Influence of Stream Habitat and Land Use on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indicators of Stream Quality of Selected Above-tidal Streams in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Service Area, Texas, 1997-98

Influence of Stream Habitat and Land Use on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indicators of Stream Quality of Selected Above-tidal Streams in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Service Area, Texas, 1997-98 PDF Author: James Bruce Moring
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 34

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Influence of Stream Habitat and Land Use on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indicators of Stream Quality of Selected Above-tidal Streams in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Service Area, Texas, 1997-98

Influence of Stream Habitat and Land Use on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indicators of Stream Quality of Selected Above-tidal Streams in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Service Area, Texas, 1997-98 PDF Author: James Bruce Moring
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Water quality biological assessment
Languages : en
Pages : 22

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Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications

Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 838

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Water-resources Investigations Report

Water-resources Investigations Report PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Hydrology
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey

New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Geology
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey

New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey PDF Author: Geological Survey (U.S.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Geology
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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New Publications of the Geological Survey

New Publications of the Geological Survey PDF Author: Geological Survey (U.S.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Geology
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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The Influence of Urbanization on Streams

The Influence of Urbanization on Streams PDF Author: Gregory J. Knothe
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ISBN:
Category : Fishes
Languages : en
Pages : 466

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Streams throughout the U.S. have been historically subjected to degradation due to urbanization, agriculture and industry. The influence of urbanization on stream ecosystems is difficult to evaluate, due to many interacting variables. Previous studies have found that the degree of urbanization influences flow regime, pollutant loading and resulting fish community structure. Our study investigated the influence of urbanization on hydrology, physical habitat, water quality, and resulting fish community structure at 8 coastal streams located in Southeastern Texas. Streamflow, physical habitat, water quality and fish community data were collected at these sites during 2011. The stream sites were selected to represent a variety of land uses ranging from highly urbanized, to minimally urbanized or reference conditions. In order to determine the degree of urbanization within each watershed ArcGIS software was used to assess land use. Total impervious area (TIA) and percent impervious area (PIA) was used for each watershed as a simple index of urbanization. TIA and PIA were estimated using 2006 impervious surface data obtained from the United States Geological Survey. Various fish community metrics including the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI), Shannon-Weiner diversity index, Pielou's evenness and species richness, were used to evaluate the impact of urbanization on fish community structure. Estimated land use data was compared to IBI scores, fish community metrics, water quality, and physical habitat. Several statistical analysis methods including Pearson correlation analysis, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), principle component analysis and cluster analysis were used to evaluate the response of fish communities to land use and associated hydrology, physical habitat, and water quality. We found that IBI scores and stream fish diversity were negatively correlated with PIA. We also observed positive correlations between PIA/TIA and orthophosphate and combined nitrate and nitrite concentrations among the sites. We did not observe any strong correlations between the amount of impervious area within the upstream watershed and physical habitat metrics, with the exception of a negative correlation between TIA with mean instream cover, riparian width and tree canopy cover. Our study suggests that future management plans could include a threshold of impervious area for a watershed, in order to protect or promote biological integrity and water quality.

Impacts of Land Use on the Habitat and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage of the Tributaries of the Lower Brazos River

Impacts of Land Use on the Habitat and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage of the Tributaries of the Lower Brazos River PDF Author: Frances Patricia Lash
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ISBN:
Category : Aquatic invertebrates
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Ecological research on stream and river ecosystems aims to gain an understanding of the dynamic and complex impacts of environmental factors on biotic communities within riverine landscape (riverscape). Human activities significantly impact both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Local environmental factors are known to influence the structure and function of stream ecosystems and biodiversity. The patterns of benthic macroinvertebrate distribution are related to the natural and human influenced variation of environmental factors. Ecologists assess stream physical and biological conditions in response to human land use activities using ecological indicators. This study is an assessment of the ecological condition of the Lower Brazos River Watershed. Macroinvertebrate assemblage structure was compared from 33 sites within the 6 subbasins differing in land use type and degree. Land use within the subbasins was measured using data from the National Land Use Database. Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected and a variety of physiochemical variables were measured. Multivariate analysis grouped the subbasins using habitat variables and macroinvertebrate assemblages. Decreasing habitat heterogeneity resulted in a decline of diversity and richness of organisms. Differences in the richness and diversity of the macroinvertebrate assemblages are attributed to habitat structure and land use. This study highlights the importance of considering both local habitat and landscape parameters of watersheds in stream biological assessments to understand the response of benthic communities to disturbances.

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Metacommunity Structure of the Guadalupe River Basin, TX

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Metacommunity Structure of the Guadalupe River Basin, TX PDF Author: Rebecca A. Zawalski
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Stream invertebrates
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI) are widely used as bio-indicators for local in-stream quality. However, local community structure can be affected by smaller scale (local) environmental conditions and larger scale processes. I assessed the abundance and diversity of BMI and their relationship with local in-stream conditions, regional patterns of land-use/land cover (LULC), and large scale physiographic gradients across the Guadalupe River System, a large basin (3,256 km2) in Central Texas. Macroinvertebrates, water quality, and habitat conditions across 28 sites in the Guadalupe River and its main tributaries were sampled. Highest species diversity occurred near the headwaters, and decreased downstream. Pollution tolerance levels increased downstream and followed an increasing agriculture gradient. Landscape factors explained a large proportion of variation in macroinvertebrate community structure (38%), but 16% of it was spatially structured (shared with spatial factors latitude and longitude) and 4% was explained by spatial factors alone. Local environmental factors were strongly correlated with landscape factors and explained similar amount of variation as landscape factors. My study highlights the importance of incorporating physiographic gradients when examining local and regional diversity and composition of BMI communities, especially in large complex watersheds. My results will help develop more effective monitoring programs for larger river systems.