A biological assessment of best management practice effectiveness during intensive silviculture and forest chemical application

A multi-year study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Florida's Best Management Practices (BMPs) for protecting aquatic ecosystems during intensive forestry operations and forest chemical applications. Five silviculture sites adjacent to stream systems were selected for study from major eco-regions of the state. Replicate stream bioassessments, using a multimetric approach (the Stream Condition Index), were conducted as part of a `before-after, control-impact' (BACI) study design. Bioassessment stations were established above and below the treatment area to determine pre-treatment reference and test conditions. Silviculture treatments of clearcut harvesting, intensive mechanical site preparation and machine planting were then completed, during which all applicable BMPs were adhered to. In addition, two sites received an herbicide application and one site was fertilized. Following the treatments, the sites were re-sampled at the same points both one year, and two years after the first bioassessment. No significant differences in the SCI were observed between the reference and test portions of the streams that could be attributed to the silviculture operations using BMPs. Hence, the study showed that BMPs provided protection to adjacent stream ecosystems, even during intensive silviculture and forest chemical applications.     

Sediment Contaminant Chemistry and Toxicity of Freshwater Urban Wetlands in Southern California1

Brown, Jeffrey S., Martha Sutula, Chris Stransky, John Rudolph, and Earl Byron, 2010. Sediment Contaminant Chemistry and Toxicity of Freshwater Urban Wetlands in Southern California. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(2):367-384. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2009.00407.x Abstract: Wetlands provide many critical functions in urban ecosystems, including habitat for wetland-dependent fauna and enhancement of water quality. Interest in restoring or creating wetlands to enhance these functions is increasing due to the scale and extent of wetland loss and water quality problems associated with urbanization. One of the most pressing questions associated with urban wetland restoration is the extent to which urban wetlands tend to concentrate contaminants, and if so, whether an associated risk to wildlife exists. The goal of this study was to better understand these potential risks, and the associated tradeoffs with using wetlands to treat urban runoff. Sediment toxicity, contaminant chemistry, and macroinvertebrate (MI) community metrics were measured in 21 southern California wetlands that receive urban runoff as their primary water source. MI organisms in 18 of the 21 urban wetlands examined were considered to be at risk due to sediment contaminant concentrations and toxicity. Most of the sites were either toxic to the amphipod Hyalella azteca, exceeded a sediment quality guideline, or both. Sediment chemistry and toxicity identification evaluation studies suggest that pyrethroid pesticides may have been responsible for much of the toxicity documented in this study. The mean Probable Effects Concentration quotient (an index of degree of sediment contamination) was found to negatively correlate with MI diversity in these wetlands suggesting that toxicity was affecting organisms at the base of the food chain in these wetlands.     

An Evaluation of Qualitative Indexes of Physical Habitat Applied to Agricultural Streams in Ten U.S. States1

Hughes, Robert M., Alan T. Herlihy, and Philip R. Kaufmann, 2010. An Evaluation of Qualitative Indexes of Physical Habitat Applied to Agricultural Streams in Ten U.S. States. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(4): 792-806. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00455.x Abstract: Assessment of stream physical habitat condition is important for evaluating stream quality globally. However, the diversity of metrics and methods for assessing physical habitat condition confounds comparisons among practitioners. We surveyed 51 previously sampled stream sites (0.0-6.3 m wide) located in regions of row-crop agriculture in Oregon, California, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia to evaluate the comparability of four indexes of physical habitat condition relative to each other. We also compared the indexes to previously calculated indexes of fish and macroinvertebrate condition. The physical habitat indexes included the Stream Visual Assessment Protocol Version 2 of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the qualitative habitat evaluation index of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the rapid bioassessment protocol of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and a qualitative physical habitat index based on USEPA quantitative physical habitat measurements. All four indexes were highly correlated with each other, but low-to-moderately correlated with biotic index scores for fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages. Moderately high correlations occurred between some macroinvertebrate biotic index scores and quantitative metrics. We conclude that additional research is needed to increase the predictive and diagnostic capabilities of qualitative physical habitat indexes.     

