天津市典型湖库湿地生态完整性评价

对湖库湿地进行生态健康评价,可为湖库湿地生态系统修复和管理提供决策依据。本文以天津市为例,选取20个典型的湖库湿地采样点,基于2018年8—9月期间调查获取的物理、化学和生物群落指标(浮游动物、浮游植物、底栖动物、鱼类、水生大型植物、河岸带植物)数据,构建包含物理完整性、化学完整性和生物完整性在内的生态完整性指数(IEI)对采样点生态健康状况进行评价。根据栖息地环境质量(QHEI)、水质状况和人类活动干扰3方面选取参照点,采用标准化方法筛选候选指标,应用层次分析法计算各指标权重,最终得出天津市典型湖库湿地生态完整性评价结果。结果表明: 1)所有样点中,“健康”点位占5.0%,“较好”点位占20.0%,“一般”点位占35.0%,“较差”点位占30.0%,“差”点位占10.0%。天津市典型湖库湿地生态健康状况整体处于一般水平,呈现出西部优于东部的趋势,空间差异显著;2)基于栖息地评分、水质状况与人类活动干扰相结合选取参照点是可行的,依据水质指标可降低选择参照点时的主观性;3)适用性验证结果表明,IEI可较好表征各点位的健康状况,区分效率明显,适用于评价研究区湖库湿地生态健康状况。     

基于大型底栖无脊椎动物完整性指数的鄱阳湖湿地生态健康评价

湿地生态健康评价对于掌握湿地的健康状况、理解人类活动干扰对其影响及实施生态预警等有重要意义。鄱阳湖对于维持其流域甚至长江中下游的生态平衡十分重要,目前尚未建立起其较完善的生态健康评价指标体系。大型底栖无脊椎动物完整性指数(benthic macroinvertebrate-based index of biotic integrity, B-IBI)是广泛应用的湿地生态健康评价方法。基于30个采样点(7个参照点,23个受损点)的大型底栖无脊椎动物采样数据,构建鄱阳湖湿地的B-IBI指数,采用自然断点法划分非常健康、健康、一般、差和极差5个健康等级标准,据此评价湿地生态健康状况。研究表明:(1)基于B-IBI指数的鄱阳湖湿地生态健康评价结果为一般;(2)就采样点B-IBI分值而言,呈现出西部健康状况优于东部的格局,其中国家级自然保护区内状况较好,而工业区、城镇、农田及河流入湖口附近状况较差;(3)B-IBI指数与前期构建的景观发展强度指数(LDI)、栖息地环境质量指数(QHEI)以及植被完整性指数(V-IBI)具有显著相关性,表明基于不同指数的评价结果较为一致。本研究构建的B-IBI指数能为鄱阳湖湿地的生态健康评价和监测提供重要方法。     

基于植被完整性指数的鄱阳湖湿地生态健康评价

基于鄱阳湖湿地30个采样点的植被调查数据,利用植被完整性指数法(V-IBI)评价鄱阳湖湿地生态健康状况。通过分布范围分析、判别能力分析和相关性分析,从35个候选生物参数中筛选出6个核心参数,利用比值法对核心参数赋值并累加求得各采样点V-IBI分值,以所有采样点95%分位数值为最佳期望值建立评价标准划分健康等级。结果显示:鄱阳湖湿地生态健康状况总体较好,30个采样点中6个为非常健康(V-IBI≥5.01),7个为健康(4.38≤V-IBI5.01),8个为一般(3.74≤V-IBI4.38),7个为差(3.10≤V-IBI3.74),2个为极差(V-IBI3.10),呈现出西部优于东部,北部优于南部的空间差异。V-IBI与景观发展强度指数(LDI)和栖息地环境质量评价指数(QHEI)呈显著相关性,表明V-IBI方法对鄱阳湖湿地生态健康状况评价结果合理有效,可作为鄱阳湖湿地生态监测的重要手段。     

