Fish Index Of Biotic Integrity Research Articles

Development of a biotic integrity index based on long-term fish assemblage changes after dam construction in China

Multi-metric indicators based on fish assemblages have been widely applied to assess aquatic ecosystem biotic integrity. However, many of these were not detailed or standardized in metrics selection and reference status for a reservoir ecosystem under the long-term effects of hydro-electrical dam development. This makes it very difficult to determine the reference status and metrics because fish assemblages have been affected by human activities such as large reservoir operations. Based on long-term fish assemblage data, there were significant differences in fish composition between backwater and reservoir areas 10 years after the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) formation in China. We conducted this study to develop a new fish index of biotic integrity (IBI) to evaluate a large river reservoir ecosystem based on long-term monitoring data by establishing subregional habitat reference and selecting sensitive and concise metrics. In the Three Gorges Reservoir, we found that: 1) dynamic change is an important feature of fish assemblages in a relatively dynamic state after a decade of intensive disturbance caused by reservoir operations; 2) reference conditions for the reservoir evaluation should be selected in different stages for two different ecological habitats (lotic backwater and lentic reservoir reaches); 3) two core metrics and five sensitive metrics were selected to reflect fish assemblage degradation based on long term observations; and 4) overall fish biological integrity is generally “fair-poor,” in the reservoir area it is “fair” and “poor,” and in the reservoir lotic backwater it is “fair.” The long-term effects of large canyon reservoirs on biological integrity require long-term observation, and reasonable recovery targets should be set at different stages in reservoir management. In this study, a new biological integrity index was developed to screen and evaluate the ecological status of a semi-artificial reservoir ecosystem. Our results support reservoir biologically integrated management and green sustainable development goals.

Ecological integrity of a medium‐sized river of a lake basin towards ecosystem health management

AbstractThis study demonstrates the use of a multi‐metric Fish Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) for assessment of ecological health of a medium‐sized river, under a gradient of human disturbances in the Kenyan side of the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB). Development of the index is based on water quality, river habitat quality and fish community attributes. The river was sampled from 2019 to 2020 during wet and dry seasons of the year at nine selected sites along its length based on the level of human disturbance. A total of nine metrics representing the structural and functional organization of fish communities were qualified using the separation power of Mann–Whitney U test (p < .05). Metric values at unimpaired, intermediate, impaired and no‐fish sites were used to establish the scoring criteria using inter‐quartile ranges. A 1, 3, 5 scoring system representing high, fair and slight deviation from the best site, respectively, was used in the final FIBI development. River mouth station had the highest FIBI score of 43, with extensive natural riparian buffer vegetation (>20 m) and 18 fish species implying least human disturbance. The midstream section had intermediate FIBI scores of 34–36, with wide natural riparian buffer vegetation (10–20 m) and 6–9 fish species that represented moderate human disturbance. The upstream section had the least FIBI score of 0, with no fish and narrow riparian buffer vegetation (<5 m) that indicated notable degradation. This study presents the preliminary results of using fish and habitat metrics for development of an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for a medium‐sized river in a lake basin, as a decision‐making support tool for effective management and conservation of water resources. The study recommends restoration of river habitat quality for improved ecological integrity of rivers in the Lake Victoria Basin.

Assessment of Aquatic Ecosystem Health with Indices of Biotic Integrity (IBIs) in the Ganjiang River System, China

Indices of biotic integrity (IBIs) are widely used to assess aquatic ecosystem health. However, there are few studies on their relationships. Based on fish, macroinvertebrate and plankton survey data collected in the Ganjiang River system from 2016 to 2017, redundancy analysis (RDA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) were used to analyze how the community structures of these organisms respond to environmental variables. The fish IBI (F-IBI), benthic macroinvertebrate IBI (B-IBI), and phytoplankton IBI (P-IBI) were applied to evaluate the health status of the aquatic ecosystem. A Kruskal–Wallis test (p < 0.05) and Spearman’s correlation coefficient analysis were performed to evaluate the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the results. Our results suggested that the F-IBI-, B-IBI-, and P-IBI-based assessments indicated good, fair, and healthy Ganjiang River system ecosystem health statuses, respectively, and significant differences existed among these indices (p < 0.05). The main environmental factors affecting F-IBI, B-IBI, and P-IBI were different. At the temporal scale, the F-IBI and B-IBI were stable, while the P-IBI fluctuated obviously. The consistency between the F-IBI and B-IBI results was better than that between each of these indices and the P-IBI results, and the consistency was better on a larger scale. These research results show that comprehensive assessments based on multiple groups rather than a single group can better characterize the impacts of environmental pressures on water ecosystems.

