Grantee Research Project Results
2005 Progress Report: Developing Relations Among Human Activities, Stressors, and Stream Ecosystem Responses and Linkage in Integrated Regional, Multi-Stressor Models
EPA Grant Number: R830884Title: Developing Relations Among Human Activities, Stressors, and Stream Ecosystem Responses and Linkage in Integrated Regional, Multi-Stressor Models
Investigators: Stevenson, R. Jan , Wiley, Michael J. , Seelbach, Paul W. , Pijanowski, Bryan , Hyndman, David
Institution: Michigan State University , University of Michigan , Purdue University
Current Institution: Michigan State University , Purdue University , University of Michigan
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: May 1, 2003 through April 30, 2006 (Extended to January 31, 2008)
Project Period Covered by this Report: May 1, 2005 through April 30, 2006
Project Amount: $748,527
RFA: Developing Regional-Scale Stressor-Response Models for Use in Environmental Decision-making (2002) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , Aquatic Ecosystems
Objective:
Nutrients, sediments, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, and hydrology are common ecological factors in streams affected by humans, and all have profound effects on valued ecological attributes. Few models explain relations among human activities, these stressors, and valued ecological attributes with sufficient precision for total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) and stream management. The lack of precision in models may be due to complications with refining individual stressor-response relationships and distinguishing responses due to multiple stressors. The objectives of our research are to relate human activities to multiple common stressors and to relate those stressors to the natural fisheries capital as well as ecological integrity of stream ecosystems.
Progress Summary:
During the last year, we finished sampling and data collection, made considerable progress in analysis of existing and new data, and refined process-based models that simulate water and nutrient movement through Michigan watersheds. This work has great and broad ecological significance because of the value of the Great Lakes ecosystem being studied and the broad regional extent over which similar types of watersheds can be found. Our preliminary findings indicate the following: (1) many processes that have not been previously considered in models may be regulating hydrologic, biogeochemical, and ecological conditions in streams; (2) the complex relationships between nutrients, stream hydraulics, and biodiversity can be resolved and quantified; and (3) human activities are affecting ecological conditions in streams more than most state regulatory agencies have reported. The ecological significance and details of these preliminary findings will be discussed below.
Our research is being conducted in one of the most important ecological systems in the world, the Great Lakes Watershed. Our work focuses on the rivers and streams of the Great Lakes Watershed, which are important for the biogeochemical processing of waters that enter the Great Lakes and support biota that use both the tributaries and lakes as habitat. The biodiversity and ecological condition of the rivers and streams alone have great value for the people of the Great Lakes Region for aesthetic and moral reasons as well as the economically important recreational and tourism industries. Thus, our study of these streams and rivers has direct importance because of their value. In addition, the streams and rivers that we study are different than those that have been studied most commonly throughout the mid-latitude and southern states of the United States. Streams of the northern, glaciated regions of the United States have very different hydrologic and ecological properties that require refined investigation for sufficient understanding and effective management. Our strategically scaled investigative approach allows extrapolation of our results from our most intensively studied watersheds to the broader Great Lakes and glaciated regions of the northern United States. The value of our work grows in importance with developing threats to water quantity as well as quality with climate change and increased demands for clean water.
We have completed the collection of data for land use, hydrology, and water chemistry, and for algae, invertebrates, and fish at hundreds of streams throughout Michigan and the Great Lakes Region. These data were collected with different levels of completeness and sampling frequency at each site, ranging from just land use at many sites to continuous monitoring of water chemistry and complete biological assessments at one site. We highlight some preliminary findings in the following paragraphs.
A process-based model relating precipitation and land use to water quantity and quality in the 130 km2 watershed of Cedar Creek was calibrated during the past year. The Cedar Creek watershed, like so many watersheds in the glaciated region of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes Region, has poorly developed soils with high permeability that increase the importance of groundwater routes of contaminant transport to streams. The model, a loosely coupled suite of hydrologic codes referred to as the Integrated Landscape Hydrology Model (ILHM), requires inputs from common data sources. Estimated parameters for this model included hydraulic conductivity for the two main geologic units, values that represent the percentage of precipitation that becomes recharge, and the timing of recharge. The model provided reasonable estimates of flows and regional water levels, relative to measured values. Results indicate very little runoff from upland areas because of infiltration rates in the sandy soils of the region. According to the model, 70–80% of precipitation percolates to deep aquifers from September through March, compared to virtually none during the growing season from May to September, when evaporation and transpiration are high. The proportion of precipitation reaching groundwater varied between forested and agricultural areas as a result of less extensive frozen soils in forests during the spring and agricultural lands losing leaves earlier than forests in the fall.