黄河三角洲人工恢复芦苇湿地生态系统健康评价

研究目的是对黄河三角洲人工恢复芦苇湿地生态系统的健康状况进行评价。按照层次分析法的思想,从环境、植物群落和植物生理生化特征等3个方面构建评价指标体系。在专家意见的基础上,确定各个指标的权重,计算生态系统健康指数。通过与自然芦苇湿地对比,对人工恢复芦苇湿地的健康状况进行评价。结果显示:人工恢复芦苇湿地的土壤有机质、全氮和全盐含量、群落盖度、密度和地上生物量等指标显著低于自然芦苇湿地,地表水电导率、叶片的APX、DHAR、MDHAR等酶的活性显著高于自然芦苇湿地,其生态系统健康指数低于自然芦苇湿地。这说明在短时间内,人工恢复芦苇湿地的健康状况和自然芦苇湿地还存在一定差距。恢复时间对生态系统健康评价有重要影响,长时间尺度上监测数据的积累是全面、深入了解生态系统、评价生态系统健康状况所必需的。     

雄安新区白洋淀生态属性辨析及生态修复保护研究

湿地是自然界生物多样性最丰富的生态系统之一,与社会发展和人类福祉息息相关。近年来,由于全球气候变化和人类活动的过度干扰,湿地正面临着面积萎缩、功能减弱、多样性降低等诸多问题,湿地退化已经成为制约区域可持续性发展的重大阻碍。伴随着生态文明建设逐渐成为中国特色社会主义建设的重要支柱,湿地生态修复工作得到前所未有的制度保障。深入剖析湿地属性,结合政策保障,有针对性的提出湿地保护与修复的治理措施,对区域的生态环境建设和可持续性发展具有重要意义。选择国家级新区-雄安新区的水命脉-白洋淀湿地为研究对象,在深入剖析其生态属性和已存在的生态问题的基础上,结合生态修复的原则、方法和步骤,提出生态修复与保护的可行性策略。研究结果表明,白洋淀本质是典型的湖泊湿地,同时兼具沼泽湿地特征,由于人类活动的剧烈干扰,白洋淀有向沼泽湿地逆向演替的变化趋势。湿地内存在面积萎缩、水资源量短缺、水环境污染问题突出及生物多样性减少等生态问题。本研究建议:为顺利建设雄安新区,首先,白洋淀湿地在算清"水账"、"污账"和"生态账"的前提下,进一步加强流域水资源调配,科学确定白洋淀湿地最佳水位,恢复淀区水量;其次,通过使用清洁生产技术和限制高排污企业建设等措施,加强污染防治,恢复湿地水质;最后,依据生态承载力理论,划分白洋淀流域的生态功能红线、环境质量红线和资源利用红线等国家生态保护红线体系,为尽快恢复湿地结构与功能提供制度保障。     

应用生物完整性指数评价水生态系统健康的研究进展

生物完整性指数(IBI)法是评价水生态系统健康的一种重要且被广泛应用的方法.本文综述了生物完整性指数的指示物种选择原因、构建方法以及在水生态系统健康评价中的应用,并总结了现阶段生态系统评估常用的鱼类完整性指数（F_IBI）、底栖无脊椎动物完整性指数（B_IBI）和着生藻类完整性指数（P_IBI)中候选生物状况参数指标,提出了使用微生物完整性指数(M_IBI)评价水生态系统健康的可行性和必要性.     

白洋淀湿地生态功能评价及分区

白洋淀湿地在雄安新区建设过程中具有重要生态安全保障作用。开展白洋淀湿地生态功能评价及分区研究,为生态环境治理和保护提供科学依据,是当前普遍关切和急需解决的问题之一。面向白洋淀湿地生态保护和管理的需求,在明确白洋淀自然环境特征和主要生态环境问题的基础上,结合外业调查、遥感、综合评价等方法,从水产品供给功能、水生植物供给功能、气候调节功能、生物多样性维护功能、水质改善功能5个方面评价了白洋淀湿地生态系统服务功能重要性,从水污染敏感性、湿地变化敏感性、重要自然与文化价值敏感性3个方面评价了白洋淀湿地生态系统敏感性。基于评价结果,将白洋淀湿地初步划分为7个一级生态功能区和19个二级生态功能区。在分区方法方面体现了白洋淀湿地人地关系动态特征,分区结果注重现状与历史相结合,有助于服务未来淀区生态保护规划决策实施。建议在实施白洋淀生态环境治理和保护过程中,依据白洋淀湿地生态功能分区特征,实行分区管制,制定对应的生态环境治理和保护措施。     

