man-made lake classes, but >15% of natural lakes had moderate to high HydrAP ranks and ~10% of man-made lakes had low HydrAP ranks. The Great Plains, Appalachians, and Coastal Plains had the largest percentages (>50%) of high HydrAP lakes, and the West and Midwest had the lowest percentages (~30%). Water residence time (τ) and water-level change were associated with HydrAP ranks, demonstrating the framework's intended ability to differentiate anthropogenic stressors that can alter lake hydrology. Consistently across ecoregions high HydrAP lakes had shorter τ. But HydrAP relationships with water-level change varied by ecoregion. In the West and Appalachians, high HydrAP lakes experienced excessive water-level declines compared to low-ranked lakes. In contrast, high HydrAP lakes in the Great Plains and Midwest showed stable water levels compared to low-ranked lakes. These differences imply that water management in western and eastern mountainous regions may result in large water-level fluctuations, but water management in central CONUS may promote water-level stabilization. The HydrAP framework using accessible, national datasets can support large-scale lake assessments and be adapted to specific locations where data are available.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Emi Fergus
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR
| | - J. Renée Brooks
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
| | - Amina I. Pollard
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC
| | - Alan T. Herlihy
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
| | - Steven G. Paulsen
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR
| | - Marc H. Weber
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR
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10
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Ligeiro R, Hughes RM, Kaufmann PR, Heino J, Melo AS, Callisto M. Choice of field and laboratory methods affects the detection of anthropogenic disturbances using stream macroinvertebrate assemblages. Ecol Indic 2020; 115:10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106382. [PMID: 34121931 PMCID: PMC8193819 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Accurate and precise detection of anthropogenic impacts on stream ecosystems using macroinvertebrates as biological indicators depends on the use of appropriate field and laboratory methods. We assessed the responsiveness to anthropogenic disturbances of assemblage metrics and composition by comparing commonly employed alternative combinations of field sampling and individuals counting methods. Four datasets were derived by, in the field 1) conducting multihabitat sampling (MH) or 2) targeting samples in leaf packs (single-habitat sampling - SH) and, in the laboratory A) counting all individuals of the samples, or B) simulating subsampling of 300 individuals per sample. We collected our data from 39 headwater stream sites in a drainage basin located in the Brazilian Cerrado. We used a previously published quantitative integrated disturbance index (IDI), based on both local and catchment disturbance measurements, to characterize the intensity of anthropogenic alterations at each site. Family richness and % Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (% EPT) individuals obtained from each dataset were tested against the IDI through simple linear regressions, and the differences in assemblage composition between least- and most-disturbed sites was tested using Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA). When counting all individuals, differences in taxonomic richness and assemblage composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages between least- and most-disturbed sites were more pronounced in the MH than in the SH sampling method. Leaf packs seemed to concentrate high abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates in highly disturbed sites, acting as 'biodiversity hotbeds' in these situations, which likely reduced the response of the assemblages to the disturbance gradient when this substrate was targeted. However, MH sampling produced weaker results than SH when subsampling was performed. The % EPT individuals responded better to the disturbance gradient when SH was employed, and its efficiency was not affected by the subsampling procedure. We conclude that no single method was the best in all situations, and the efficiency of a sampling protocol depends on the combination of field and laboratory methods being used. Although the total count of individuals with multihabitat sampling obtained the best results for most of the evaluated variables, the decision of which procedures to use depends on the amount of time and resources available, on the variables of interest, on the availability of habitat types in the sites sampled, and on the other methods being employed in the sampling protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Ligeiro
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Av. Augusto Correia 01, CEP 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Robert M. Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute and Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, 97331, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research & Development, Center for Public Health & Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, 200 SW 35 Street, 97333, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, and Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, 97331, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Jani Heino
- Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Centre, Paavo Havaksen Tie 3, 90570, Oulu, Finland
| | - Adriano S. Melo
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Ecologia, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Marcos Callisto
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Laboratório de Ecologia de Bentos, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 30161-970, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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11
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Fergus CE, Brooks JR, Kaufmann PR, Herlihy AT, Pollard AI, Weber MH, Paulsen SG. Lake Water Levels and Associated Hydrologic Characteristics in the Conterminous U.S. J Am Water Resour Assoc 2020; 56:450-471. [PMID: 32699495 PMCID: PMC7375517 DOI: 10.1111/1752-1688.12817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Establishing baseline hydrologic characteristics for lakes in the U.S. is critical to evaluate changes to lake hydrology. We used the U.S. EPA National Lakes Assessment 2007 and 2012 surveys to assess hydrologic characteristics of a population of ~45,000 lakes in the conterminous U.S. based on probability samples of ~1,000 lakes/yr distributed across nine ecoregions. Lake hydrologic study variables include water-level drawdown (i.e., vertical decline and horizontal littoral exposure) and two water stable isotope-derived parameters: evaporation-to-inflow (E:I) and water residence time. We present 1) national and regional distributions of the study variables for both natural and man-made lakes and 2) differences in these characteristics between 2007 and 2012. In 2007, 59% of the population of U.S. lakes had Greater than normal or Excessive drawdown relative to water levels in ecoregional reference lakes with minimal human disturbances; while in 2012, only 20% of lakes were significantly drawn down beyond normal ranges. Water isotope-derived variables did not differ significantly between survey years in contrast to drawdown. Median E:I was 20% indicating that flow-through processes dominated lake water regimes. For 75% of U.S. lakes, water residence time was < 1 year and was longer in natural vs. man-made lakes. Our study provides baseline ranges to assess local and regional lake hydrologic status and inform management decisions in changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Emi Fergus
