A process for creating multimetric indices for large-scale aquatic surveys

Abstract Differences in sampling and laboratory protocols, differences in techniques used to evaluate metrics, and differing scales of calibration and application prohibit the use of many existing multimetric indices (MMIs) in large-scale bioassessments. We describe an approach to developing MMIs of ecological condition that is applicable to a variety of biological assemblage types and to spatially extensive (regional, national) aquatic resource surveys. The process involves testing the performance characteristics of candidate metrics in several categories that correspond to key dimensions of biotic condition. The performance characteristics include: information content (range), reproducibility, calibration for natural gradients, responsiveness to stressor gradients, and independence from other metrics. The best-performing metric from each category is included in the final MMI. The consistency of the process enables development of separate MMIs in different regions that can be combined in a national assessment and that are more comparable across regions and taxonomic groups than a set of independently developed MMIs would be. We provide an example of the process applied to macroinvertebrate data from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Wadeable Streams Assessment (WSA) from 3045 sites (of which 1390 were WSA probability sites). The MMIs developed for the WSA demonstrate the feasibility of conducting bioassessments at continental scales and provide a basis for interpreting existing MMIs from regional- and national-level perspectives.

[1]  Charles P. Hawkins,et al.  Effects of Sampling Area and Subsampling Procedure on Comparisons of Taxa Richness among Streams , 1996, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[2]  Robert M. Hughes,et al.  Development of an Index of Biotic Integrity for the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Region , 2001 .

[3]  J. Omernik.  Ecoregions of the Conterminous United States , 1987 .

[4]  Steven G. Paulsen,et al.  Designing a Spatially Balanced, Randomized Site Selection Process for Regional Stream Surveys: The EMAP Mid-Atlantic Pilot Study , 2000 .

[5]  Robert M. Hughes,et al.  A Structured Approach for Developing Indices of Biotic Integrity: Three Examples from Streams and Rivers in the Western USA , 2007 .

[6]  J. Karr.  Assessment of Biotic Integrity Using Fish Communities , 1981 .

[7]  K. Blocksom.  A Performance Comparison of Metric Scoring Methods for a Multimetric Index for Mid-Atlantic Highlands Streams , 2003, Environmental management.

[8]  Thierry Oberdorff,et al.  Development and validation of a fish-based index for the assessment of ‘river health’ in France , 2002 .

[9]  A. Zale,et al.  Development and Evaluation of a Fish Assemblage Index of Biotic Integrity for Northwestern Great Plains Streams , 2005 .

[10]  M. T. Southerland,et al.  Improving biological indicators to better assess the condition of streams , 2007 .

[11]  D. Goffaux,et al.  Assessing river biotic condition at a continental scale: a European approach using functional metrics and fish assemblages , 2006 .

[12]  James R. Karr,et al.  Assessing Invertebrate Responses to Human Activities: Evaluating Alternative Approaches , 1996, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[13]  M. Barbour,et al.  Rapid bioassessment protocols for use in streams and wadeable rivers: periphyton , 1999 .

[14]  Susan M. Cormier,et al.  Methods Development and use of Macroinvertebrates as Indicators of Ecological Conditions for Streams in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Region , 2002, Environmental monitoring and assessment.

[15]  A. Herlihy,et al.  The Dilemma of Sampling Streams for Macroinvertebrate Richness , 1998, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[16]  Eric P. Smith,et al.  Using biological metrics to score and evaluate sites: a nearest-neighbour reference condition approach , 2007 .

[17]  Richard K. Johnson.  Bioassessment of Freshwater Ecosystems: Using the Reference Condition Approach , 2005 .

[18]  James R. Karr,et al.  Ecological perspective on water quality goals , 1981 .

[19]  Lester L. Yuan,et al.  Striving for consistency in a national assessment: the challenges of applying a reference-condition approach at a continental scale , 2008, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[20]  S. Weisberg,et al.  Maryland Biological Stream Survey: Development of a Fish Index of Biotic Integrity , 1998 .

[21]  Simon Williams,et al.  Bioassessment of streams with macroinvertebrates: effect of sampled habitat and taxonomic resolution , 2007, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[22]  Leonard Sandin,et al.  Overview and application of the AQEM assessment system , 2004, Hydrobiologia.

[23]  Alan T. Herlihy,et al.  Effect of sampling different habitat types in regional macroinvertebrate bioassessment surveys , 2006, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[24]  T. Cuffney,et al.  Ambiguous taxa: effects on the characterization and interpretation of invertebrate assemblages , 2007, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[25]  John L Stoddard,et al.  Setting expectations for the ecological condition of streams: the concept of reference condition. , 2005, Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America.

[26]  Christian K. Feld,et al.  Cook book for the development of a Multimetric Index for biological condition of aquatic ecosystems: Experiences from the European AQEM and STAR projects and related initiatives , 2006, Hydrobiologia.