The application of chemical and biological multi-metric models to a small urban stream for ecological health assessments

Nutrient or/and organic pollutions have been used as one of the key factors influencing the stream health, so research approaches were frequently focused on chemical analysis rather and biological analysis. Our objective of the present study was to diagnose the chemical and biological stream health using chemical multi-metric model of nutrient pollution index (NPI) and biological multi-metric fish model of the index of biotic integrity (IBI), respectively in an urban stream. Seven years dataset from 2008 to 2014 were used for the health assessments. The nutrients regime (TN, TP), sestonic chlorophyll, total suspended solids (TSS), electrical conductivity, BOD, and COD showed a typical polluted stream with large temporal and spatial fluctuations due to variations of Asian monsoon rain. The analysis of fish trophic guilds and fish tolerance guilds showed that omnivore fish species and tolerant species were dominated the community and the proportions were directly determined by water chemistry (nutrient and organic matters). Chemical model of NPI showed “poor-very poor health condition” by the criteria of the model and showed same results with the biological model of fish IBI. The degradation of the stream health was mainly due to massive effluents from the wastewater treatment plants. Overall, our data suggest that the multi-metric chemical and biological models may be used as a key tool diagnosing the stream health condition in an urban stream.

An expanded fish-based index of biotic integrity for Great Lakes coastal wetlands

Biotic indicators are useful for assessing ecosystem health because the structure of resident communities generally reflects abiotic conditions integrated over time. We used fish data collected over 5 years for 470 Great Lakes coastal wetlands to develop multi-metric indices of biotic integrity (IBI). Sampling and IBI development were stratified by vegetation type within each wetland to account for differences in physical habitat. Metrics were evaluated against numerous indices of anthropogenic disturbance derived from water quality and surrounding land-cover variables. Separate datasets were used for IBI development and testing. IBIs were composed of 10–11 metrics for each of four vegetation types (bulrush, cattail, water lily, and submersed aquatic vegetation). Scores of all IBIs correlated well with disturbance indices using the development data, and the accuracy of our IBIs was validated using the testing data. Our fish IBIs can be used to prioritize wetland protection and restoration efforts across the Great Lakes basin. The IBIs will also be useful in monitoring programs mandated by the Agreement between Canada and the United States of America on Great Lakes Water Quality, such as for assessing Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) in Great Lakes Areas of Concern, and in other ecosystem management programs in Canada and the USA.

Development of indices of biotic integrity for high-gradient wadeable rivers and headwater streams in New Jersey

The New Jersey Bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring (BFBM) has been conducting Fish Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) monitoring on rivers and streams (with drainage area >12.95 km2) in the Northern part of the state since 2000 using Karr’s original IBI format with several regional modifications. In an effort to increase the overall performance of the IBI and to assess smaller headwater streams, a new design and approach to metric development was evaluated on approximately 230 high gradient streams. This design, developed by Thomas Whittier and Robert Hughes, has been implemented for numerous Western U.S. studies, as well as the Connecticut multi-metric indices (MMI). Analysis resulted in two distinct stream classes; a coldwater community (Headwaters IBI) with drainage area <10.36 km2 consisting of brook trout, sensitive salamanders, and native crayfish and cool/warmwater fish communities (Northern FIBI) with drainage area >10.36 km2. Over 140 metrics from ten ecological classes were tested for signal to noise, range, responsiveness, and redundancy. A total of eight metrics representing seven ecological classes were selected for the Northern FIBI and six metrics representing five ecological classes were selected for the Headwaters IBI. These two indices provide the Bureau with an effective and sensitive biological tool to monitor and assess all non-tidal, wadeable streams in the Piedmont, Highlands, and Ridge and Valley physiographic ecoregions.