- National Research Council (Fergus, Herlihy), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Pacific Ecological Systems Division (Brooks, Kaufmann, Weber, Paulsen), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Office of Water (Pollard), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - J Renée Brooks
- National Research Council (Fergus, Herlihy), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Pacific Ecological Systems Division (Brooks, Kaufmann, Weber, Paulsen), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Office of Water (Pollard), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Philip R Kaufmann
- National Research Council (Fergus, Herlihy), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Pacific Ecological Systems Division (Brooks, Kaufmann, Weber, Paulsen), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Office of Water (Pollard), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Alan T Herlihy
- National Research Council (Fergus, Herlihy), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Pacific Ecological Systems Division (Brooks, Kaufmann, Weber, Paulsen), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Office of Water (Pollard), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Amina I Pollard
- National Research Council (Fergus, Herlihy), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Pacific Ecological Systems Division (Brooks, Kaufmann, Weber, Paulsen), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Office of Water (Pollard), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Marc H Weber
- National Research Council (Fergus, Herlihy), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Pacific Ecological Systems Division (Brooks, Kaufmann, Weber, Paulsen), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Office of Water (Pollard), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Steven G Paulsen
- National Research Council (Fergus, Herlihy), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Pacific Ecological Systems Division (Brooks, Kaufmann, Weber, Paulsen), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Office of Water (Pollard), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
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12
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Lomnicky GA, Herlihy AT, Kaufmann PR. Quantifying the extent of human disturbance activities and anthropogenic stressors in wetlands across the conterminous United States: results from the National Wetland Condition Assessment. Environ Monit Assess 2019; 191:324. [PMID: 31222443 PMCID: PMC6586716 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7314-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
In 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted the National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA) as part of the National Aquatic Resource Survey (NARS) program to determine the condition of wetlands across the 48 contiguous states of the United States (US). Sites were selected using a generalized random tessellated stratified (GRTS) probability design. We quantified the types, extent, and magnitude of human activities as indicators of potential stress on a sample of 1138 wetland sites representing a target population of 251,546 km2 of wetlands in the US. We used field observations of the presence and proximity of more than 50 pre-determined types of human activity to define two types of indices that quantify human influences on wetlands. We grouped these observations into five types of human activity (classes) and summed them within and across these classes to define five metrics and an overall Human Disturbance Activity Index (HDAI). We calculated six Anthropogenic Stress Indices (ASIs) by summing human disturbance activity observations within stressor categories according to their expected effect on each of six aspects of wetland condition. Based on repeat-visit data, the precision of these metrics and indices was sufficient for regional and national assessments. Among the six categories of stress assessed nationally, the percentage of wetland area having ASI levels indicating high stress levels ranged from 10% due to filling/erosional activities to 27% due to vegetation removal activities. The proportion of wetland area with no signs of human disturbance activity (HDAI = 0) within a 140-m diameter area varied widely among the different wetland ecoregions/types we assessed. No visible human disturbance activity was evident in 70% of estuarine wetlands, but among non-estuarine wetlands, only 8% of the wetland area in the West, 15% of the Interior Plains, 22% of the Coastal Plains, and 36% of the Eastern Mountains and Upper Midwest lacked visible evidence of disturbance. The woody wetlands of the West were the most highly stressed reporting group, with more than 75% of their wetland area subject to high levels of ditching, hardening, and vegetation removal. The NWCA offers a unique opportunity to quantify the type, intensity, and extent of human activities in and around wetlands and to assess their likely stress on wetland ecological functions, physical integrity, and overall condition at regional and continental scales.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alan T. Herlihy
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, 104 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory- Western Ecology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th St, Corvallis, OR 97333 USA
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13
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Macedo DR, Hughes RM, Kaufmann PR, Callisto M. Development and validation of an environmental fragility index (EFI) for the neotropical savannah biome. Sci Total Environ 2018; 635:1267-1279. [PMID: 29710580 PMCID: PMC6126927 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Augmented production and transport of fine sediments resulting from increased human activities are major threats to freshwater ecosystems, including reservoirs and their ecosystem services. To support large scale assessment of the likelihood of soil erosion and reservoir sedimentation, we developed and validated an environmental fragility index (EFI) for the Brazilian neotropical savannah. The EFI was derived from measured geoclimatic controls on sediment production (rainfall, variation of elevation and slope, geology) and anthropogenic pressures (natural cover, road density, distance from roads and urban centers) in 111 catchments upstream of four large hydroelectric reservoirs. We evaluated the effectiveness of the EFI by regressing it against a relative bed stability index (LRBS) that assesses the degree to which stream sites draining into the reservoirs are affected by excess fine sediments. We developed the EFI on 111 of these sites and validated our model on the remaining 37 independent sites. We also compared the effectiveness of the EFI in predicting LRBS with that of a multiple linear regression model (via best-subset procedure) using 7 independent variables. The EFI was significantly correlated with the LRBS, with regression R2 values of 0.32 and 0.40, respectively, in development and validation sites. Although the EFI and multiple regression explained similar amounts of variability (R2 = 0.32 vs 0.36), the EFI had a higher F-ratio (51.6 vs 8.5) and better AICc value (333 vs 338). Because the sites were randomly selected and well-distributed across geoclimatic controlling factors, we were able to calculate spatially-explicit EFI values for all hydrologic units within the study area (~38,500 km2). This model-based inference showed that over 65% of those units had high or extreme fragility. This methodology has great potential for application in the management, recovery, and preservation of hydroelectric reservoirs and streams in tropical river basins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego R Macedo