[27]  D. Carlisle,et al.  Estimation and application of indicator values for common macroinvertebrate genera and families of the United States , 2007 .

[28]  C. Hawkins,et al.  Comparisons of targeted-riffle and reach-wide benthic macroinvertebrate samples: implications for data sharing in stream-condition assessments , 2007, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[29]  Armin K Zenker,et al.  Multimetric assessment of data provided by water managers from Germany: assessment of several different types of stressors with macrozoobenthos communities , 2004, Hydrobiologia.

[30]  R. Hughes,et al.  Landscape influences on stream habitats and biological assemblages , 2006 .

[31]  R. Hughes,et al.  Application of an index of biological integrity (IBI) to fish assemblages of the rivers Khan and Kshipra (Madhya Pradesh), India , 1998 .

[32]  J. Harris,et al.  Large‐scale assessments of river health using an Index of Biotic Integrity with low‐diversity fish communities , 1999 .

[33]  E. Herricks,et al.  Can we optimize biomonitoring? , 1985 .

[34]  Wayne S. Davis,et al.  Biological assessment and criteria : tools for water resource planning and decision making , 1995 .

[35]  W. Hilsenhoff.  An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America , 1997 .

[36]  D. Goffaux,et al.  A review of existing fish assemblage indicators and methodologies , 2007 .

[37]  D. Herbst,et al.  Comparison of the performance of different bioassessment methods: similar evaluations of biotic integrity from separate programs and procedures , 2006, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[38]  Thomas P. Simon,et al.  Assessing the Sustainability and Biological Integrity of Water Resources Using Fish Communities , 2020 .

[39]  James R. Karr,et al.  Sustaining living rivers , 2000, Hydrobiologia.

[40]  D. V. Peck,et al.  Survey design and extent estimates for the Wadeable Streams Assessment , 2008, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[41]  Lester L. Yuan,et al.  Condition of stream ecosystems in the US: an overview of the first national assessment , 2008, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[42]  O. Moog,et al.  A stressor specific multimetric approach for monitoring running waters in Austria using benthic macro-invertebrates , 2004, Hydrobiologia.

[43]  R. Hughes,et al.  An Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) for Pacific Northwest Rivers , 2003 .

[44]  W. Hilsenhoff,et al.  An Improved Biotic Index of Organic Stream Pollution , 2017, The Great Lakes Entomologist.

[45]  R. Hughes,et al.  Geomorphic and Anthropogenic Influences on Fish and Amphibians in Pacific Northwest Coastal Streams , 2006 .

[46]  J. Stauffer,et al.  Regional Frameworks and Candidate Metrics for Assessing Biotic Integrity in Mid-Atlantic Highland Streams , 2000 .

[47]  R. Hughes,et al.  Applications of IBI Concepts and Metrics to Waters Outside the United States and Canada , 2020 .

[48]  N. S. Urquhart,et al.  The effects of macroinvertebrate taxonomic resolution in large landscape bioassessments: an example from the Mid-Atlantic Highlands, U.S.A. , 2004 .

[49]  R. M. Goldstein,et al.  Evaluation of an Index of Biotic Integrity Approach Used to Assess Biological Condition in Western U.S. Streams and Rivers at Varying Spatial Scales , 2008 .

[50]  Didier Pont,et al.  A Predictive Index of Biotic Integrity Model for Aquatic-Vertebrate Assemblages of Western U.S. Streams , 2009 .

[51]  J. Stoddard,et al.  EMAP-Surface Waters: a multiassemblage, probability survey of ecological integrity in the U.S.A. , 2000, Hydrobiologia.

[52]  Robert M. Hughes,et al.  Acquiring data for large aquatic resource surveys: the art of compromise among science, logistics, and reality , 2008, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[53]  J. Stoddard,et al.  Development and Evaluation of a Macroinvertebrate Biotic Integrity Index (MBII) for Regionally Assessing Mid-Atlantic Highlands Streams , 2003, Environmental management.

[54]  W. S. Fisher,et al.  Strategies for evaluating indicators based on guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development , 2001 .

[55]  C. Hawkins,et al.  Modeling natural environmental gradients improves the accuracy and precision of diatom-based indicators , 2007, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[56]  Leska S. Fore,et al.  Using diatoms to assess the biological condition of large rivers in Idaho (U.S.A.) , 2002 .

[57]  C. Seeliger,et al.  Quantifying physical habitat in wadeable streams : surface waters , 1999 .

[58]  R. Hughes,et al.  A process for developing and evaluating indices of fish assemblage integrity , 1998 .

[59]  C. Hawkins,et al.  Comparability of biological assessments derived from predictive models and multimetric indices of increasing geographic scope , 2008, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.