Comparison of a Habitat Productivity Index (HPI) and an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for Measuring the Productive Capacity of Fish Habitat in Nearshore Areas of the Great Lakes

Species-specific production rate per unit biomass (P/B, per year) ratios were calculated for 79 freshwater fish species of eastern Canada. P/B (per year) ratios were calculated using two methods, which were based on allometry with fish weight-at-maturity and life expectancy, respectively. P/B (per year) values obtained by the two methods were significantly correlated, as expected from life history theory, since the two predictors (longevity, size-at-maturity) were themselves correlated. Species-specific P/B (per year) ratios were also significantly correlated with field observations of P/B from published sources. The estimation of P/B based on allometry with fish size is recommended because of its utility; the predictive equation is P/B (per year) = 2.64Wmat-0.35, where Wmat is weight-at-maturity. Both the coefficient 2.64 and the exponent -0.35 of this equation are provisional and require further validation from field studies of fish production. More accurate estimates of P/B are possible if population-specific information on size-at-maturity or mean size is known. The product of average fish biomass and estimated P/B coefficients (habitat productivity index (HPI) = B × P/B) is a proposed measure of habitat productive capacity.

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Hydrologic variability and the application of Index of Biotic Integrity metrics to wetlands: A great lakes evaluation

Wetlands ◽

10.1672/0277-5212(2002)022[0588:hvatao]2.0.co;2 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 588-615 ◽

Cited By ~ 104

Author(s):

Douglas A. Wilcox ◽

James E. Meeker ◽

Patrick L. Hudson ◽

Brian J. Armitage ◽

M. Glen Black ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Index Of Biotic Integrity ◽

Biotic Integrity ◽

Hydrologic Variability

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

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment ◽

10.1007/s10661-018-6950-6 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 190 (10) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Matthew J. Cooper ◽

Gary A. Lamberti ◽

Ashley H. Moerke ◽

Carl R. Ruetz ◽

Douglas A. Wilcox ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Coastal Wetlands ◽

Index Of Biotic Integrity ◽

Biotic Integrity ◽

Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands

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Testing a Fish Index of Biotic Integrity for Responses to Different Stressors in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands

Journal of Great Lakes Research ◽

10.3394/0380-1330(2007)33[224:tafiob]2.0.co;2 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 33 (sp3) ◽

pp. 224-235 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Yakuta Bhagat ◽

Jan J. H. Ciborowski ◽

Lucinda B. Johnson ◽

Donald G. Uzarski ◽

Thomas M. Burton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Coastal Wetlands ◽

Index Of Biotic Integrity ◽

Biotic Integrity ◽

Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands ◽

Fish Index

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An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for Fish Assemblages in the Littoral Zone of Great Lakes' Areas of Concern

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f94-183 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 51 (8) ◽

pp. 1804-1822 ◽

Cited By ~ 116

Author(s):

Charles K. Minns ◽

Victor W. Cairns ◽

Robert G. Randall ◽

James E. Moore

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Littoral Zone ◽

Ecosystem Health ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Wide Spectrum ◽

Index Of Biotic Integrity ◽

Biotic Integrity ◽

Physical Habitat ◽

Areas Of Concern

Karr's Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) approach provides a biological measure of ecosystem health using a wide spectrum of metrics which can be extracted from fish catch data obtained using standardized methods. Extensive electrofishing surveys of littoral fish assemblages, conducted in three Great Lakes' Areas of Concern, provided the basis for developing a lacustrine IBI that was 12 metrics of three broad types: (i) species composition, (ii) trophic composition, and (iii) abundance and condition. In contrast with lotic IBIs where diversity and abundance metrics have mostly been used, several biomass metrics were adopted to accommodate the large size range of lentic fishes. The variability of repeated measures was low enough to allow valid testing of intertransect differences with three to five samples per transect. Comparisons among survey areas showed significant differences consistent with the varying levels of ecosystem degradation. Analyses of mean IBI values with measures of submerged vegetation density and cover by transect produced significant positive correlations. This IBI developed for the Great Lakes' littoral zone, both by design and by demonstrated correlations, integrates the effects of four main factors influencing fish assemblages and hence revealing ecosystem health: exotic fishes, water quality, physical habitat supply, and piscivore abundance.

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