上海世博园后滩湿地底栖动物群落特征与水质评价

2009年9月-2011年1月对上海世博园后滩湿地底栖动物群落进行了调查.结果发现,在后滩湿地共采集到53个物种,隶属4门,8纲.节肢动物门物种数最多为32种,占60.4％.底栖动物密度为(256.7 ±37.9) ind·m-2,生物量为(15.2±3.5) g·m-2.聚类分析表明,后滩湿地存在两类底栖动物群落:纹沼螺群落(未受投螺影响的群落,群落Ⅰ)和铜锈环棱螺群落(受投螺影响的群落,群落Ⅱ).双因素方差分析表明,群落Ⅱ的生物量显著高于群落Ⅰ,密度、多样性指数在群落类型间均无显著差异.对未受投螺影响水域的底栖动物而言,前后期群落优势类群均为软体动物,优势种为纹沼螺,但后期软体动物优势度(重要值)较前期下降28.6％,节肢动物优势度急剧增加260.0％,仅低于软体动物;后期群落的密度、物种数(S)、香农-威纳多样性指数(H’)、Margalef丰富度指数(R)及Pielou均匀度指数(J)较前期均有不同程度的增加,生物量及Simpson优势度指数(λ)前期高于后期,但除J外其它指标在两者间均无显著差异;Jaccard指数指示前后期群落极不相似.5种生物指数中,Carlander生物量指数、Hilsenhoff生物指数(BI)、H’与营养状态指数的水质评价结果最为接近,4个指标显示后滩湿地水质处于轻-中污染水平或中-富营养状态.     

庵里水库湿地生态健康的生物学评价

近三、四十年来,庵里水库湿地受人类活动影响,健康状况退化严重,危及流域内社会经济的协调发展。通过背景资料收集、野外采样、实验室鉴定与分析,主要利用生物学指标数据的95th百分位标准化指标数据,用简单加和法计算综合指数,根据流域内生态健康等级评价庵里水库湿地生态健康状况。结果表明:(1)庵里水库湿地生态健康状况一般;(2)不同种类的底栖大型无脊椎动物对环境的适应能力、耐受力和敏感程度不同,底栖大型无脊椎动物的结构、种类、数量能够客观地反映栖息地健康;(3)利用样点数据百分位进行指数标准化和生态健康级别划分,能够体现评价标准的区域性特征;(4)限于条件,底栖大型无脊椎动物分类鉴定粗略,进一步降低底栖动物的分类单元是提高生态健康评价准确性的重要措施之一。研究结果可为庵里水库的生态研究、综合管理提供科学依据。     

不同大型底栖动物快速生物评价指数对河流水质指示比较

大型底栖动物是河流健康评价中最常用的生物类群,鉴于在大区域/流域进行大量生物样品采集与生物评价时需要消耗大量的野外调查时间、实验室内鉴定时间等时间成本的问题,基于浑太河流域98个采样点的大型底栖动物数据(如物种、丰度、敏感值等)和环境因子〔ρ(COD_Mn)、ρ(NH₃-N)、ρ(TN)、EC(电导率)等〕,选择比较常用的5种大型底栖动物快速生物评价指数〔SIGNAL指数(stream invertebrate grade number-average level)、EPT-Fa指数(Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera)、BMWP指数(biological monitoring working party)、ASPT指数(average score per taxon)和BP指数(Berger-Parker index)〕和1项生物完整性指数(benthic index of biotic integrity,B-IBI)进行比较. 通过Spearman秩相关性分析、主成分分析、线性拟合回归分析等方法比较6种生物评价指数的相关性,构建水环境污染梯度,识别出主要的水环境影响因子,并探讨5种大型底栖动物快速生物评价指数对主要水环境影响因子指示程度的差异性. 结果表明:①5种快速生物评价指数以及B-IBI指数之间均呈两两显著相关(|R|为0.35~0.94, P<0.01),说明它们在评估河流健康状况时具有较高的一致性. ②主成分分析结果显示,轴1的解释率为59.14%,可以有效表征主要的压力梯度,并且5种快速生物评价指数与轴1的线性拟合度均较高(R2为0.23~0.31, P<0.01). ③各快速生物评价指数与不同水质指标的线性拟合结果差异性较高,其中BMWP、EPT-Fa、SIGNAL和ASPT指数对ρ(COD_Mn)的线性拟合度均较高,BMWP指数对ρ(COD_Mn) (R2=0.47, P＜0.01)、ρ(NH₃-N) (R2=0.31, P＜0.01)、ρ(TN) (R2=0.27, P＜0.01)的线性拟合度较高,BP指数对ρ(BOD₅) (R2=0.22, P＜0.01)、EC (R2=0.24, P＜0.01)的线性拟合度较高. ④BMWP指数与B-IBI指数的相关性最为显著,并且二者对水质健康评价的结果最为接近;在浑太河流域河流水质状况评估中,BMWP指数应当作为首选快速生物评价指数.      