基于PSR的黄河河口区生态系统健康评价

根据压力-状态-响应(PSR)框架模型,从广义上定义河口区生态系统,将河口及毗邻的陆域、海域生态系统作为一个整体,从压力指标、状态指标、响应指标3个方面构建了黄河河口区生态系统健康评价的指标体系,以研究区1991年数据和相关国家标准为基准,2013年代表现况,利用综合指数法(CEI)评价了黄河河口区的生态系统健康状况。结果显示:黄河河口区生态系统健康评价的响应指数最高(0.9055),压力指数居中(0.8288),状态指数最低(0.6458),综合指数为0.7427。总体来看,与1991年相比,目前黄河河口区生态系统仍处于"健康"状态,但健康状况明显下降,其中状态指数下降最为严重。从区域轻度开发到人类活动强烈干扰阶段,黄河河口区存在过度捕捞、湿地不合理开发、浅海养殖过度及污染物排放等一系列影响生态系统健康的问题,应进行区域的生态恢复和科学管理。     

基于GIS与RS的漳江口红树林湿地生态系统健康评价

以漳江口红树林湿地为研究对象,选取2005、2011、2015及2017年Google Earth影像为基础数据源,基于土地覆盖数据构建红树林湿地生态系统健康评价指标体系,结合压力-状态-响应(PSR)模型及生态系统健康指数,探究红树林湿地生态系统健康状况的时空分异特征及影响因素.结果表明:(1) 2005-2017年漳江口红树林湿地生态系统健康状况呈恶化趋势,健康等级由亚健康转变为一般,其中压力、响应健康状况大幅下降,状态健康状况略微改善;(2) 2005-2017年研究区各子区域间健康状况存在明显差异,前阶段(2005-2011年)健康指数从大到小依次为西部>中部>东部>北部>南部,后阶段(2015-2017年)健康指数从大到小依次为东部>中部>西部>北部>南部;(3)海平面上升、互花米草入侵、水产养殖池与网箱养殖扩增及海堤建设等是研究区湿地生态系统健康恶化的主要原因,同时保护区的建设及多种保护措施的实施对湿地生态系统健康维持具有积极作用.     

鲥鯸淀鱼类群落特征与生物完整性评价

鱼类生物完整性指数(F-IBI,fish-index of biotic integrity)被广泛应用于河湖健康评价,可为水域生态修复和保护提供重要科学依据。于2018年10月—2019年7月在白洋淀区的典型湖泊鲥鯸淀开展鱼类群落采样,结合鱼类生物完整性指数评价体系和ABC曲线(abundance-biomass comparison curves),综合评价鱼类群落组成特征和水域健康状况。共发现鱼类30种,隶属4目10科,其中鲤科鱼类物种数最多,共21种,占鱼类总物种数目的70%。F-IBI评价结果表明,在鲥鯸淀的采样站点中,鱼类生物完整性评为"好～优"等级共有3个点;评价为"好"等级共有3个点;评价为"一般～好"等级共有4个点;评价为"一般"等级共有5个点;评价为"差～一般"等级共有8个点;评价为"差"等级共有3个点;没有点位评价为"优"和"极差"等级。总体上,春季和秋季呈现"一般～好",夏季呈现"差～一般"。ABC曲线结果显示,季度性汇总、春季和夏季所得的ABC曲线展现出明显的交叉趋势,表明总体状态、春季和夏季均呈现中度干扰状态;秋季的数量优势度曲线位于生物量优势度曲线之上,表明该季节呈现严重干扰状态。与20世纪50—70年代相比,白洋淀区域鱼类生物完整性整体呈下降趋势。过度捕捞、水质污染和极端气候等是白洋淀鱼类群落变化的重要因素,建议在湖泊生态修复的同时,通过划定禁渔区和延长禁渔期等方式,加强对鱼类资源保护和可持续利用。     

Modeling wetland plant metrics to improve the performance of vegetation-based indices of biological integrity

