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DEVELOPMENT OF A STREAM BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE INTEGRITY INDEX (SBMII) FOR WADEABLE STREAMS IN THE MID-ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS REGION
Citation:
Klemm, D J., K A. Blocksom, F A. Fulk, A. T. Herlihy, P R. Kaufmann, W. Davis, R M. Hughes, D V. Peck, J L. Stoddard, W T. Thoeny, AND S M. Cormier. DEVELOPMENT OF A STREAM BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE INTEGRITY INDEX (SBMII) FOR WADEABLE STREAMS IN THE MID-ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS REGION. Presented at Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Baltimore, MD, November 11-15, 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:
The Stream Benthic Macroinvertebrate Integrity Index (SBMII), a multimetric biotic index for assessing biological conditions of wadeable streams, was developed using seven macroinvertebrate metrics (Ephemeroptera richness, Plecoptera richness, Trichoptera richness, Collector-Filterer richness, Percent 5 Dominant taxa, Percent Non-Insect individuals, and Hilsenhoff Biotic Index). Benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage data were collected from 574 stream sites in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Region (MAHR) of the U.S. during 1993-1995 as part of the USEPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program and the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Assessment. Macroinvertebrates were collected from 546 riffle/run habitats and 223 pool/glide habitats of first, second, and third order wadeable streams and identified to the lowest taxon possible in the laboratory. Water chemistry, Rapid Bioassessment Protocols habitat data, and minimum macroinvertebrate count criteria were used to identify reference and impaired sites. Over 100 candidate macroinvertebrate metrics, which included richness, composition, eveness, pollution tolerance, and trophic function measures, were evaluated statistically for (1) adequacy of range, (2) precision, (3) responsiveness, and (4) redundancy. Using statistical criteria, the relationships among macroinvertebrate metrics, habitat condition, anthropogenic disturbances, knowledge of reference and impaired sites based on chemical and physical habitat criteria, and best professional judgement were used to develop the SBMII for the assessment of stream condition in the MAHR. The scoring criteria for determining the biological condition (Good, Fair, Poor) were established using reference sites. Macroinvertebrate population and community structure data of riffle/run and pool/glide habitats were assessed for the stream site biological condition using the SBMII. Results indicate that the SBMII will help USEPA regions and states to determine the biological conditions or general health of freshwater wadeable streams which could lead to a better understanding of stream ecosystems for their protection, preservation, and restoration.