- Departamento de Geografia, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; Laboratório de Ecologia de Bentos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, CP 486, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Robert M Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Philip R Kaufmann
- Western Ecology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Marcos Callisto
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Bentos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, CP 486, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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14
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Leal CG, Barlow J, Gardner TA, Hughes RM, Leitão RP, Nally RM, Kaufmann PR, Ferraz SFB, Zuanon J, de Paula FR, Ferreira J, Thomson JR, Lennox GD, Dary EP, Röpke CP, Pompeu PS. Is environmental legislation conserving tropical stream faunas? A large-scale assessment of local, riparian and catchment-scale influences on Amazonian fish. J Appl Ecol 2018; 55:1312-1326. [PMID: 32831394 PMCID: PMC7433846 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Agricultural expansion and intensification are major threats to tropical biodiversity. In addition to the direct removal of native vegetation, agricultural expansion often elicits other human-induced disturbances, many of which are poorly addressed by existing environmental legislation and conservation programmes. This is particularly true for tropical freshwater systems, where there is considerable uncertainty about whether a legislative focus on protecting riparian vegetation is sufficient to conserve stream fauna.To assess the extent to which stream fish are being effectively conserved in agricultural landscapes, we examined the spatial distribution of assemblages in river basins to identify the relative importance of human impacts at instream, riparian and catchment scales, in shaping observed patterns. We used an extensive dataset on the ecological condition of 83 low-order streams distributed in three river basins in the eastern Brazilian Amazon.We collected and identified 24,420 individual fish from 134 species. Multiplicative diversity partitioning revealed high levels of compositional dissimilarity (DS) among stream sites (DS = 0.74 to 0.83) and river basins (DS = 0.82), due mainly to turnover (77.8% to 81.8%) rather than nestedness. The highly heterogeneous fish faunas in small Amazonian streams underscore the vital importance of enacting measures to protect forests on private lands outside of public protected areas.Instream habitat features explained more variability in fish assemblages (15%-19%) than riparian (2%-12%), catchment (4%-13%) or natural covariates (4%-11%). Although grouping species into functional guilds allowed us to explain up to 31% of their abundance (i.e. for nektonic herbivores), individual riparian - and catchment - scale predictor variables that are commonly a focus of environmental legislation explained very little of the observed variation (partial R2 values mostly <5%).Policy implications. Current rates of agricultural intensification and mechanization in tropical landscapes are unprecedented, yet the existing legislative frameworks focusing on protecting riparian vegetation seem insufficient to conserve stream environments and their fish assemblages. To safeguard the species-rich freshwater biota of small Amazonian streams, conservation actions must shift towards managing whole basins and drainage networks, as well as agricultural practices in already-cleared land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecília G. Leal
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
- Fish Ecology Laboratory, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, MG, Brazil
| | - Jos Barlow
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Robert M. Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute and Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Rafael P. Leitão
- National Institute for Amazonia Research, Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Department of General Biology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Ralph Mac Nally
- Institute for Applied Ecology, The University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT, Australia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Silvio F. B. Ferraz
- Forest Hydrology Laboratory (LHF), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Jansen Zuanon
- National Institute for Amazonia Research, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Felipe R. de Paula
- Forest Hydrology Laboratory (LHF), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | | | - James R. Thomson
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Heidelberg, Vic., Australia
| | - Gareth D. Lennox
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Eurizângela P. Dary
- Institute of Natural, Human and Social Sciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Sinop, MT, Brazil
| | - Cristhiana P. Röpke
- Faculty of Agrarian Sciences and Institute of Biology, Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Paulo S. Pompeu
- Fish Ecology Laboratory, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, MG, Brazil
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15
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Leitão RP, Zuanon J, Mouillot D, Leal CG, Hughes RM, Kaufmann PR, Villéger S, Pompeu PS, Kasper D, de Paula FR, Ferraz SFB, Gardner TA. Disentangling the pathways of land use impacts on the functional structure of fish assemblages in Amazon streams. Ecography 2018. [PMID: 29910537 DOI: 10.illl/ecog.02845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Agricultural land use is a primary driver of environmental impacts on streams. However, the causal processes that shape these impacts operate through multiple pathways and at several spatial scales. This complexity undermines the development of more effective management approaches, and illustrates the need for more in-depth studies to assess the mechanisms that determine changes in stream biodiversity. Here we present results of the most comprehensive multi-scale assessment of the biological condition of streams in the Amazon to date, examining functional responses of fish assemblages to land use. We sampled fish assemblages from two large human-modified regions, and characterized stream conditions by