Browsing by Subject "Macroinvertebrates"
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Item Benthic Macroinvertebrate Survey of the St. Louis River Estuary in the Vicinity of the U.S. Steel and Interlake Tar Superfund Sites(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1994) Richards, Carl; Breneman, DanThe St. Louis River estuary contains a diverse set of habitats with both relatively pristine as well as impacted regions. Benthic communities within the estuary are of special concern due to impaired conditions in some areas (St. Louis River System Remedial Action Plan, 1992). These communities play a large role in detrital decomposition, nutrient cycling, and provide an important food source for fish. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities have been used extensively for monitoring environmental condition for many years and can be good indicators of sediment quality (Rosenberg and Resh 1993). This study examined benthic communities in the vicinity of two US EPA superfund sites adjacent to the St. Louis River Estuary. The study was limited to descriptive analysis of existing communities in embayments near the superfund sites.Item A Comparison of Macroinvertebrate Communities, Habitat, and Water Chemistry Along the Length of Miller Creek(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1992) Richards, Carl; Tucker, Paul; Kutka, FrankBiological communities in streams can serve as useful monitors of habitat and chemical conditions. Recently, the use of biomonitoring to examine water resource quality has become a popular alternative, or addition to standard water assessment protocols for the purposes of management and planning, problem prioritization, and documentation of recovery following remediation efforts. A general theoretical framework for the development of biosurveys has been discussed by Karr (1991). The advantages of using biosurveys for monitoring and assessment purposes include: 1) biological communities reflect overall ecological integrity and therefore may be the most accurate status of a waterbody, 2) biological communities integrate the effects of different pollutant stressors and thus provide a measure of aggregate impact, 3) biological communities integrate stresses over time and provide an ecological measure of fluctuating environmental conditions 4) routine biological monitoring can be relatively inexpensive compared to the costs of detailed chemical and toxicity testing, 5) biological communities are often of direct interest to the public as an indicator of a pollution free environment. Macroinvertebrate communities in streams are effective biomonitors in streams that are relatively stable in time and reflect subtle differences in environmental conditions (Richards and Minshall 1992). Furthermore, general guidelines towards development and use of these communities for biomonitoring have been published widely (Plafkin et al. 1989, OHIO EPA 1987). These approaches follow the suggestions of Karr (1991) in that they utilize multiple community metrics to evaluate instream biological impairment. This approach consists of analyzing different components of the structure and function of macroinvertebrate communities. Each metric contributes ecological information on the integrity of the community in question. Several studies have reported the use of the metric approach with macroinvertebrates in streams (Barbour et al. 1992). Since many aspects of biological communities are dependant on regional and local characteristics, it is necessary to interpret biomonitoring data in light of unique regional characteristics. The purpose of the present study was to examine macroinvertebrate communities at several locations along Miller Creek to determine if biomonitoring techniques indicate significant problems along the watercourse, to compare various techniques for assessment, and to provide a preliminary database for future comparison.Item Defining stream integrity using biological indicators(2012-09) Dolph, Christine LaurieBiological indicators may offer the most comprehensive and accurate means to assess the integrity of streams and rivers, as changes in a biological community represent an integrated response to all environmental stressors present in an ecosystem. Biological indicators are typically designed to quantify and=or summarize important aspects of either ecosystem structure – the types and abundance of organisms found in a given habitat – or ecosystem function – rates and patterns of ecological processes such as primary and secondary production, nutrient cycling, and decomposition of organic matter. Increasingly, resource managers use such indicators to assess whether surface waters fulfill the requirements of their designated uses under the Clean Water Act. Despite the recognition that biological indicators can aid management decisions, critical questions remain regarding the best way to design, apply, and interpret them. In this dissertation, I used a suite of statistical and empirical approaches to evaluate the design and application of several different biological indicators of stream condition in various contexts and scales across Minnesota. Specifically, I used a bootstrap approach, together with a database of fish, macroinvertebrate, and environmental data collected by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) between 1996 and 2006 from approximately 1500 stream sites across Minnesota, to quantify variability associated with an Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) developed by MPCA for fish communities in streams of two Minnesota river basins. I placed this variability into a management context by comparing it to impairment thresholds used in water quality determinations for Minnesota streams. I used the same MPCA dataset to develop predictive taxa richness models for fish and macroinvertebrates as additional indicators of the biological integrity of Minnesota streams, and evaluated these models for sensitivity and precision. I further determined whether fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages exhibited significant community concordance, and whether significantly concordant communities yielded equivalent indications of stream integrity at three nested spatial scales (statewide, ecoregion and catchment) in Minnesota. Finally, I used data from the MPCA database to evaluate relationships between selected environmental variables and the composition of fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages at all three spatial scales. I collected a second dataset of macroinvertebrate samples over the course of one year (2010) from three agricultural streams in southern Minnesota to evaluate relationships between structural and functional indicators of stream condition in response to a common stream conservation practice (i.e., reach-scale restoration). Specifically, I examined whether reach-scale restoration in disturbed agricultural streams in southern Minnesota was associated with changes in (1) macroinvertebrate taxa richness, (2) seasonal variability in macroinvertebrate community composition, and (3) secondary production (i.e., macroinvertebrate biomass over time). SUMMARY OF FINDINGS: 1. I found that 95% confidence intervals for IBIs scored on a 0-100 point scale ranged as high as 40 points. However, on average, 90% of IBI scores calculated from bootstrap replicate samples for a given stream site yielded the same impairment status as the original IBI score. I suggest that sampling variability in IBI scores is related to both the number of fish and the number of rare taxa in a field collection. A comparison of the effects of different scoring methods on IBI variability indicates that a continuous scoring method may reduce the amount of bias in IBI scores. 2. Predictive taxa-loss models for fish and macroinvertebrates both distinguished reference from non-reference sites. Predictive models for fish assemblages were less sensitive and precise than models for invertebrate assemblages, likely because of a relatively low number of common fish taxa. Significant concordance between fish and invertebrate communities occurred at the statewide scale as well as in six of seven ecoregions and 17 of 21 major catchments examined. However, concordance was not consistently indicative of significant relationships between rates of fish and invertebrate taxa loss at those same scales. Fish and invertebrate communities were largely associated with different environmental variables, although the composition of both communities was strongly correlated with stream size across all three scales. 3. I found no difference in macroinvertebrate taxa richness between restored and unrestored reaches of agricultural streams in southern Minnesota. However, both compositional similarity and secondary production were higher in restored reaches relative to unrestored reaches, suggesting that reach-scale restoration may have ecological effects beyond influences on diversity. These findings highlight the added complexity conveyed by a consideration of functional, as well as structural, indicators of stream condition. Higher productivity in the restored reaches was due largely to the disproportionate success of a small number of dominant taxa. Secondary production estimates were considerably lower than those reported for other similar-sized prairie streams; these low values may be indicative of stressful conditions for biotic life in the study streams.Item Developing a Diagnostic Tool for Assessing Excessive Sediment Harm to Stream Communities(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2013) Brady, Valerie; Herrera, LarissaExcess sediment is a top cause of impairment in U.S. rivers and streams. A number of streams on the north shore of Lake Superior’s western arm are on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s impaired waters list due to turbidity problems. The underlying geology of the north shore, in addition to the steep slopes of the Lake Superior escarpment, forms a stream base vulnerable to erosion and excessive sediment deposition in streams. This vulnerability is created, at least in part, by an area of clay loam soil that many north shore stream channels intersect as they come down the escarpment to the shore of Lake Superior. The steep slopes cause high stream velocities which, combined with the high erodability of this soil layer, create high erosion potentials, particularly on outside channel bends. The increased fine sediments traveling through and accumulating in stream substrates potentially presents several problems for aquatic biota. Excess sediment deposits reduce habitat space for aquatic macroinvertebrates, which are vital components of the food web. In addition to potentially decreasing food sources for fish, the excess sediment deposits can bury fish spawning habitats. Even if the fish can clean off nesting areas, they will expend extra energy doing so. There are many stream condition indicators using stream fish or macroinvertebrates, but none address excess sediment specifically. In many areas of the country there are any number of human‐caused stressors affecting stream condition, including agricultural runoff, high stormwater discharges, loss of stream shoreline habitat, deforestation, development, and industrial discharges. When there are many stressors impacting streams, it is hard to differentiate among them to determine which stressors are creating which problems for stream biota. While some north shore streams have non‐turbidity impairments, there are considerably fewer than in other parts of the country. The dominance of erosion‐based impairments provided the opportunity to develop an indicator diagnostic of excessive sediment deposition in stream substrate as the cause of biotic impairment in north shore streams. We selected stream macroinvertebrates for indicator development for several reasons. They are less mobile than fish, meaning that they have limited ability to escape from disturbance, and even more limited ability to return after a disturbance ceases (at least until the next generation