The objective of this study was to determine if the accuracy and precision of wetland plant indices of biological integrity (IBIs) could be improved through the use of modeling techniques. To do this, we developed a modeled vegetation IBI (MVIBI) based on metrics previously used to develop vegetation indices of biological integrity (VIBIs) for Ohio wetlands (e.g. % invasive grass, % sensitive species, shrub richness). We selected 82 emergent, forested, and shrub-dominated reference sites distributed across the State of Ohio and built Random Forest models to predict plant metric scores at reference wetlands from naturally occurring environmental features related to climate, hydrology, geology, soils, and landscape position. The models explained between 14 and 52% of the variance in the scores of 21 metrics indicating that variation in wetland plant assemblages was significantly associated with naturally occurring environmental gradients. We used principal component analysis to identify ten groups of statistically independent metrics and selected one metric from each group that discriminated most strongly between reference and most degraded sites based on t-scores. Two axes did not contain discriminating metrics so we used eight metrics in the MVIBI. Analysis of variance of reference site MVIBI scores indicated that we could use one distribution of reference site scores to assess multiple wetland types, thus eliminating the need to separately designate wetland types. We used the MVIBI to assess 170 test sites and compared the accuracy, precision, responsiveness, and sensitivity of the MVIBI to those of the original VIBIs. The MVIBI was up to twice as accurate and precise as the original VIBIs, indicating that modeling can be used to improve the performance of vegetation-based IBIs. The use of model-based IBIs for wetland plants should reduce assessment errors associated with natural variation in plant metrics and should increase confidence in wetland assessments.     

Regional assessment of wetland plant communities using the index of plant community integrity

The Index of Plant Community Integrity (IPCI) was developed to assess wetland plant communities in the Prairie Pothole Region. The IPCI evaluates the condition of wetland plant communities based on disturbance level and multiple community attributes. However, the index was developed for seasonal wetlands from limited spatial and temporal data. We tested the index for seasonal wetlands and developed an index for temporary and semi-permanent wetlands by evaluating vegetative composition of wetlands throughout the Northern Glaciated Plains and Northwestern Glaciated Plains Ecoregions of South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. In 2003 and 2004, we selected wetlands based on classification and type of disturbance, ranging from little disturbance (native rangeland) to heavily disturbed (cropland). We analyzed the data using the IPCI vegetation metrics developed for seasonal wetlands, and further analyzed using nonmetric multidimensional scaling and cluster analyses. All vegetation metrics tested were significant in indicating disturbance level. Based on data analysis, five biologically significant groups related to intensity of disturbance (Very good, Good, Fair, Poor, and Very poor) were determined for seasonal wetlands, and three condition classes (Good, Fair, and Poor) for temporary and semi-permanent wetlands. Score ranges were assigned to the metrics according to the determined classes. Using the IPCI method, wetlands throughout the Northern and Northwestern Glaciated Plains of South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana may be placed into disturbance classes. This data can then be used for ecological purposes and mitigation needs such as monitoring trends on reclaimed or restored wetlands, regional inventories, and for evaluation of ecological functions.     

Comparing disturbance gradients and bird-based indices of biotic integrity for ranking the ecological integrity of Great Lakes coastal wetlands

We compared different methods for generating indices of biotic integrity (IBIs) for Great Lakes coastal wetlands using bird community data collected by participants in Bird Studies Canada's Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program (GLMMP) including: rank sum and multivariate approaches for defining landscape disturbance gradients; and generalist-specialist (IBI-1), multimetric (IBI-2), and probabilistic (IBI-3) approaches for calculating IBIs. Scores from the multivariate disturbance gradient, IBI-1, and IBI-3 increased rapidly at the impaired and unimpaired ends of the impaired-to-unimpaired spectrum, whereas scores from the rank sum disturbance gradient and IBI-2 increased rapidly only at the unimpaired end. IBIs with metrics that both increased and decreased along the landscape disturbance gradient were more sensitive for identifying especially impaired and unimpaired sites (i.e., IBI-1 and IBI-3) compared to IBIs with metrics that only increased (i.e., IBI-2). Scores from all but one of the IBIs were significantly correlated with scores of at least one of the landscape disturbance gradients and scores from all three of the IBIs were significantly moderately correlated with each other (r_s = 0.3–0.7). Site ranks arranged from impaired to unimpaired differed by 25–50 positions out of 142 possible positions depending on the pair of IBIs chosen. Much of the variation that we observed could be explained by differences among IBIs in the metrics that contributed most to impaired and unimpaired sites. Thus, we recommend the following not only for IBI users assessing the integrity of Great Lakes coastal wetlands, but also any other ecosystem where multiple landscape disturbance gradients and IBIs are available for use: (1) use multivariate instead of rank sum approaches for defining landscape disturbance gradients; (2) use IBIs with metrics that both increase and decrease along the landscape disturbance gradient instead of IBIs with metrics that only increase or only decrease; and (3) ensure that site-level species lists are reasonably complete, particularly for species that disproportionately contribute to especially impaired and unimpaired scores. Following these guidelines will increase the sensitivity and accuracy of IBIs for identifying especially impaired and unimpaired sites and ultimately result in better conservation.     