physical habitat attributes and key landscape-change variables, including density of road crossings (i.e. riverscape fragmentation), deforestation, and agricultural intensification. Fish species were functionally characterized using ecomorphological traits describing feeding, locomotion, and habitat preferences, and these traits were used to derive indices that quantitatively describe the functional structure of the assemblages. Using structural equation modeling, we disentangled multiple drivers operating at different spatial scales, identifying causal pathways that significantly affect stream condition and the structure of the fish assemblages. Deforestation at catchment and riparian network scales altered the channel morphology and the stream bottom structure, changing the functional identity of assemblages. Local deforestation reduced the functional evenness of assemblages (i.e. increased dominance of specific trait combinations) mediated by expansion of aquatic vegetation cover. Riverscape fragmentation reduced functional richness, evenness and divergence, suggesting a trend toward functional homogenization and a reduced range of ecological niches within assemblages following the loss of regional connectivity. These results underscore the often-unrecognized importance of different land use changes, each of which can have marked effects on stream biodiversity. We draw on the relationships observed herein to suggest priorities for the improved management of stream systems in the multiple-use landscapes that predominate in human-modified tropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael P Leitão
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jansen Zuanon
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Mouillot
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cecília G Leal
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Robert M Hughes
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Philip R Kaufmann
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sébastien Villéger
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Paulo S Pompeu
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Daniele Kasper
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Felipe R de Paula
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Silvio F B Ferraz
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Toby A Gardner
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
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Leitão RP, Zuanon J, Mouillot D, Leal CG, Hughes RM, Kaufmann PR, Villéger S, Pompeu PS, Kasper D, de Paula FR, Ferraz SFB, Gardner TA. Disentangling the pathways of land use impacts on the functional structure of fish assemblages in Amazon streams. Ecography 2018; 41:219-232. [PMID: 29910537 PMCID: PMC5998685 DOI: 10.1111/ecog.02845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Agricultural land use is a primary driver of environmental impacts on streams. However, the causal processes that shape these impacts operate through multiple pathways and at several spatial scales. This complexity undermines the development of more effective management approaches, and illustrates the need for more in-depth studies to assess the mechanisms that determine changes in stream biodiversity. Here we present results of the most comprehensive multi-scale assessment of the biological condition of streams in the Amazon to date, examining functional responses of fish assemblages to land use. We sampled fish assemblages from two large human-modified regions, and characterized stream conditions by physical habitat attributes and key landscape-change variables, including density of road crossings (i.e. riverscape fragmentation), deforestation, and agricultural intensification. Fish species were functionally characterized using ecomorphological traits describing feeding, locomotion, and habitat preferences, and these traits were used to derive indices that quantitatively describe the functional structure of the assemblages. Using structural equation modeling, we disentangled multiple drivers operating at different spatial scales, identifying causal pathways that significantly affect stream condition and the structure of the fish assemblages. Deforestation at catchment and riparian network scales altered the channel morphology and the stream bottom structure, changing the functional identity of assemblages. Local deforestation reduced the functional evenness of assemblages (i.e. increased dominance of specific trait combinations) mediated by expansion of aquatic vegetation cover. Riverscape fragmentation reduced functional richness, evenness and divergence, suggesting a trend toward functional homogenization and a reduced range of ecological niches within assemblages following the loss of regional connectivity. These results underscore the often-unrecognized importance of different land use changes, each of which can have marked effects on stream biodiversity. We draw on the relationships observed herein to suggest priorities for the improved management of stream systems in the multiple-use landscapes that predominate in human-modified tropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael P Leitão
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jansen Zuanon
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Mouillot
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cecília G Leal
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Robert M Hughes
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Philip R Kaufmann
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sébastien Villéger
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Paulo S Pompeu
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Daniele Kasper
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Felipe R de Paula
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Silvio F B Ferraz
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Toby A Gardner
- R. P. Leitão (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-0068) , Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. - J. Zuanon, D. Kasper and RPL, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. DK also at: Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - D. Mouillot, S. Villéger and RPL, Laboratoire biodiversité marine et ses usages, UMR 9190 MARBEC CNRS-UM-IRD-IFREMER, Univ. de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. DM also at: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ., Townsville, QLD, Australia. - C. G. Leal and P. S. Pompeu, Depto de Biologia, Univ. Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil. CGL also at: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Univ., Lancaster, UK, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil. - R. M. Hughes, Amnis Opes Inst. and Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, USA. - P. R. Kaufmann, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, USA. - Felipe R. de Paula and Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal (LHF), ESALQ, Univ. de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil. - T. A. Gardner, Stockholm Environment Inst., Stockholm, Sweden
