Developing a wetland IBI with statewide application after multiple testing iterations

Abstract An index of biotic integrity (IBI) is a frequently used approach for assessing the ecological integrity of streams with fish and macroinvertebrates the faunal assemblages most commonly used as indicator taxa. The IBI approach has been much less commonly applied to wetlands, despite the legal, policy and scientific need to assess wetland condition and develop ecological performance goals for wetland creation, restoration and enhancement. While some IBIs are sophisticated systems with statewide application that have undergone one or more testing iterations, many published IBIs are derived from single data sets of a single class of aquatic resource with limited geographic application. The State of Ohio initiated development of a wetland IBI using vascular plants in 1996. Sampling methods were investigated and ultimately a plot-based method was adopted. Potential attributes and different human disturbance gradients were evaluated in several studies. Ultimately, IBIs for emergent, forest and shrub dominated wetlands were developed. Data from the Vegetation IBI-emergent (VIBI-E) is presented to illustrate this process. Subsequent testing and refinement is a critical step in the development of a robust IBI with more than local application. Throughout its initial development (R2 = 0.863, p

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