begins). Macroinvertebrates are easy to collect, are present in relatively high abundances, and have high morphological diversity. For all of these reasons, macroinvertebrates are commonly used in stream condition assessments, and their use is ubiquitous across the US and across agencies. Because most agencies collect stream macroinvertebrate information already, their use to create a diagnostic indicator could allow agencies and managers to get more information out of data they already have, without the need for additional sampling. The goal of this project was to develop a suite of stream macroinvertebrate metrics diagnostic of invertebrate community impairment caused by excessive fine sediment deposition in stream substrate; in other words, burial or partial burial of streambed rocks by sand, silt, and clay. Such a diagnostic tool would aid managers in their stream assessment work. While similar projects have been previously attempted (and failed) in other parts of the country, most have been in areas suffering from a number of stressors, making development of an indicator diagnostic of just sediment impairment more difficult. Our hope in attempting such work using north shore streams was that the relative lack of other stressors in northeastern Minnesota would make the development of such an indicator more possible. Having such an indicator should help agencies make a stronger connection between the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) turbidity measurements and sediment deposition presumed to be causing harm to stream biota.Item Development of Macroinvertebrate Biocriteria for Streams of Minnesota's Lake Superior Watershed(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2000) Stroom, Kevin; Richards, CarlGenus-level macroinvertebrate data from reference and disturbed streams were used to develop and test biocriteria for 1st - 3rd order streams in Minnesota’s Lake Superior Watershed (LSW). Fifteen metrics, most used elsewhere, were investigated for utility. Five metrics failed because of high correlation or inability to differentiate disturbed streams. Ten metrics were combined into a multimetric index. Metric values were scored relative to metric biocriteria according to EPA protocols and summed for each stream The minimum reference stream score defined the index biocriterion. Eleven urban or agricultural/rural stream scores were compared to the index biocriterion to test its ability to reveal impairment in test streams. Reference and disturbed stream scores were statistically different (p < 0.01). Urban streams were better separated from the reference condition (p < 0.001) than Ag/Rural streams (p < 0.01). The index biocriterion detected impairment in eight of the disturbed streams, while two streams scored within the safety buffer where a judgement of impairment was uncertain but possible. One stream scored slightly above the biocriterion. Several metrics which were useful elsewhere were also effective here, while others were not. The locally-tailored multimetric index and associated biocriteria developed here were effective in assessing stream ecosystem health in appropriate areas of the LSW. GIS analysis of subwatershed land use/cover showed that even moderate percentages of developed + hay/pasture/grass land covers (12-15%) and developed + hay/pasture/grass + roads (15-17%) resulted in some streams scoring as impaired. Therefore, LSW streams appear to be relatively fragile environments requiring careful watershed management. Methodologies involving chironomid inclusion, sample processing, sample size, and reach location were investigated. Chironomid abundance varied among Reference streams by more than an order of magnitude, though % chironomids varied less. Thus, inclusion of family-level chironomid data may increase variability in metrics involving abundance. A high percentage of taxa were “rare” at levels of <2 and <4 individuals per replicate; 34.0 and 48.0 % respectively for Reference streams and 44.2 and 61.2 for Disturbed streams. Thus, subsampling may strongly influence richness metric values, suggesting whole LSW samples should be processed for maximum assessment effectiveness. A richness/area curve showed continual increase through 5 replicates, thus, collecting fewer samples may reduce biocriteria effectiveness in the LSW if samples are composited. Metric scores were often significantly different in the three Kimball Cr. sample reaches, thus reach location may be an important consideration in developing biocriteria in the LSW.Item An Integrated Approach to Assessing Multiple Stressors for Coastal Lake Superior(2011) Niemi, Gerald J; Reavie, Euan; Peterson, Gregory S; Kelly, John R; Johnston, Carol A; Johnson, Lucinda B; Howe, Robert W; Host, George; Hollenhorst, Thomas; Danz, Nick; Ciborowski, Jan H; Brown, Terry; Brady, Valerie; Axler, Richard PThis peer-reviewed article summarizes research conducted under the Great Lakes Environmental Indicators (GLEI) project initiated by the authors in 2001. The authors assessed the status of Lake Superior’s coastal ecosystem relative to over 200 environmental variables collected from GIS data sets for the enture US Great Lakes basin. These were assessed using gradients including atmosphereic deposition, agriculture, human population and development, land cover, point source pollution, soils and a cumulative stress index. Relationships of biological assemblages of birds, diatoms, fish and invertebrates, wetland plants, soils and stable isotopes to these gradients were then assessed. Key findings are extracted and reproduced below. Biological indicators can be used both to estimate ecological condition and to suggest plausible causes of ecosystem degradation across the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region. Here we use data on breeding bird, diatom, fish, invertebrate, and wetland plant communities to develop robust indicators of ecological condition of the U.S. Lake Superior coastal zone. Sites were selected as part of a larger, stratified random design for the entire