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de Morais L, de Oliveira Sanches B, Santos GB, Kaufmann PR, Hughes RM, Molozzi J, Callisto M. Assessment of disturbance at three spatial scales in two large tropical reservoirs. J Limnol 2017; 76:240-252. [PMID: 30058005 PMCID: PMC6060419 DOI: 10.4081/jlimnol.2016.1547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Large reservoirs are an increasingly common feature across tropical landscapes because of their importance for water supply, flood control and hydropower, but their ecological conditions are infrequently evaluated. Our objective was to assess the range of disturbances for two large tropical reservoirs and their influences on benthic macroinvertebrates. We tested three hypotheses: i) a wide variation in the level of environmental disturbance can be observed among sites in the reservoirs; ii) the two reservoirs would exhibit a different degree of disturbance level; and iii) the magnitude of disturbance would influence the structure and composition of benthic assemblages. For each reservoir, we assessed land use (macroscale), physical habitat structure (mesoscale), and water quality (microscale). We sampled 40 sites in the littoral zones of both Três Marias and São Simão Reservoirs (Minas Gerais, Brazil). At the macroscale, we measured cover percentages of land use categories in buffer areas at each site, where each buffer was a circular arc of 250 m. At the mesoscale, we assessed the presence of human disturbances in the riparian and drawdown zones at the local (site) scale. At the microscale, we assessed water quality at each macroinvertebrate sampling station using the Micro Disturbance Index (MDI). To evaluate anthropogenic disturbance of each site, we calculated an integrated disturbance index (IDI) from a buffer disturbance index (BDI) and a local disturbance index (LDI). For each site, we calculated richness and abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates, Chironomidae genera richness, abundance and percent Chironomidae individuals, abundance and percent EPT individuals, richness and percent EPT taxa, abundance and percent resistant individuals, and abundance and percent non-native individuals. We also evaluated the influence of disturbance on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages at the entire-reservoir scale. The BDI, LDI and IDI had significantly greater average scores at São Simão than at Três Marias Reservoir. The significantly greater differences in IDI scores for São Simão Reservoir were reflected in 10 of the 13 Ekman-Birge dredge biotic metrics and in 5 of 13 of the kick-net biotic metrics. We also observed clear ranges of disturbances within both reservoirs at macro (BDI) and mesoscales (LDI) and in water quality, but an insignificant range in MDI results. However, we found no significant relationship between the benthic macroinvertebrate metrics and the BDI, LDI, and IDI among sites within a single reservoir. Hence, we believe that benthic macroinvertebrate distributions in those reservoirs were influenced by other factors or that reservoir macroinvertebrates (dominated by chironomids) were poor indicators of disturbance at the site scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letícia de Morais
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Bentos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CP. 486, CEP 30161-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Bárbara de Oliveira Sanches
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Vertebrados, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Avenida Dom José Gaspar, 500, 30.535-610, prédio 41, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Gilmar B Santos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Vertebrados, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Avenida Dom José Gaspar, 500, 30.535-610, prédio 41, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Philip R Kaufmann
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Robert M Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Joseline Molozzi
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Bentos, Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba. Rua Baraúnas, 352, Bairro Universitário, CEP 58429-500, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
| | - Marcos Callisto
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Bentos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CP. 486, CEP 30161-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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Ferreira WR, Hepp LU, Ligeiro R, Macedo DR, Hughes RM, Kaufmann PR, Callisto M. Partitioning taxonomic diversity of aquatic insect assemblages and functional feeding groups in neotropical savanna headwater streams. Ecol Indic 2017; 72:365-373. [PMID: 38264148 PMCID: PMC10805237 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.08.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Biological diversity can be divided into: alpha (α, local), beta (β, difference in assemblage composition among locals), and gamma (γ, total diversity). We assessed the partitioning of taxonomic diversity of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) and of functional feeding groups (FFG) in neotropical savanna (southeastern Brazilian cerrado) streams. To do so, we considered three diversity components: stream site (α), among stream sites (β1), and among hydrologic units (β2). We also evaluated the association of EPT genera composition with heterogeneity in land use, instream physical habitat structure, and instream water quality variables. The percentage of EPT taxonomic α diversity (20.7%) was smaller than the β1 and β2 diversity percentages (53.1% and 26.2%, respectively). The percentage of EPT FFG collector-gatherer α diversity (26.5%) was smaller than that of β1 diversity (55.8%) and higher than the β2 (17.7%) diversity. The collector-gatherer FFG was predominant and had the greatest β diversity percentage among stream sites (β1, 55.8%). Our findings support the need for implementing regional scale conservation strategies in the cerrado biome, which has been degraded by anthropogenic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- W R Ferreira
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Laboratório de Ecologia de Bentos, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, CP 486, CEP 30161-970, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - L U Hepp
- Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões (URI), Av. Sete de Setembro, 1621, CEP 99709-910, Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
| | - R Ligeiro
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01, CEP 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - D R Macedo
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Geociências, Departamento de Geografia, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - R M Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute and Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, 97331-4501, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - P R Kaufmann
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research & Development, National Health & Environmental Effects Lab., Western Ecology Division, 200 SW 35th Street, 97333 Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - M Callisto
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Laboratório de Ecologia de Bentos, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, CP 486, CEP 30161-970, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil
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Jiménez-Valencia J, Kaufmann PR, Sattamini A, Mugnai R, Baptista DF. Assessing the ecological condition of streams in a southeastern Brazilian basin using a probabilistic monitoring design. Environ Monit Assess 2014. [PMID: 24829159 DOI: 10.1007/sl0661-014-3730-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Prompt assessment and management actions are required if we are to reduce the current rapid loss of habitat and biodiversity worldwide. Statistically valid quantification of the biota and habitat condition in water bodies are prerequisites for rigorous assessment of aquatic biodiversity and habitat. We assessed the ecological condition of streams in a southeastern Brazilian basin. We quantified the percentage of stream length in good, fair, and poor ecological condition according to benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage. We assessed the risk of finding degraded ecological condition associated with degraded aquatic riparian physical habitat condition, watershed condition, and water quality. We describe field sampling and implementation issues encountered in our survey and discuss design options to remedy them. Survey sample sites were selected using a spatially balanced, stratified random design, which enabled us to put confidence bounds on the ecological condition estimates derived from the stream survey. The benthic condition index indicated that 62 % of stream length in the basin was in poor ecological condition, and 13 % of stream length was in fair condition. The risk of finding degraded biological condition when the riparian vegetation and forests in upstream catchments were degraded was 2.5 and 4 times higher, compared to streams rated as good for the same stressors. We demonstrated that the GRTS statistical sampling method can be used routinely in Brazilian rain forests and other South American regions with similar conditions. This survey establishes an initial baseline for monitoring the condition and trends of streams in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Jiménez-Valencia
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, UFRJ, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-590, Brazil,
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Jiménez-Valencia J, Kaufmann PR, Sattamini A, Mugnai R, Baptista DF. Assessing the ecological condition of streams in a southeastern Brazilian basin using a probabilistic monitoring design. Environ Monit Assess 2014; 186:4685-4695. [PMID: 24829159 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-014-3730-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2013] [Accepted: 03/18/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Prompt assessment and management actions are required if we are to reduce the current rapid loss of habitat and biodiversity worldwide. Statistically valid quantification of the biota and habitat condition in water bodies are prerequisites for rigorous assessment of aquatic biodiversity and habitat. We assessed the ecological condition of streams in a southeastern Brazilian basin. We quantified the percentage of stream length in good, fair, and poor ecological condition according to benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage. We assessed the risk of finding degraded ecological condition associated with degraded aquatic riparian physical habitat condition, watershed condition, and water quality. We describe field sampling and implementation issues encountered in our survey and discuss design options to remedy them. Survey sample sites were selected using a spatially balanced, stratified random design, which enabled us to put confidence bounds on the ecological condition estimates derived from the stream survey. The benthic condition index indicated that 62 % of stream length in the basin was in poor ecological condition, and 13 % of stream length was in fair condition. The risk of finding degraded biological condition when the riparian vegetation and forests in upstream catchments were degraded was 2.5 and 4 times higher, compared to streams rated as good for the same stressors. We demonstrated that the GRTS statistical sampling method can be used routinely in Brazilian rain forests and other South American regions with similar conditions. This survey establishes an initial baseline for monitoring the condition and trends of streams in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Jiménez-Valencia
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, UFRJ, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-590, Brazil,
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M. Hughes
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University and Amnis Opes Institute, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA and Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Conservação e Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Departmento Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CP. 486, CEP. 30.161-970, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA
| | - Marc H. Weber
- Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA
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Bryce SA, Lomnicky GA, Kaufmann PR. Protecting sediment-sensitive aquatic species in mountain streams through the application of biologically based streambed sediment criteria. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1899/09-061.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra A. Bryce
- Dynamac Corporation, 200 SW 35th St, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA
| | | | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th St, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA
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Hall RK, Watkins RL, Heggem DT, Jones KB, Kaufmann PR, Moore SB, Gregory SJ. Quantifying structural physical habitat attributes using LIDAR and hyperspectral imagery. Environ Monit Assess 2009; 159:63-83. [PMID: 19165614 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-008-0613-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2008] [Accepted: 10/10/2008] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Structural physical habitat attributes include indices of stream size, channel gradient, substrate size, habitat complexity, and riparian vegetation cover and structure. The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) is designed to assess the status and trends of ecological resources at different scales. High-resolution remote sensing provides unique capabilities in detecting a variety of features and indicators of environmental health and condition. LIDAR is an airborne scanning laser system that provides data on topography, channel dimensions (width, depth), slope, channel complexity (residual pools, volume, morphometric complexity, hydraulic roughness), riparian vegetation (height and density), dimensions of riparian zone, anthropogenic alterations and disturbances, and channel and riparian interaction. Hyperspectral aerial imagery offers the advantage of high spectral and spatial resolution allowing for the detection and identification of riparian vegetation and natural and anthropogenic features at a resolution not possible with satellite imagery. When combined, or fused, these technologies comprise a powerful geospatial data set for assessing and monitoring lentic and lotic environmental characteristics and condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert K Hall
- USEPA Region IX, WTR2, 75 Hawthorne St., San Francisco, CA 94105, USA.