Developing a wetland IBI with statewide application after multiple testing iterations

An index of biotic integrity (IBI) is a frequently used approach for assessing the ecological integrity of streams with fish and macroinvertebrates the faunal assemblages most commonly used as indicator taxa. The IBI approach has been much less commonly applied to wetlands, despite the legal, policy and scientific need to assess wetland condition and develop ecological performance goals for wetland creation, restoration and enhancement. While some IBIs are sophisticated systems with statewide application that have undergone one or more testing iterations, many published IBIs are derived from single data sets of a single class of aquatic resource with limited geographic application. The State of Ohio initiated development of a wetland IBI using vascular plants in 1996. Sampling methods were investigated and ultimately a plot-based method was adopted. Potential attributes and different human disturbance gradients were evaluated in several studies. Ultimately, IBIs for emergent, forest and shrub dominated wetlands were developed. Data from the Vegetation IBI-emergent (VIBI-E) is presented to illustrate this process. Subsequent testing and refinement is a critical step in the development of a robust IBI with more than local application. Throughout its initial development (R² = 0.863, p < 0.001), first major testing iteration (R² = 82.2%, p < 0.001), second test iteration (R² = 75.0%, p < 0.001) and third test iteration (R² = 82.1%, p < 0.001), the VIBI-E has remained significantly correlated with the disturbance gradient. Eight of the original 10 metrics proposed continued to have significant and interpretable relationships with the disturbance gradient, with 4 metrics remaining completely unchanged, and 4 undergoing relatively minor modifications, and 2 being replaced. The VIBI-E and its component metrics were also evaluated against a new disturbance gradient (Landscape Development Index or LDI), derived from land use percentages within a 1 km radius of the wetlands, that was not used during VIBI-E development. The VIBI-E score and 9 of 10 metrics were significantly correlated with the LDI disturbance gradient providing separate confirmation of the VIBI. The Vegetation IBI-E consistently and reliably assessed wetland condition across the whole range of wetland types throughout Ohio's ecological regions.     

An index of biotic integrity based on fish assemblages for subtropical streams in southern Brazil

Several methods for calculating indices of biological integrity (IBIs) have been developed for different ecogeographic regions of the world. All of them calculate IBI scores by comparing against reference sites or historical data on fish assemblage composition. Because of intensive agriculture and urbanization in our study area, we located no reference sites, and historical information about fish assemblage composition did not exist. Instead, we developed hypothetical reference scores based on seasonal electrofishing surveys at six study sites in adjacent but geomorphologically different watersheds. Our IBI included 10 metrics that varied with degree of degradation. We found that Shannon–Wiener indices varied significantly between seasons, indicating significant changes in species composition. Therefore, we calculated seasonal IBI scores also, but these did not significantly differ from each streams general IBI score, which was calculated on the basis of four samples per site. General stream IBI scores reflected differing levels of anthropogenic disturbance.     

