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COMPARATIVE APPLICATION OF PERIPHYTON, MACROINVERTEBRATE AND FISH INDICES OF BIOTIC INTEGRITY TO SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN STREAMS
Citation:
Griffith, M. B., B H. Hill, F H. McCormick, P R. Kaufmann, AND A. T. Herlihy. COMPARATIVE APPLICATION OF PERIPHYTON, MACROINVERTEBRATE AND FISH INDICES OF BIOTIC INTEGRITY TO SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN STREAMS. Presented at North American Benthological Society, LaCrosse, WI, June 3-8, 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
We compared three assessments using macroinvertebrate, periphyton, and fish assemblages in streams sampled by the Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (REMAP) in Colorado's Southern Rockies Ecoregion. We contrasted analyses using metrics for each group selected to be diagnostic of stressors in these streams and, for macroinvertebrates and periphyton, to create an Index of Biotic Integrity. Principle components analysis (PCA) of ten macroinvertebrate metrics separated three axes correlated with sediment metals, with dissolved metals, and with riparian disturbance and sediment embeddedness. PCA of five fish metrics separated three axes correlated with sediment coarseness, riparian shading, suspended solids, SO4, and dissolved metals, with sediment metals, and with stream width and depth. PCA of ten periphyton metrics separated three axes correlated with dissolved and sediment metals, with sediment coarseness, and with riparian structure, sediment embeddedness, and PO4. The first two axes for macroinvertebrates and for fish and the first axis for periphyton were associated with mining effects. The third axis for macroinvertebrates and for periphyton were associated with agricultural effects. The third axis for fish and the second axis for periphyton were natural gradients. Metrics for each assemblage differed in sensitivity to the two major stressor gradients (i.e., mining and agriculture) and to natural gradients.