Nearshore Habitat and Fish Assemblages along a Gradient of Shoreline Development

AbstractLittoral habitat is a critical component of lake ecosystems. Expansion of residential development along lakeshores has led to habitat modification, which may alter lentic fish communities. Previous studies have linked lakeshore development to reductions in abundance of aquatic vegetation and coarse woody structure (CWS), and many have quantified the influence of the density of docks on aquatic habitat structure and individual fish species. However, few studies have quantified fish assemblages relative to the effect of density or pattern of development. Using docks as a proxy for development, we calculated dock density, cumulative dock area, and estimates of the proportion of shoreline that was developed, affected by development, or left in large undeveloped segments for 28 Minnesota lakes. We assessed nearshore structural habitat (aquatic vegetation, CWS, and riparian features), a lake‐wide fish index of biotic integrity (IBI), and nearshore components of the fish IBI relative to the development measures derived from docks. The nearshore IBI metrics were community composition metrics based on the proportion of intolerant, small benthic‐dwelling, and vegetation‐dwelling species caught in nearshore sampling, which we also evaluated individually and summed as a nearshore IBI. All measures of development were correlated and performed similarly in our models. Emergent vegetation and CWS declined with increasing development. Nearshore fish IBI declined with increasing development, but the lake‐wide IBI did not change significantly with development. The decline of the nearshore fish IBI appeared to have been driven by a decline in vegetation‐dwelling species.Received June 9, 2016; accepted January 6, 2017 Published online March 15, 2017

Large-scale climate change vulnerability assessment of stream health

Freshwater streams are critical resources that provide multiple benefits to humans and aquatic biota alike. As climate changes, it is projected that changes to the hydrological cycle and water temperatures will affect individual biota and aquatic ecosystems as a whole. The goal of this study was to determine the extent of climate change impacts on stream ecosystems as represented by four commonly used stream health indicators (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera taxa (EPT), Family Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI), Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI), and fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI)). Seven watersheds in Michigan were selected based on stream thermal regimes. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was used to simulate streamflow and pollutant loads. Important variables for each thermal class were selected using a Bayesian variable selection method and used as inputs to adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems models of EPT, FIBI, HBI, and IBI. Finally, an ensemble of climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 were used to determine the impacts of climate on the stream health in 2020–2040 compared to 1980–2000. The risk of declining stream health was determined using cumulative distribution functions. A stream temperature regression model was also developed to assess potential changes in stream thermal regimes, which could cause shifts in composition of aquatic communities. Several flow regime variables, including those related to flow variability, duration of extreme events, and timing were mainly affected by changing climate. At the watershed scale, most indicators were relatively insensitive to changing climate and the magnitude of stream health decline was low. However, at the reach scale, there are many instances of high risk and large magnitude of declines in the stream health indicators. At the same time, several streams experienced changes in thermal class, mostly transitioning from cold-transitional and cool streams to warm streams. This research demonstrated the applicability of the stream health modeling process in performing a climate change impacts assessment.

Recent Status of Fishes in the Yangtze River and its Ecological Health Assessment

The Yangtze River, ranking behind the Nile and the Amazon rivers, is the third longest river in the world. The Three Gorges Dam constructed on the Yangtze River dramatically altered the ecological environment in the surroundings. In this review, we integrated the published data about the Three Gorges Project and systematically analyzed the status of fish population in the Three Gorges Reservoir for recent fifteen years (2000~2014). Meanwhile, Fish Index of Biotic Integrity (F-IBI) system was used to assess the health risks to the ecological environment in the Three Gorges Reservoir Basin. This review indicated that the yields of natural fish catch decreased in the Yangtze River Basin (Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake, the downstream of the Three Gorges Dam and the Three Gorges Reservoir) during the recent fifteen years (2000~2014). The overall trends of natural fishing catch for Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake and the Three Gorges Reservoir went down. The fry runoff volume of four major Chinese carps in Jianli section decreased by about 80% from 2002 to 2003. In addition, the construction of the Three Gorges Dam left significant impacts on the populations of endemic fish and rare fish on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The F-IBI scores for the upstream Yangtze River gradually went down after 2003, but still maintained in general level. Our findings about the status of fish population and the ecological risk assessment of the Yangtze River, which will be helpful for Chinese government in decision making for the sustainable development of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area and comprehensive ecosystem management in the Yangtze River Basin.