We gathered old data from our past studies and from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to relate human activities to the multiple physical and chemical stressors that affect biological condition in streams. In particular, we wanted to use these results to help the MDEQ develop nutrient criteria to protect aquatic life uses. Historic data were rich in information about land use and invertebrate and fish biodiversity, but lacked nutrient, algal, and dissolved oxygen characterizations. We conducted surveys of the latter attributes in more than 200 streams of the lower peninsula of Michigan over the last 2 years. Together with historic data, we have developed a series of regression relationships that relate: (1) agricultural and urban land use to in-stream nutrient concentrations; (2) nutrient concentrations to algal biomass and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration; and (3) nutrient concentrations to invertebrate and fish productivity and biodiversity. These results provide some of the first quantitative relationships between nutrients, biological productivity, low DO in streams, and invertebrate and fish biodiversity. Thresholds in relationships between total phosphorus and DO as well as biodiversity are being used by the MDEQ for development of nutrient criteria. We suspect that effects of nutrients on stream ecosystems are much greater in low than high gradient streams, but these relationships have not yet been tested.
A surprising result of the analysis of our data is fish and invertebrate assemblages have been altered substantially from the natural condition in a much greater proportion of Michigan streams than reported by MDEQ. In an analysis of the deviation of fish and invertebrate biodiversity from the natural condition expected in streams, Wiley, et al. (prepared manuscript) found that urban land use had a greater effect on biological condition than agricultural land use. However, over the state, agricultural land uses also had great effects on stream ecosystems because of their large spatial extent. The likely cause of the greater sensitivity of our results than the MDEQ results for detecting ecological response is the greater taxonomic detail in our sample analysis. Our invertebrate analyses are usually to genus and species level if specimens are sufficiently developed, whereas MDEQ protocols call mostly for family level and order level identifications. Many genera within families and orders tend to be tolerant to the kinds of changes occurring in Michigan streams. Thus, we lose the sensitive native taxa within families as more tolerant taxa replace them with increasing pollution. The MDEQ is very interested in the differences in our results and is considering revisions to their protocols to best protect aquatic resources.
Future Activities:
Expenses for the Science To Achieve Results (STAR) project are commensurate with the accomplishments to date. We have spent approximately 80% of our budget. Our plans for the remaining period are to refine regression relationships among land use, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, sediment disturbance, temperature, stream hydrology and hydraulics, and biodiversity. With these relationships in hand, and the extensive high frequency sampling in six watersheds, we plan to calibrate process based models that relate human activities, weather, stream hydrology and nutrient transport, algal production, dissolved oxygen, and responses of invertebrate and fish assemblages. These results will be particularly important for managing low gradient streams in Michigan and throughout the glaciated, northern region of the United States and Canada, as well as Europe and Asia.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 1 publications | 1 publications in selected types | All 1 journal articles |
---|
Type | Citation | ||
---|---|---|---|
|
Stevenson RJ, Rier ST, Riseng CM, Schultz RE, Wiley MJ. Comparing effects of nutrients on algal biomass in streams in two regions with different disturbance regimes and with applications for developing nutrient criteria. Hydrobiologia 2006;561(1):149-165. |
R830884 (2004) R830884 (2005) R830884 (2006) |
Exit |
Supplemental Keywords:
water, watersheds, groundwater, ecological effects, dose-response, indicators, ecosystem, regionalization, scaling, aquatic, ecology, hydrology, modeling, Michigan, EPA Region 5,, RFA, Economic, Social, & Behavioral Science Research Program, Scientific Discipline, Air, Water, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Water & Watershed, climate change, Air Pollution Effects, Monitoring/Modeling, Regional/Scaling, Environmental Monitoring, decision-making, Ecological Risk Assessment, Atmosphere, Watersheds, Economics & Decision Making, risk assessment, ecosystem modeling, aquatic ecosystem, valued ecological attributes, watershed, ecosystem assessment, effects of multiple stresses, decision analysis, decision making, environmental decision making, risk assessment model, ecological variation, regional scale impacts, water quality, environmental stress, assessment endpoint mechanistic research, ecology assessment models, ecosystem stress, watershed assessment, ecological models, fish models, individual based models, decision support tool, environmental risk assessment, Bayesian classifiers, water monitoring, adaptive implementation modeling, stress responseProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe 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.