SPATIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR LINKING WATERSHED LAND COVER TO ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS IN STREAMS

Watershed land cover is widely used as a predictor of stream-ecosystem condition. However, numerous spatial factors can confound the interpretation of correlative analyses between land cover and stream indicators, particularly at broad spatial scales. We used a stream-monitoring data set collected from the Coastal Plain of Maryland, USA to address analytical challenges presented by (1) collinearity of land-cover class percentages, (2) spatial autocorrelation of land cover and stream data, (3) intercorrelations among and spatial autocorrelation within abiotic intermediaries that link land cover to stream biota, and (4) spatial arrangement of land cover within watersheds. We focused on two commonly measured stream indicators, nitrate-nitrogen (NO3–N) and macroinvertebrate assemblages, to evaluate how different spatial considerations may influence results. Partial correlation analysis of land-cover percentages revealed that simple correlations described relationships that could not be separated from the effe...

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