Development of a multimetric plant-based index of biotic integrity for assessing the ecological state of forested,urban and agricultural natural wetlands of Jimma Highlands,Ethiopia

Wetlands are vital natural resources thereby providing ecological and socio-economic benefits to the people. However, anthropogenic activities have seriously changed the ecological conditions of wetlands worldwide, especially in developing nations like Ethiopia. Predominantly, the absence of biomonitoring tool greatly hampers the protection and management of wetlands. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop a plant-based index of biological integrity for facilitating the management of wetlands. Accordingly, 122 plant species belonging to 37 families were collected and identified from forested, urban and agricultural wetland types and included in the analysis of the plant metrics. Initially, we reviewed and screened 35 potential metrics. Then, we selected four core metrics (% cover of native species, sensitive plant species richness, tolerant plant species richness and% of shrub species richness) using the decrease or increase responses to human disturbances, Mann-Whitney U test and redundant metric test. A trisect-quartile range system using box plots of the reference or impaired sites of wetlands was established to provide values for each core metrics. Then after, we combined the core metrics to develop the plant-based index of biological integrity. Finally, we validated the index by comparing the index response to different wetland types. Additionally, the index was validated based on the measured environmental variables that characterize the human disturbance gradient of wetlands. We found that the plant-based index is robust to discriminate the reference wetlands from impaired wetlands and can also be used as an effective tool for evaluating the long term natural wetland conditions of the Eastern African wetlands in the future.     

The impact of rare taxa on a fish index of biotic integrity

The index of biotic integrity (IBI) is a commonly used bioassessment tool that integrates abundance and richness measures to assess water quality. In developing IBIs that are both responsive to human disturbance and resistant to natural variability and sampling error, water managers must decide how to weigh information about rare and abundant taxa, which in turn requires an understanding of the sensitivity of indices to rare taxa. Herein, we investigated the influence of rare fish taxa (within the lower 5% of rank abundance curves) on IBI metric and total scores for stream sites in two of Minnesota's major river basins, the St. Croix (n = 293 site visits) and Upper Mississippi (n = 210 site visits). We artificially removed rare taxa from biological samples by (1) separately excluding each individual taxon that fell within the lower 5% of rank abundance curves; (2) simultaneously excluding all taxa that had an abundance of one (singletons) or two (doubletons); and (3) simultaneously excluding all taxa that fell within the lower 5% of rank abundance curves. We then compared IBI metric and total scores before and after removal of rare taxa using the normalized root mean square error (nRMSE) and regression analysis. The difference in IBI metric and total scores increased as more taxa were removed. Moreover, when multiple rare taxa were removed, the nRMSE was related to sample abundance and to total taxa richness, with greater nRMSE observed in samples with a larger number of taxa or sample abundance. Metrics based on relative abundance of fish taxa were less sensitive to the loss of rare taxa, whereas those based on taxa richness were more sensitive, because taxa richness metrics give more weight to rare taxa compared to the relative abundance metrics.     

Improving biological indicators to better assess the condition of streams

Biological indicators of stream condition are in use by water resource managers worldwide. The State of Maryland and many other organizations that use Indices of Biotic Integrity (IBIs) must determine when and how to refine their IBIs so that better stream condition information is provided. With completion of the second statewide round in 2004, the Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS) had collected data from 2500 stream sites, more than doubling the number of sites that were available for the original IBI development. This larger dataset provided an opportunity for the MBSS to address the following shortcomings in the original IBIs: (1) substantial disturbance apparent in some reference sites, (2) fish IBIs could not be applied to very small streams, (3) natural variability within IBIs (based on regions) resulted in some stream types (e.g., coldwater and blackwater streams) receiving lower IBI scores and (4) one IBI was not able to discriminate degradation as desired (i.e., Coastal Plain fish IBI). Therefore, development of new fish and benthic macroinvertebrate IBIs was undertaken to achieve the goals of: (1) increased confidence that the reference conditions are minimally disturbed, (2) including more natural variation (such as stream size) across the geographic regions and stream types of Maryland and (3) increased sensitivity of IBIs by using more classes (strata) and different metric combinations. New fish IBIs were developed for four geographical and stream type strata: Coastal Plain, Eastern Piedmont, warmwater Highlands and coldwater Highlands streams; new benthic macroinvertebrate IBIs were developed for three geographical strata: Coastal Plain, Eastern Piedmont and Highlands streams. The addition of one new fish IBI and one new benthic macroinvertebrate IBI partitioned natural variability into more homogeneous strata. At the same time, smaller streams (i.e., those draining catchments <300 ac), which constituted a greater proportion of streams (25%) sampled in Round Two (2000–2004) than Round One (1995–1997), because of the finer map scale, were included in the reference conditions used to develop the new IBIs. The resulting new IBIs have high classification efficiencies of 83–96% and are well balanced between Type I and Type II errors. By scoring coldwater streams, smaller streams and to some extent blackwater streams higher, the new IBIs improve on the original IBIs. Overall, the new IBIs provide better assessments of stream condition to support sound management decisions, without requiring substantial changes by cooperating stream assessment programs.     