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Paulsen SG, Mayio A, Peck DV, Stoddard JL, Tarquinio E, Holdsworth SM, Sickle JV, Yuan LL, Hawkins CP, Herlihy AT, Kaufmann PR, Barbour MT, Larsen DP, Olsen AR. Condition of stream ecosystems in the US: an overview of the first national assessment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1899/08-098.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Steven G. Paulsen
- Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 USA
| | - Alice Mayio
- Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 4503T, Washington, DC 20460 USA
| | - David V. Peck
- Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 USA
| | - John L. Stoddard
- Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 USA
| | - Ellen Tarquinio
- Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 4503T, Washington, DC 20460 USA
| | - Susan M. Holdsworth
- Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 4503T, Washington, DC 20460 USA
| | - John Van Sickle
- Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 USA
| | - Lester L. Yuan
- Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 8623P, Washington, DC 20460 USA
| | - Charles P. Hawkins
- Western Center for Monitoring and Assessment of Freshwater Ecosystems, Department of Watershed Sciences and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-5210 USA
| | - Alan T. Herlihy
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 USA
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 USA
| | - Michael T. Barbour
- Tetra Tech, Inc., 400 Red Brook Blvd., Suite 200, Owings Mills, Maryland 21117 USA
| | - David P. Larsen
- Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, c/o US Environmental Protection Agency, Western Ecology Division, 200 SW 35th St., Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA
| | - Anthony R. Olsen
- Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 USA
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Paul JF, Cormier SM, Berry WJ, Kaufmann PR, Spehar RL, Norton DJ, Cantilli RE, Stevens R, Swietlik WF, Jessup BK. Developing Water Quality Criteria for Suspended and Bedded Sediments. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.2175/193317708x281433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Klemm DJ, Blocksom KA, Fulk FA, Herlihy AT, Hughes RM, Kaufmann PR, Peck DV, Stoddard JL, Thoeny WT, Griffith MB, Davis WS. Development and evaluation of a Macroinvertebrate Biotic Integrity Index (MBII) for regionally assessing Mid-Atlantic Highlands Streams. Environ Manage 2003; 31:656-669. [PMID: 12719895 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-002-2945-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The Macroinvertebrate Biotic Integrity Index (MBII) was developed from data collected at 574 wadeable stream reaches in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands region (MAHR) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). Over 100 candidate metrics were evaluated for range, precision, responsiveness to various disturbances, relationship to catchment area, and redundancy. Seven metrics were selected, representing taxa richness (Ephemeroptera richness, Plecoptera richness, Trichoptera richness), assemblage composition (percent non-insect individuals, percent 5 dominant taxa), pollution tolerance [Macroinvertebrate Tolerance Index (MTI)], and one functional feeding group (collector-filterer richness). We scored metrics and summed them, then ranked the resulting index through use of independently evaluated reference stream reaches. Although sites were classified into lowland and upland ecoregional groups, we did not need to develop separate scoring criteria for each ecoregional group. We were able to use the same metrics for pool and riffle composite samples, but we had to score them differently. Using the EMAP probability design, we inferred the results, with known confidence bounds, to the 167,797 kilometers of wadeable streams in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands. We classified 17% of the target stream length in the MAHR as good, 57% as fair, and 26% as poor. Pool-dominated reaches were relatively rare in the MAHR, and the usefulness of the MBII was more difficult to assess in these reaches. The process used for developing the MBII is widely applicable and resulted in an index effective in evaluating region-wide conditions and distinguishing good and impaired reaches among both upland and lowland streams dominated by riffle habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald J Klemm
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268, USA.
