biotic integrity
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2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew DeSaix

Birds are prominent features of National Park Service lands and are effective indicators for monitoring ecosystem health. Assessing the temporal change of avian species abundance depends on long-term monitoring of bird communities and trends, however long-term monitoring programs are generally uncommon. In this report, we summarize 22 years (1997-2018) of point count data across five sites on West Virginia National Park Service lands (three in New River Gorge National River, one in Gauley River National Recreation Area, and one in Bluestone National Scenic River) and compare these results to our analysis of Breeding Bird Survey data for the same time period across all of West Virginia. The objectives of this analysis are two-fold: 1) describe the biotic integrity of the National Park Service lands in West Virginia and 2) Quantify trends in guilds and species abundance. During the 20-year period of this survey, 85 breeding resident species were detected. The West Virginia National Park Service lands are home to stable populations of Wood Thrush and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, both species of continental concern by Partners in Flight. Seven species have declined precipitously on NPS lands during this time period. Three of these species are also experiencing declines across the rest of West Virginia (Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Carolina Chickadee, Kentucky Warbler), but the other 4 species are stable across West Virginia (Acadian Flycatcher, Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Parula, Swainson’s Warbler). Four species that are declining across West Virginia (Great Crested Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting, Red-eyed Vireo, and Worm-eating Warbler) are stable on southern West Virginia NPS lands. Additionally, the upper-canopy foraging guild of species has decreased significantly on NPS lands in southern West Virginia. An analysis of community biotic integrity revealed that the southern West Virginia NPS lands have been stable at a rating of high biotic integrity every year for the duration of this survey. Future research should delve into the underlying factors that may be driving the trends in abundance at different scales.


2021 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Breine ◽  
Ericia Van den Bergh ◽  
Gerlinde Van Thuyne ◽  
Claude Belpaire

This Corrigendum corrects an error in Table 2 that was published in Breine et al. (2021) on the pages 114–115: the line concerning the weatherfish Misgurnus fossilis (Linnaeus, 1758) on the page break was erroneously removed during publication and is added here.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 3430
Author(s):  
Jung-Jae Kim ◽  
Usman Atique ◽  
Kwang-Guk An

Invasive alien fish species (IAFS) influence recipient ecosystems in multiple ways, from altered native fish communities to poor ecological health and higher economic losses to control and eradication. We tested key drivers and connections between an IAFS (Micropterus salmoides) presence, absence, geomorphological, hydro-chemical, physical habitat, native fish assemblages, and large river basins biotic integrity during 2016–2019. A total number of 62,121 individuals (TNI) representing 74 fish species were observed, out of which 68 species (45,677 TNI) belonged to the Geum River (GR) basin, while 63 species (16,444 TNI) were from the Mankyong/Dongjin River (MDR) basin. The results illustrated a significant contrast based on stream order, catchment area, altitude, stream gradient, and width among the sites with and without largemouth bass. However, fluctuations in nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) were not affected by variations in pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, suspended solids, and river flow. The largemouth bass has emerged as the 8th largest fish population in the GR and swiftly occupies the MDR basin with a constancy value of 45.5. Native sensitive (r = −0.38), insectivore (r = −0.252), carnivores (r = −0.085), and TNI (r = −0.512) displayed a negative correlation with increasing largemouth bass abundance. Largemouth bass induced significant regime transformation in the carnivore species. A significant difference (p < 0.01) of biotic integrity was illustrated among the largemouth bass population sites. A conspicuous interplay between ‘poor’ ecological health (r = 0.33, p = 0.038, n = 41) sites and ‘fair–excellent’ (r = −0.38, p < 0.001, n = 622) sites as compared to the overall ecological health linked with largemouth bass abundance (r = −0.397, p < 0.001, n = 663) alluded to stronger impact of the IAFS. In conclusion, the largemouth bass has potentially altered the native fish assemblage and ecological health. Further, we conclude that rapidly shifting flow patterns supported by the expanding anthropogenic interventions (weirs and dam) are the most approving factors of impending fish invasions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Breine ◽  
Ericia Van den Bergh ◽  
Gerlinde Van Thyune ◽  
Claude Belpaire

The first fish-based index to assess the ecological quality of lowland rivers in Flanders (Belgium) is based on data obtained from different fishing techniques without considering the gear specificity. As a consequence, this index could not be intercalibrated with other European indices which concentrate on one gear type only. In order to comply with the European Water Framework Directive, we developed a new fish-based index using data obtained from surveys in rivers with electric gear only. All 293 selected rivers belonged to the bream or barbel zone. An updated reference list of fish species was compiled based on previous work and recent data. Abiotic data were collected according to standard methods and habitat quality of all surveyed sites was pre-classified using pressure indicators. To develop the new index candidate metrics were selected from the literature and metric values were calculated. Linear mixed regression models selected metrics based on their response to the pre-classified habitat status. Correlation tests were performed to avoid redundancy among responsive metrics. Boundaries for metric scores were defined based on the calculated metric values. The new index of biotic integrity (IBI) was calculated by summation of the metric scores, and transformed to an ecological quality ratio (EQR), ranging between 0 and 1. Five integrity classes, ranging from bad to maximal ecological potential, were attributed and compared to the pre-classified habitat status of the site. In addition, the new index was also validated with an independent set of data. The new IBI proved to successfully assess the ecological status of the rivers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (02) ◽  
pp. 531-545
Author(s):  
Lilian Casatti ◽  
◽  
Camila Ortigossa

Almost four decades ago, ecologist James R. Karr published the first version of the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) to assess the health of aquatic ecosystems from fish assemblages. Since then, numerous adaptations, criticisms, and reinterpretations have emerged from this seminal study, covering diverse world biomes. In Brazil, the first versions of IBI for streams were developed in the South (in 2004). Over time, scientific production on this topic has shown a significant increase in the complexity of the approaches and methods used, mainly due to the advance in the basic knowledge about stream fish diversity, ecology, and biology. These studies include, for example, tests of metrics already proposed, proposals for new metrics, adaptations for different basins, and tests of the ecological responses of the ichthyofauna to different human-originated impacts. Even so, there are no standardized protocols for defining the metrics, nor for the introduction of these indexes in the stream monitoring routine. The objective of this article is to present a theoretical framework on the development of IBI for Brazilian streams, based on ichthyofauna, to discuss whether it is possible and feasible to standardize protocols for the development of IBIs and the prospects of applicability in Brazilian streams.


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