Grantee Research Project Results
Ecoregion-specific Comparison of Stream Community Responses to Nutrient Gradients Using Both Survey and Experimental Approaches
EPA Grant Number: R824783Title: Ecoregion-specific Comparison of Stream Community Responses to Nutrient Gradients Using Both Survey and Experimental Approaches
Investigators: Stevenson, R. Jan , Wiley, Michael J. , Holomuzki, Joe
Institution: University of Michigan , Transylvania University , University of Louisville
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: October 1, 1995 through September 1, 1998
Project Amount: $390,000
RFA: Water and Watersheds (1995) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Watersheds , Water
Description:
Nutrient loading commonly causes an increase in primary productivity and a replacement of oligotrophic algal-invertebrate communities with a new suite of organisms that result in very different stream structure and function, Quantitatively assessing the relationships between nutrient concentrations and algal-invertebrate communities in streams has been challenging because stream ecosystems are so physically variable and biologically dynamic. The proposed research is designed to develop a better predictive understanding of nutrient effects on stream communities in ecoregions with different hydrological stability.Stream surveys with large within-ecoregion sample sizes, experiments, and analyses of large databases have been started with the objectives: (1) to access, quantitatively, variation in algal and invertebrate communities to different nutrient concentrations by sampling 140 streams in two hydrologically different ecoregions, one in Kentucky and one in Michigan; (2) to assess, experimentally, the cause-effect relationships between changes in stream communities and nutrient concentrations; (3) to develop algal and invertebrate indicators that infer specific nutrient conditions and that infer susceptibility of communities to change (i.e., arsinihative capacity); and 4) to test and revise the KY and MI ecoregion-specific indicators of nutrient conditions and effects with databases developed by the EMAP-SW Streams Program and by other stream surveys. Initial results of surveying 29 streams in Kentucky and 40 streams in Michigan indicate that chances for high accrual of algae with increasing nutrients is greater in the hydrologically variable streams of Kentucky than in the stable streams of Michigan. The surveys also show that low invertebrate abundances in Kentucky do not respond to nutrients, but that the high invertebrate abundances in Michigan do show a positive response to nutrients. Experiments show that invertebrate fitness positively responds to the range of nutrient conditions observed in the surveyed streams. Analysis of algal data from the EMAP-SW Stream Program shows that algal species composition responds to changes in nutrients, so that development of reliable biological indicators of the highly variable nutrient concentrations in streams is possible.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 31 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 9 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
water, watersheds, ecological effects, metabolism, vulnerability, sensitive populations, dose-response, animal, organism, population, susceptibility, organics, ecosystem, indicators, regionalization, scaling, aquatic, habitat, public policy, decision making, environmental chemistry, biology, ecology, hydrology, emap, monitoring, surveys, southeast, midwest, Kentucky, KY, Michigan, MI, Region 4, Region 5., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Water, Geographic Area, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Nutrients, Hydrology, Water & Watershed, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Ecosystem Protection, exploratory research environmental biology, Chemical Mixtures - Environmental Exposure & Risk, State, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Ecological Effects - Human Health, Ecology and Ecosystems, Social Science, Watersheds, Ecological Indicators, aquatic ecosystem, basin hydrology, fate and transport, environmental monitoring, EMAP, nutrient supply, nutrient transport, hydrological stability, surveys, ecological effects, ecological exposure, nutrient sensitive ecosystems, dose response, nutrient gradiants, stream ecosystems, NAPL contaminants, algal-invertebrate habitat, community response, nutrient gradients, biological integrity, ecosystem indicators, ecoregion, nutrient cycling, aquatic ecosystems, ecoregions, public policy, Kentucky (KY), stream ecosystem, Michigan (MI)Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.