Development and comparison of stream indices of biotic integrity using diatoms vs. non-diatom algae vs. a combination

Stream algal indices of biotic integrity (IBIs) are generally based entirely or largely on diatoms, because non-diatom (“soft”) algae can be difficult to quantify and taxonomically challenging, thus calling into question their practicality and cost-effectiveness for use as bioindicators. Little has been published rigorously evaluating the strengths of diatom vs. soft algae-based indices, or how they compare to indices combining these assemblages. Using a set of ranked evaluation criteria, we compare indices of biotic integrity (IBIs) (developed for southern California streams) that incorporate different combinations of algal assemblages. We split a large dataset into independent “calibration” and “validation” subsets, then used the calibration subset to screen candidate metrics with respect to degree of responsiveness to anthropogenic stress, metric score distributions, and signal-to-noise ratio. The highest-performing metrics were combined into a total of 25 IBIs comprising either single-assemblage metrics (based on either diatoms or soft algae, including cyanobacteria) or combinations of metrics representing the two assemblages (for “hybrid IBIs”). Performance of all IBIs was assessed based on: responsiveness to anthropogenic stress (in terms of surrounding land uses and a composite water-chemistry gradient) using the validation data, and evaluated based on signal-to-noise ratio, metric redundancy, and degree of indifference to natural gradients. Hybrid IBIs performed best overall based on our evaluation. Single-assemblage IBIs ranked lower than hybrids vis-à-vis the abovementioned performance attributes, but may be considered appropriate for routine monitoring applications. Trade-offs inherent in the use of the different algal assemblages, and types of IBI, should be taken into consideration when designing an algae-based stream bioassessment program.     

Development of a diatom index of biotic integrity for acid mine drainage impacted streams

Acid mine drainage (AMD) resulting from extensive coal mining throughout Appalachia since the 1800s has caused a legacy of severe acid and dissolved metal loads to thousands of stream miles, which has critically impacted aquatic life and ecological attributes. Relationships of diatoms and macroinvertebrates with AMD have been established, but no index specifically designed to quantify AMD impacts using diatoms has been created, nor have the response of multiple organism groups been compared for their utility as indices assessing AMD severity.For the purpose of developing an effective assessment and management strategy for AMD impacted streams, this study created and tested a multi-metric AMD-diatom index of biotic integrity (AMD-DIBI) and compared its response to AMD severity with an already established multi-metric macroinvertebrate community index (ICI). In 2006, 41 sites in southeast Ohio were sampled that represented an AMD impact gradient and non-AMD impacted reference sites. Metrics comprising the AMD-DIBI were selected based on their responsiveness to AMD and nutrient impacts. In the following year, the AMD-DIBI and its metrics were tested on a validation dataset consisting of 18 sites in an AMD impacted watershed. Results indicated a significant correlation between AMD-DIBI and ICI scores, and both indices and all metrics were strongly correlated with water chemistry variables indicative of AMD pollution (P < 0.05). Stepwise multiple regression selected alkalinity and conductivity as most influential to AMD-DIBI (adjusted r² = 0.70) and ICI scores (adjusted r² = 0.66). Narrative classes (e.g., Poor, Fair, Good, and Excellent) defined by index scores provided effective classifications of AMD severity. When tested on the watershed scale, AMD-DIBI and its metrics very successfully quantified AMD gradients and coal mining impacts as indicated by canonical correspondence analysis. This newly developed AMD-DIBI will be very useful for assessing impairment, sensitivity, and recovery of diatom communities in streams damaged or threatened by coal mining activities. In addition, because the AMD-DIBI was very responsive to a gradient of AMD pollution, it could be used in future studies measuring the long-term status of streams and effectiveness of various remediation methods. This study highlights the responsive power of diatom-based metrics.