Testing Bioassessment Metrics: Macroinvertebrate, Sculpin, and Salmonid Responses to Stream Habitat, Sediment, and Metals

The purpose of this article is to report on the testing of responses of multimetric macroinvertebrate and habitat indices to common disturbances to streams: stream habitat alteration, excessive sediment, and elevated metals concentrations. Seven macroinvertebrate community metrics were combined into a macroinvertebrate biotic index (MBI), and 11 channel morphology, riparian, and substrate features were combined into a habitat index. Indices were evaluated by comparing the habitat results to fish population surveys and comparing the macroinvertebrate results to habitat ratings, percent fine sediments measured by Wolman pebble counts, and copper concentrations. Macroinvertebrate scores decreased with increasing percentages of fine sediments measured either across the bankfull or instream channel widths. Macroinvertebrate scores decreased with increasing copper. One metric, richness of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) taxa, was more responsive to both copper and sediment than was the multimetric MBI. Habitat scores corresponded well with the age class structure of salmonids, but not with that of benthic sculpins. Both salmonid and sculpin age classes declined with increasing percentages of fine sediments. The decline was graded with the sculpin age classes, whether fine sediments were measured across the instream or bankfull channel, whereas salmonids consistently responded only to the instream fine sediments.     

Bioassessment in A Harsh Environment: A Comparison of Macroinvertebrate Assemblages at Reference and Assessment Sites in An Australian Inland River System

The Lachlan River system of inland New South Wales, which extends into semi-arid areas, is prone to natural extremes of climate and water quality and has been almost entirely modified since European settlement in Australia. We used this system as a proving ground for the mainly qualitative bioassessment metrics for river macroinvertebrates that are used widely in Australia – the EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) index, the SIGNAL (Stream Invertebrate Grade Number Average Level) biotic index and the AUSRIVAS O/E (Australian River Assessment System Observed over Expected) index – plus a recently developed qualitative index, the observed proportion of potential taxa (OPP). We tested these metrics on their ability to discriminate between sites judged to be less disturbed by human activities (reference sites) and sites selected by a semi-random process and therefore expected to have a higher average level of human disturbance (assessment sites). All metrics except the AUSRIVAS O/E index differed significantly between the two types of sites at higher altitudes, with SIGNAL showing the greatest discrimination. Assessment at these altitudes was more effective if based on composite data from multiple mesohabitats rather than data from single mesohabitats. No metric differentiated the two types of sites in the more arid, lowland, floodplain region of the river system. We suggest that Australia relies too heavily on bioassessment concepts developed to assess water pollution in well-watered regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Effective assessment of human impacts on macroinvertebrates in the rivers of inland Australia requires a better understanding of the roles of flow regimes, including flood and drought sequences, and of microhabitat structure and invasive alien species. Quantitative approaches may also be required.     

调水后东平湖浮游植物群落结构及水质生物评价

东平湖是南水北调东线工程的重要调蓄湖泊,在防洪、灌溉、休闲旅游、水产养殖及水资源供应等方面发挥着至关重要的作用.为了解南水北调东线调水后的东平湖浮游植物群落结构及水体健康状态,于2016年4月(春季)、7月(夏季)、10月(秋季)及2017年1月(冬季)对东平湖不同空间区域(根据调水路线划分为进水区、湖中区和出水区)的...     

黄盖湖水系河源区——皤河大型无脊椎动物群落与水质评价

2009年7月对黄盖湖水系河源区--皤河的大型无脊椎动物进行调查。共采集到无脊椎动物54种,隶属于4门6纲36科。其中水生昆虫45种,软体动物4种,甲壳动物2种,寡毛类、涡虫纲、蛛形纲各1种。无脊椎动物密度方面的优势类群主要为蜉蝣目稚虫和摇蚊幼虫。宽基蜉(Choroterpes sp.)、微动蜉(Cinygmula sp.)、四节蜉(Baetis sp.)和无突摇蚊 (Ablabesmyia sp.)是最优势的种类,其相对丰度分别占总丰度的4040%、838%、426%和419%。典范对应分析（CCA）显示,海拔和河宽是影响无脊椎动物群落分布的关键环境因子。采用Shannon Wiener指数和BI生物指数对各样点的水质状况进行了评价：二者结果具有一定差异,BI指数的评价结果更符合实际情况