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Griffith MB, Husby P, Hall RK, Kaufmann PR, Hill BH. Analysis of macroinvertebrate assemblages in relation to environmental gradients among lotic habitats of California's Central Valley. Environ Monit Assess 2003; 82:281-309. [PMID: 12602632 DOI: 10.1023/a:1021994318025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We assessed relationships between environmental characteristics and macroinvertebrate assemblages in lotic habitats of California's Central Valley with community metric and multivariate statistical approaches. Using canonical ordination analyses, we contrasted results when assemblage structure was assessed with macroinvertebrate metrics, as suggested for use in indices of biotic integrity, or with genera abundances. Our objectives were to identify metrics or taxa diagnostic of lotic environmental stressors and compare the capacity of these approaches to detect stressors in order to suggest how they might be used to diagnose stressors. For macroinvertebrate metrics, redundancy analysis (RDA) extracted three axes correlated with channel morphology and substrates. For genera abundances, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) extracted two axes correlated with soluble salts and with channel morphology and substrates but did not separate these gradients onto different axes. Cluster analyses identified five RDA and five CCA site groups, which exhibited differences for environmental variables, metrics, or genera abundances, and agreement between the analyses in partitioning of sites was greater than if sites were partitioned randomly. These approaches differ in their ability to detect environmental stressors, because they measure different aspects of assemblages and would be complementary in design of new metrics diagnostic of stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Griffith
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, USEPA, ORD, NERL, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
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Klemm DJ, Blocksom KA, Thoeny WT, Fulk FA, Herlihy AT, Kaufmann PR, Cormier SM. Methods development and use of macroinvertebrates as indicators of ecological conditions for streams in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Region. Environ Monit Assess 2002; 78:169-212. [PMID: 12229921 DOI: 10.1023/a:1016363718037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The Mid-Atlantic Highlands Assessment (MAHA) included the sampling of macroinvertebrates from 424 wadeable stream sites to determine status and trends, biological conditions, and water quality in first through third order streams in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Region (MAHR) of the United States in 1993-1995. We identified reference and impaired sites using water chemistry and habitat criteria and evaluated a set of candidate macroinvertebrate metrics using a stepwise process. This process examined several metric characteristics, including ability of metrics to discriminate reference and impaired sites, relative scope of impairment, correlations with chemical and habitat indicators of stream disturbance, redundancy with other metrics, and within-year variability. Metrics that performed well were compared with metrics currently being used by three states in the region: Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Some of the metrics used by these states did not perform well when evaluated using regional data, while other metrics used by all three states in some form, specifically number of taxa, number of EPT taxa, and Hilsenhoff Biotic Index, performed well overall. Reasons for discrepancies between state and regional evaluations of metrics are explored. We also provide a set of metrics that, when used in combination, may provide a useful assessment of stream conditions in the MAHR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald J Klemm
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
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Bryce SA, Hughes RM, Kaufmann PR. Development of a bird integrity index: using bird assemblages as indicators of riparian condition. Environ Manage 2002; 30:294-310. [PMID: 12105768 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-002-2702-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We describe the development of a bird integrity index (BII) that uses bird assemblage information to assess human impacts on 13 stream reaches in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA. We used bird survey data to test 62 candidate metrics representing aspects of bird taxonomic richness, tolerance or intolerance to human disturbance, dietary preferences, foraging techniques, and nesting strategies that were affected positively or negatively by human activities. We evaluated the metric responsiveness by plotting each one against a measure of site disturbance that included aspects of land use/land cover, road density, riparian cover, and stream channel and substrate conditions. In addition, we eliminated imprecise and highly correlated (redundant) metrics, leaving 13 metrics for the final index. Individual metric scores ranged continuously from 0 to 10, and index scores were weighted to range from 0 to 100. Scores were calibrated using historical species information to set expectations for the number of species expected under minimally disturbed conditions. Site scores varied from 82 for the least disturbed stream reach to 8.5 for an urban site. We compared the bird integrity index site scores with the performance of other measures of biotic response developed during this study: a fish index of biointegrity (IBI) and two benthic macroinvertebrate metrics. The three assemblages agreed on the general level of disturbance; however, individual sites scored differently depending on specific indicator response to in-stream or riparian conditions. The bird integrity index appears to be a useful management and monitoring tool for assessing riparian integrity and communicating the results to the public. Used together with aquatic indicator response and watershed data, bird assemblage information contributes to a more complete picture of stream condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra A Bryce
- Dynamac Corporation, 200 SW 35th St., Corvallis, Oregon 97333, USA.
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Hill BH, Stevenson RJ, Pan Y, Herlihy AT, Kaufmann PR, Johnson CB. Comparison of correlations between environmental characteristics and stream diatom assemblages characterized at genus and species levels. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2001. [DOI: 10.2307/1468324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian H. Hill
- US Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 USA
| | - R. Jan Stevenson
- Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824 USA
| | - Yangdong Pan
- Environmental Sciences and Resources, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97207 USA
| | - Alan T. Herlihy
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, c/o US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- US Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA
| | - Colleen Burch Johnson
- OAO Corporation, c/o US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA
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Abstract
Acidic (acid neutralizing capacity [ANC] < or = 0) surface waters in the United States sampled in the National Surface Water Survey (NSWS) were classified into three groups according to their probable sources of acidity: (1) organic-dominated waters (organic anions > SO4*; (2) watershed sulphate-dominated waters (watershed sulphate sources > deposition sulphate sources); and (3) deposition-dominated waters (anion chemistry dominated by inputs of sulphate and nitrate derived from deposition). The classification approach is highly robust; therefore, it is a useful tool in segregating surface waters into chemical categories. An estimated 75% (881) of acidic lakes and 47% (2190) of acidic streams are dominated by acid anions from deposition and are probably acidic due to acidic deposition. In about a quarter of the acidic lakes and streams, organic acids were the dominant source of acidity. In the remaining 26% of the acidic streams, watershed sources of sulphate, mainly from acid mine drainage, were the dominant source of acidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- P R Kaufmann
- Utah State University, c/o USEPA Environmental Research Laboratory, 200 SW 35th St, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, USA
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Barker LA, Herlihy AT, Kaufmann PR, Eilers JM. Response
: Sources of Acidity in Surface Waters. Science 1991; 253:1335-6. [PMID: 17793466 DOI: 10.1126/science.253.5026.1335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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