Ecohydrological modeling for large-scale environmental impact assessment

Ecohydrological models are frequently used to assess the biological integrity of unsampled streams. These models vary in complexity and scale, and their utility depends on their final application. Tradeoffs are usually made in model scale, where large-scale models are useful for determining broad impacts of human activities on biological conditions, and regional-scale (e.g. watershed or ecoregion) models provide stakeholders greater detail at the individual stream reach level. Given these tradeoffs, the objective of this study was to develop large-scale stream health models with reach level accuracy similar to regional-scale models thereby allowing for impacts assessments and improved decision-making capabilities. To accomplish this, four measures of biological integrity (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera taxa (EPT), Family Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI), Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI), and fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI)) were modeled based on four thermal classes (cold, cold-transitional, cool, and warm) of streams that broadly dictate the distribution of aquatic biota in Michigan. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to simulate streamflow and water quality in seven watersheds and the Hydrologic Index Tool was used to calculate 171 ecologically relevant flow regime variables. Unique variables were selected for each thermal class using a Bayesian variable selection method. The variables were then used in development of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) models of EPT, FIBI, HBI, and IBI. ANFIS model accuracy improved when accounting for stream thermal class rather than developing a global model.

Assessment of ecosystem health of the Yellow River with fish index of biotic integrity

Fish-based index of biotic integrity (F-IBI) is widely used to assess river ecosystems. With survey data from the Yellow River fishery resources in the 1980s and 2008, fish composition and abundance, vertical distribution, trophic structure, reproductive guilds and tolerance in the river’s upstream, midstream, downstream, and estuary were examined, and F-IBI systems were established for each reach to assess river ecosystem health. Results showed that compared to the 1980s, the number of fish species in 2008 sharply declined in the midstream and downstream reaches, percentage of benthic fish species decreased in upstream and estuary, the number and percentage of omnivorous species decreased in all reaches, and percentage of tolerant fish species increased 15 times in upstream but decreased in midstream and downstream. The F-IBI scores in the four reaches in the 1980s were all higher than those in 2008 and decreased from upstream to estuary; the healthy conditions indicated by F-IBI scores in the 1980s were “good,” “fair,” “poor,” and “fair” from upstream to estuary and “degraded” to “poor” in all the reaches in 2008. This indicated that the river ecosystem has degraded from the 1980s to 2008. This was also shown by variations in water chemistry.

Applicability and Interpretation of Fish Indices of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for Bioassessment in the Upper Midwest

AbstractMultiple fish‐based indices of biotic integrity (IBIs) and biological condition gradient models have been developed and validated to assess ecological integrity in the Laurentian Great Lakes region. We evaluated the applicability and effectiveness of using fish community indices for assessing site integrity in central Great Lakes streams, which have diverse temperature regimes and can be classified as warmwater, coolwater, or coldwater. Sites with different thermal regimes require different assessment tools to ensure comparability. Streams in the Big Manistee River watershed, Michigan, are near thermal thresholds for classification as coolwater or coldwater. We evaluated two coolwater and three coldwater indices developed for Upper Midwest streams. Output from coolwater indices were not correlated with coldwater index outputs and did not discriminate among the stream systems we evaluated. In monitoring temporal patterns over time (2002–2010), we found that coldwater indices showed similar patterns and agreed in relative scoring of sites from high to low. The three coldwater indices also similarly discriminated among stream systems; however, when the coldwater indices were used for specific site assessments, they produced differential results. Depending on which index was applied, a single site could be classified into three different levels of quality. This highlights the importance of index selection for management actions. An understanding of the factors that drive the indices and an understanding of reference conditions are imperative for effective use of fish‐based IBIs in the Upper Midwest.Received July 15, 2014; accepted December 12, 2014

Assessment of the fish index of biotic integrity and its relationship with environmental factors in the Xiliao River Basin

The environmental quality of Xiliao River Basin is assessed based on the fish index of biotic integrity( F-IBI). Protection limit values of the environmental factors correlated with the F-IBI are determined by the method of locally weighted regression scatterplot smoother( LOWESS). The results indicated that five indices,including the percentage of the Cobitidae fish,the number of demersal fish species,the number of omnivorous fish species,the number of tolerated fish individuals and the percentage of the nests spawning fish individuals,were suitable for constructing the F-IBI assessment system. The ratio method is used to unify dimensionless parameters. The 95% quantile of the F-IBI in all reference sites is used as the reference value of health conditions.Forty four sampling sites of Xiliao River Basin were assessed by F-IBI. The results found that five sites( 11. 4%) were in excellent grade,nine sites( 20. 5%) were in good grade,twelve sites( 27. 3%) were in normal grade,eleven sites( 25. 0%) were in poor grade,and seven sites( 15. 9%) were in very poor grade. Electrical conductivity,ammonia nitrogen,alkalinity and proportion of sand were negatively correlated with F-IBI scores in the Xiliao River Basin,whereas slope and proportion of grassland were positively correlated with F-IBI scores. The results of LOWESS and independent sample t test indicated that F-IBI scores significantly changed when the electrical conductivity,ammonia nitrogen concentration,alkalinity,proportion of sand and proportion of grassland reached the protection limit value,which was 531 μS / cm,0. 55 mg / L,4. 4 mmol / L,47. 2% and 37. 0%,respectively.The results of this study could provide beneficial information for the regional environmental management of fish integrity protection in the Xiliao River Basin.

