Publication

Investigations of Indices of Biotic Condition for Streams in New Mexico

URL: https://webapps.usgs.gov/mrgescp/documents/Jacobi%20et%20al._2001_Investigations%20of%20indices%20of%20biotic%20condition%20for%20streams%20in%20NM.pdf

Date: 2001/05/21

Author(s): Jacobi G.Z., Sublette J.E., Herrmann S.J., Cowley D.E., Hatch M.D., Bell L., Sloane M., Evans L.

Publication: Performance report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, 8 p.

Abstract:

This report presents results of research regarding the development of indices of biotic condition for perennial streams in New Mexico. To date, the focus of study has been to: (1) evaluate schemes for landscape classification with respect to chemical and physical environmental factors, (2) identify “faunal regions” and determine if they are consistent with regional strata defined by environmental factors, (3) characterize associations, or assemblages, of biota, (4) initiate identification of summary statistics for inclusion in indices of biotic condition for streams, and (5) develop taxonomic keys for benthic macroinvertebrates and an atlas of chironomid pupal exuviae to facilitate application of an index of biotic condition.

The development of biotic-based indices of aquatic ecosystem condition awaits data analyses in four principle areas. These areas include: (1) reanalysis of environmental data using corrected data as described in the previous section, (2) use of criteria external to our data sets to develop two groups of sites for subsequent analysis (more impaired and less impaired), (3) compilation of summary metrics from fish and benthic macroinvertebrate data for use in analyses to develop indices of biotic integrity, and (4) within each landscape stratum, analyze data with discriminant function analysis to find an index of biotic integrity based on features of the biotic community.