ISSN:
1573-5117
Keywords:
index of biotic integrity
;
stream
;
fish
;
erosion
;
sediment
;
physical habitat
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract Indices of biotic integrity (1131) were computed for two annual fish collections from 27 locations along the bluffline bordering the Mississippi River alluvial plain in northwestern Mississippi. Study sites exhibited varying degrees of physical habitat degradation due to accelerated channel erosion. Objectives of index application were to quantify existing environmental quality and to test the IBI as a tool for relating fish population characteristics to physical degradation. Physical habitat data were collected concurrently with fish at all sites, and physical habitat descriptors were compared with the IBI scores and component metrics. Three to 23 fish species were captured from each site, and species richness explained 64–70% of the variance in IBI scores. Fish collections were dominated by insectivores tolerant of habitat and water quality degradation. Suckers and piscivores were relatively uncommon. The IBI scores were generally not reflective of physical habitat conditions. Variation in IBI scores was indicative of only the grossest differences in physical habitat quality. Weak relationships between physical habitat quality and IBI scores may have been due to large temporal variations in biotic integrity typical of degraded habitats. Alternatively, water quality degradation, which we did not measure, may have confounded relationships between physical habitat and fish metrics. Regional application of the IBI as a habitat assessment tool in landscapes with widespread physical degradation must overcome lack of suitable reference sites, large temporal variation in IBI scores, and small numbers of fish per collection, leading to lower confidence levels for IBI scores. The scarcity of lightly impacted sites may hinder detection of biotic integrity response along gradients of physical habitat quality.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00015512
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