鱼类生物群落对太子河流域土地利用、河岸带栖息地质量的响应

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 鱼类生物群落对太子河流域土地利用、河岸带栖息地质量的响应 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201401140106 作者: 作者单位: 中国环境科学研究院,中国环境科学研究院,中国环境科学研究院,中国环境科学研究院,中国环境科学研究院 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金(41401066);国家水体污染控制与治理科技重大专项(2012ZX07501-001-04);中欧环境可持续发展计划(DCI-ASIE/2013/323-261) Exploring the relationship among land-use, riparian habitat quality, and biological integrity of a fish community Author: Affiliation: Chinese research academy of environmental sciences,Chinese Research Acaemy of Environmental Sciences,Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences,, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:河流生态系统的退化是多空间尺度环境因子作用的结果。探讨不同尺度环境因子及水生生物之间的作用关系,识别影响水生生物群落完整性的尺度问题,是有效开展水生生物保护的基础。基于2009年对太子河流域15个样点的鱼类、河岸带栖息地质量评价,结合遥感影像解译的太子河流域土地利用情况(包括流域尺度和河段尺度),研究鱼类完整性指数(F-IBI)与两种尺度土地利用、栖息地质量参数之间的关系。结果表明太子河上游地区河岸栖息地质量较好,下游地区由于农业用地、城镇用地比例的增加河岸栖息地质量明显下降。F-IBI与自然用地比例呈正相关,与农业、城镇用地比例呈负相关。农业用地对F-IBI的影响体现在流域尺度,而城镇用地在两种尺度上都存在显著影响。相比于农业用地,城镇用地相同比例的增加会导致F-IBI更快的下降。底质、水质状况、人类活动强度是显著影响F-IBI的栖息地质量评价参数。3项参数均随农业和城镇用地比例增加而降低,农业用地主要在流域尺度上对3项参数产生影响,城镇用地主要影响底质和水质状况2项参数,而在两种尺度上的影响相差不大。 Abstract:River ecosystems are being degraded by various environmental factors across multi-spatial scales. In general, aquatic organism conservation aims to explore the relationship between aquatic organisms and environmental factors across multi-spatial scales, and to discern the scale at which the biological integrity of aquatic organisms is affected. We collected data about fishes and riparian habitat conditions at 15 sampling sites in the Taizi River basin during August, 2009. In parallel, we collected data on land use at the both of catchment and reach scales by interpreting the satellite images. We explored the relationship among the fish index of biotic integrity (F-IBI), land use at two scales, and riparian habitat condition. The results showed that riparian habitat condition is relatively better in the upper regions than the lower regions of rivers, due to a percentage increase in farmland and urban areas in the lower regions. F-IBI showed a positive correlation with the proportions of natural areas, but showed a negative correlation with the proportions of farmland and urban areas. F-IBI exhibited a stronger response to the proportion of farmland at the catchment scale, and to the proportion of urban areas at both scales. Compared to farmland, the same percentage increase in urban area resulted in a faster decrease of F-IBI. Substrate, water quality, and anthropogenic disturbances were three key riparian habitat parameters that significantly degraded F-IBI. These three parameters decreased with increasing proportions of farmland and urban areas. Farmland showed a significant effect on the three parameters at the catchment scale, whereas urban areas only significantly affected substrate and water quality at both scales. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Ecohydrological model parameter selection for stream health evaluation