U.S. Great Lakes coastal region, covering gradients of anthropogenic stress defined by over 200 stressor variables (e.g. agriculture, altered land cover, human populations, and point source pollution). A total of 89 locations in Lake Superior were sampled between 2001 and 2004 including 31 sites for stable isotope analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates, 62 sites for birds, 35 for diatoms, 32 for fish and macroinvertebrates, and 26 for wetland vegetation. A relationship between watershed disturbance metrics and 15N levels in coastal macroinvertebrates confirmed that watershed-based stressor gradients are expressed across Lake Superior’s coastal ecosystems, increasing confidence in ascribing causes of biological responses to some landscape activities. Several landscape metrics in particular—agriculture, urbanization, human population density, and road density—strongly influenced the responses of indicator species assemblages. Conditions were generally good in Lake Superior, but in some areas watershed stressors produced degraded conditions that were similar to those in the southern and eastern U.S. Great Lakes. The following indicators were developed based on biotic responses to stress in Lake Superior in the context of all the Great Lakes: (1) an index of ecological condition for breeding bird communities, (2) diatom-based nutrient and solids indicators, (3) fish and macroinvertebrate indicators for coastal wetlands, and (4) a non-metric multidimensional scaling for wetland plants corresponding to a cumulative stress index. These biotic measures serve as useful indicators of the ecological condition of the Lake Superior coast; collectively, they provide a baseline assessment of selected biological conditions for the U.S. Lake Superior coastal region and prescribe a means to detect change over time.” Key points: “In general, the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region of Lake Superior shows greater overall stress in the southern regions compared with relatively low overall stress in the northern regions. These patterns are primarily due to agricultural land use, higher human population densities, and point sources in the eastern and western portions on the south shore, while the north shore at the western end of Lake Superior is primarily forested with relatively sparse human population densities. Coastal regions of Lake Superior can be found at each of the extremes of the disturbance gradients. This includes relatively pristine watersheds in the northern regions with low human population densities and little agriculture that contrast with regions of relatively high populations with industrial activity such as Duluth-Superior in Minnesota-Wisconsin and Sault Ste. Marie Michigan at the other end of the gradient. The U.S. Lake Superior coastal region varies widely in the degree of human-related stress; generally, levels of stress decrease from south to north but with considerable variation, especially along the southern shore due to local agricultural activity and the presence of several population and industrial centers. In spite of a lack of latitudinal variation, there is human-induced, watershed scale variability across the Lake Superior coast. Compared to the other Great Lakes, Lake Superior coastal fish communities had more generally intolerant fish and more turbidity intolerant fish. Coastal fish community composition reflected the higher levels of suspended solids associated with human alteration to watersheds. The most disturbed sites on Lake Superior had greater proportions of non-native species and fewer bottom-feeding taxa.Item Knife River Macroinvertebrate and Sediment Survey(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2007) Brady, Valerie; Breneman, DanThis effort was conducted as part of the Knife River TMDL (total maximum daily load) study for turbidity, and includes data to compare invertebrate community composition, habitat structure, and sediment deposition among Knife River sites. Macroinvertebrate, stream substrate, water quality, and fish and invertebrate habitat data were collected from five sites along the Knife River and its tributaries in August 2006. The study’s objectives were two-fold: first, to collect baseline data from several locations within the Knife River watershed, which is currently listed as impaired for turbidity; and second, to compare these data to historical data from the Knife River watershed and other North Shore streams. Turbidity and embeddedness affect stream invertebrates and fish by raising water temperature, reducing search distances for visual predators, clogging or abrading delicate gill tissue, filling in interstitial spaces among stream cobbles, and other detrimental effects. To put current data into perspective, Knife River TMDL sample locations were compared to historical samples within the Knife River watershed and other North Shore streams using macroinvertebrate assemblage metrics and, for one set of samples, substrate and water physical parameters. Due to differences in sampling methodology, macroinvertebrate metrics had to be calculated differently for comparison with historical data.Item Landscape Influences on Habitat, Water Chemistry, and Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in Midwestern Stream Ecosystems(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1993) Richards, Carl; Johnson, Lucinda B; Host, George ELandscape characteristics of 65 subwatersheds within the Saginaw Bay Watershed of central Michigan were examined to identify relationships to stream habitat, water quality, and macroinvertebrate communities. A Geographic Information System was used to compile and analyze a series of landscape data including land use, elevation, slope, and hydrography of each watershed. Land use and landcover were quantified in 65 watersheds for both entire watersheds and 200 m stream buffers. Both watershed and buffer data were then empirically related to instream habitat and surface water chemistry using multivariate analysis. Macroinvertebrates