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Are Two Systemic Fish Assemblage Sampling Programmes on the Upper Mississippi River Telling Us the Same Thing?
Citation:
DUKERSCHEIN, T. J., A. D. BARTELS, B. S. ICKES, AND M. S. PEARSON. Are Two Systemic Fish Assemblage Sampling Programmes on the Upper Mississippi River Telling Us the Same Thing? . River Research and Applications. John Wiley & Sons Incorporated, New York, NY, 29(1):79-89, (2013).
Impact/Purpose:
To document research results.
Description:
We applied an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) used on the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) to compare data from three sampling programs. Ability to use multiple sampling programs could greatly extend spatial and temporal coverage of river assessment and monitoring efforts. We analyzed fish community data collected by the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program–Great Rivers Ecosystems (EMAP-GRE) 2004- 2006, the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) 1993-2006, and Wisconsin Non-wadable Rivers Sampling Program (WNRSP) 2003-2006. Each program used daytime electrofishing along main channel borders of the UMR, but dip net mesh sizes ranged from 3 mm to 10 mm and sampling designs varied. EMAP-GRE used a probabilistic design with sites distributed along the UMR’s centerline; LTRMP used a stratified random design in five discrete pools; and WNRSP used fixed sites in the northern half of the UMR. Analysis of Similarity (ANOSIM) indicated WNRSP differedfrom EMAP-GRE and LTRMP. All datasets distinguished clearly between “Fair” and “Poor” condition categories, suggesting data from each program could contribute to a “pass-fail” assessment strategy. Fourteen years of LTRMP data demonstrated stable IBI scores through time in four of five pools it sampled. LTRMP and EMAP-GRE IBI scores were similar along the UMR’s longitudinal gradient; results were also consistent with UMR fish community studies and a previous, empirically-modeled human disturbance gradient. Comparability between EMAP-GRE (best longitudinal coverage) and LTRMP (best temporal and lateral coverage) supports using a multimetric indicator optimized from these approaches, but not yet including WNRSP (best regional coverage) in future biological assessments.
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Are Two Systemic Fish Assemblage Sampling Programmes on the Upper Mississippi River Telling Us the Same Thing?