Variable selection is a critical step in development of empirical stream health prediction models. This study develops a framework for selecting important in-stream variables to predict four measures of biological integrity: total number of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) taxa, family index of biotic integrity (FIBI), Hilsenhoff biotic integrity (HBI), and fish index of biotic integrity (IBI). Over 200 flow regime and water quality variables were calculated using the Hydrologic Index Tool (HIT) and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Streams of the River Raisin watershed in Michigan were grouped using the Strahler stream classification system (orders 1–3 and orders 4–6), k-means clustering technique (two clusters: C1 and C2), and all streams (one grouping). For each grouping, variable selection was performed using Bayesian variable selection, principal component analysis, and Spearman's rank correlation. Following selection of best variable sets, models were developed to predict the measures of biological integrity using adaptive-neuro fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS), a technique well-suited to complex, nonlinear ecological problems. Multiple unique variable sets were identified, all which differed by selection method and stream grouping. Final best models were mostly built using the Bayesian variable selection method. The most effective stream grouping method varied by health measure, although k-means clustering and grouping by stream order were always superior to models built without grouping. Commonly selected variables were related to streamflow magnitude, rate of change, and seasonal nitrate concentration. Each best model was effective in simulating stream health observations, with EPT taxa validation R2 ranging from 0.67 to 0.92, FIBI ranging from 0.49 to 0.85, HBI from 0.56 to 0.75, and fish IBI at 0.99 for all best models. The comprehensive variable selection and modeling process proposed here is a robust method that extends our understanding of watershed scale stream health beyond sparse monitoring points.

The response of fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages to multiple stressors: A comparative analysis of aquatic communities in a perturbed watershed (Onondaga Lake, NY)

Stream bioassessment studies usually use a single taxonomic group, most commonly fish or macroinvertebrates. However, differences in the life histories, habitat preferences, and physiological and behavioral traits of each assemblage may cause differences in their responses to environmental degradation. These factors can lead to discrepancies in overall assessments of ecological integrity. The Onondaga Lake Watershed (NY) has had a diverse history of pollution from multiple impacts, and the lake and several subsites are listed as USEPA Superfund sites. The response of fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages to environmental variables in the Onondaga Lake Watershed was assessed at 17 stream reaches in 2007, 2010, and 2011 using assemblage-specific metrics and indices of biotic integrity. Land use and substrate composition variables were significantly correlated (p<0.05, r>|0.3|) with the first two macroinvertebrate PCA axes and were related to a downstream gradient of increased habitat degradation for the major tributaries. Water chemistry variables, canopy cover, and stream width were significantly correlated (p<0.05, r>|0.3|) with the first two fish PCA axes. PCA axes for fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages were not significantly correlated, suggesting that the major environmental variables affecting fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages differed. Pearson correlations between the macroinvertebrate Biological Assessment Profile (BAP) and the fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), and the macroinvertebrate Percent Model Affinity (PMA) and IBI were not significantly correlated. The macroinvertebrate metrics Percent Model Affinity (PMA) and BAP were positively and significantly correlated with Visual Habitat Assessment (VHA) scores, and the fish IBI was not significantly correlated with the VHA, further illustrating differences of fish and macroinvertebrates in their response to environmental variables. Results suggest that the use of multiple assemblages may be warranted for future assessments of stream quality and the development of effective monitoring programs in the Onondaga Lake Watershed.

Fish Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) A New Method of Assessing Water Quality in Sri Lankan River Waters

A multimetric fish Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) was used for the assessment of waterquality in Kelani River in Sri Lanka. The original FIBI was developed for streams in theUnited States Midwest streams by James Karr and present fish index was developed bymaking regional modifications to the original IBI to reflect the fish assemblages and structureof the river system in Sri Lanka. The validity of this modified IBI was determined byexamining the quality of river water using Physico-chemical parameters in upper and lowerreaches of the study area.An assessment program was carried out in the two sites in upper reach (Kaduwela) and lowerreach (Thotalanga) of Kelani river basin from January to July 2012. Fish assemblages weresurveyed by gill nets. Once fish samples were collected they have been identified, counted,examined for diseases and anomalies, and several other biometrics are applied to evaluatebiotic integrity.FIBI developed for two sites of the Kelani River is comparable with Water Quality Index(WQI) developed based on selected physico-chemical parameters for the same site. The IBIbased on fish was defined as the average of these 14 metrics after scoring as 1, 3 or 5 by amodified trisection method and five integrity classes were defined. WQI was calculated foreach site based on the results of the tested water quality measurements such as DissolvedOxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5), pH from both laboratory and field surveyrecords and determination of the water quality in each site was based on the categorieschosen.Fish IBI scores for these two sites were highly corresponded with the WQI scores obtainedby tested physico-chemical parameters. Kaduwela site (Score = 28) was ranked as ‘Fair’while the others in Thotanlanga (Score = 40) was ranked as ‘Poor’ for FIBI ranking criteria.By comparing the WQI index, Kaduwela site (57.35) was ranked as ‘Fair’ while Thotanlanga(36.9) was ranked as ‘Poor’. Therefore, in this research project, the developed IBI based onfish clearly showed its potential to assess the water quality of Kelani River while suggestingas a valuable and complementary tool to assess the ecological quality distinguished as goodquality sites from disturbed sites.