community data from each watershed were related to stream physical and chemical data to identify which reach-scale environmental factors yhat most strongly influenced observed patterns. From these analyses, the relative influences of landscape features on macroinvertebrate communities could be inferred. Results showed that stream habitat, particularly channel morphology and substrate, were most strongly influenced by the presence of non forested wetlands. All permanent vegetative landcovers were associated with decreased values for most chemical parameters. Land use heterogeneity and average watershed slope were important predictors of total suspended solids. Landscape data accounted for over 75% of the variance in total nitrogen. In general, relationships between landscape data and stream chemistry were stronger in summer than fall. Surprisingly, the use of stream buffer data did not improve the predictions of habitat and chemistry characteristics compared with use of whole watershed data. Finer scale information may be required to depict the influence of riparian zones on midwestern streams. Macroinvertebrates were most strongly related to channel morphology, substrate characteristics, and nutrient concentrations. At the largest scale, geomorphic differences among watersheds and the extremes of land use (extensive row crop agriculture) had the strongest influence on macroinvertebrate communities, through their influence on stream habitat. At smaller scales, land use patterns (type, heterogeneity) exhibited more influence through their association with water chemistry and habitat alterations.Item Poplar River Macroinvertebrate and Habitat Survey(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2008) Brady, ValerieWe surveyed the biota and stream habitat of the lower mainstem of the Poplar River in August 2007 to obtain baseline information on stream assemblages as part of a TMDL (total maximum daily load) study for turbidity. Four sites were selected along the Poplar River within the last 3 km before it enters Lake Superior. Data collected included macroinvertebrate community composition, in-stream habitat structure and stream bottom substrate types, and sediment particle size distribution. Poplar River data generated from each sample site were compared to data from 24 other North Shore stream sites to better place the Poplar River’s condition into a regional context.Item Stressor Gradients and Spatial Narratives of the St. Louis River Estuary(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2014-06-01) Host, George E; Axler, Richard P; Hagley, Cynthia; Drewes, Annette; Bartsch, Will; Henneck, Jerald; Fortner, RosanneThe St. Louis River Estuary, a recently designated National Estuarine Research Reserve, is a complex mosaic of high quality aquatic habitat intermingled with areas of heavy industrial use, contaminated sediments, and effluents from the surrounding urban landscape. The estuary is Lake Superior’s largest U.S. tributary and home to the Duluth-Superior international seaport. The NOAA Sea Grant Program plays a significant role in promoting education, outreach and stewardship in Great Lakes coastal communities and environments. Geospatial thinking can enhance Sea Grant’s objectives, yet few tools exist to foster such an approach on a regional scale. In this project we conducted an estuary-wide sampling of water quality, wetland vegetation and macroinvertebrates, based on an anthropogenic stressor gradient that stratified sites from the relatively undisturbed riverine upper estuary to the working industrial and commercial harbor. Macroinvertebrate communities, plant communities, and water quality all showed some degree of association with the stressor gradient. The 17 water quality parameters we measured included five usually associated with suspended particulates and the rest with the “dissolved fraction” of the water. Dissolved “bioavailable” nitrogen (ammonium and nitrate), chloride, and specific electrical conductivity (a measure of total dissolved salts) were positively correlated with increased environmental stress (Bartsch 2012; Bartsch et al. submitted to JGLR 6/2014) as were suspended sediment and the sediment- associated parameters turbidity, water clarity, and total phosphorus when a factor relating to soil erosion potential was added to the original stressor gradient. These associations were evident for multiple combinations of flow regime and location in tributaries and at near-shore locations within the estuary. Wetland floristic quality was also negatively related to increasing human stress, with disturbed sites and industrial bays of the lower estuary having a greater prevalence of invasive plants and species tolerant of elevated nutrients and sediments. Conversely, sheltered bays and fringing marshes of the upper estuary had lower stress and higher floristic quality. In terms of macroinvertebrates, the Ephemoroptera or mayflies, a common indicator of environmental quality, showed a decline in abundance with increasing overall stress. Overall, these field efforts indicated good potential for developing more robust predictive models as more data becomes available and by improving the spatial resolution of some of the stressor elements - especially soil erosivity and NPDES discharges. By integrating scientific research with spatial narratives, geoquests and deep maps, we created socially and spatially rich tools to increase environmental literacy of the region. Spatial narratives for the St. Louis River Estuary were captured through five vignettes of key activities important to the area: fishing, shipping, wild ricing, recreation, and community; and through perspectives of the local people who told their stories about places and experiences related to these activities. Our research connected aquatic science research on human-based stressor gradients with spatially explicit vignettes of local resource issues and place-based games around those local issues to enhance spatial awareness, engagement with, and stewardship of the estuary.