Modeling changes in freshwater mussel diversity in an agriculturally dominated landscape

AbstractFreshwater mussels perform critical ecosystem functions and provide many valuable ecological services. However, anthropogenic effects have severely decreased mussel diversity and abundance at both local and regional scales. Understanding how human disturbances, particularly landuse change, and fish assemblages are related to mussel assemblages is essential for effective conservation and restoration. We used Random Forests (RF) regressions, a data-mining technique, to examine how mussel species richness, total abundance, and abundances of individual species were related to land use at different spatial scales and to fish species richness and abundance in east central Illinois, USA. Mussel richness increased with % wetlands, % open water, % grassland in the riparian zone, and total fish abundance; decreased with % urban land in the riparian zone; but responded poorly to fish species richness and fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scores. Total mussel abundance mainly increased with total fish abun...

IDENTIFYING SENSITIVE INDICES IN THE RESPONSE OF AQUATIC BIOTA TO LANDSCAPE PATTERN CHANGES: A CASE STUDY OF THE TAIZI RIVER BASIN IN NORTH CHINA

It is widely accepted that riverine ecosystems are influenced by the landscape pattern changes of their corresponding watersheds, but few studies have identified the most sensitive and nonsensitive biotic indices, the most influential landscape metrics and the relationship between aquatic biota and landscape patterns. To address this problem, Taizi river basin of Northeast China is taken as a case study, in which GIS technology and landscape ecology method are adopted. The study is performed at both the basin scale (entire drainage area upstream from certain sample point) and the riparian scale (a certain width buffer on each side of sample point extending the length of drainage network) to direct future landscape pattern design at the corresponding scales. The results show that at the basin scale, the species richness of benthic macroinvertebrate (B-S) and the fish index of biotic integrity (F-IBI) are the most sensitive biotic indices to landscape metrics, whereas the species richness of phytoplankton (P-S), the Shannon–Weaver diversity index of phytoplankton (P-H), zooplankton (Z-H), benthic macroinvertebrate (B-H) and fish density (F-D) are not sensitive to landscape pattern changes; at the riparian scale, F-IBI, B-S and zooplankton density (Z-D) have significant correlations with 9 of 10 landscape metrics calculated in this study, whereas P-S, P-H, Z-H, B-H, F-D and species richness of fish have very low correlations with riparian landscape pattern changes. At the basin scale, no landscape pattern metrics show obviously more influence on the riverine ecosystems than other metrics. At the riparian scale, Shannon's diversity index is a very influential factor. As to both of the two scales, B-S and F-IBI are correlated with most landscape metrics. The information derived above can help understand the impacts of landscape change on river ecosystems more clearly and provide useful scientific information on river ecosystem protection from the viewpoint of landscape. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Application and transferability of Great Lakes coastal wetland indices of biotic integrity to high quality inland lakes of Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan

Biological indicators or indices of biotic integrity (IBI) have been developed for land management and regulatory agencies to categorize the condition of a given ecosystem. IBIs are more widely used in lotic systems and those that can be used over wide geographic regions or multiple systems are deemed most valuable. Lacustrine wetlands have intrinsic complexity and multidimensionality making them very difficult to classify. This, in turn, greatly affects the transferability of indices created for explicit regions and wetland types. Similarly, due to scarcity, relatively pristine reference conditions are seldom included in IBI calibration and represent a critical end of the disturbance continuum. The robustness and transferability of macroinvertebrate and fish IBIs created for fringing lacustrine and drowned river mouth wetlands of the Great Lakes for use in wetlands occurring in inland-lakes on islands within the Great Lakes were tested. Islands within the Laurentian Great Lakes contain unique and critical habitats that have received little attention, but also require specialized tools for monitoring and management. Inland-lake wetlands of Beaver Island, Lake Michigan, were ranked a priori along a disturbance gradient based on adjacent land use/cover. Transferability of the pre-existing Great Lakes IBIs was determined by correlating the site-specific IBI rank with the site-specific disturbance ranks. Results indicated that the IBIs were not directly transferable and may require substantial modification.