River Fish Communities
Dodd H. River Fish Communities. 2001. National Park Service
Non-point or diffuse sources of pollution are the main factor affecting aquatic resources in the Midwest region of the U.S. (USEPA 1990). Runoff from agricultural/urban areas, discharge from sewage treatment facilities, as well as other human disturbances can cause excessive inputs of sediment, nutrients, and pesticides in streams or rivers. Historically, water chemistry data has been used to detect changes or trends in stream quality. However, biomonitoring (use of living organisms to assess water quality) has become a useful and vital tool for stream assessments by providing a more integrated picture of past water quality and habitat conditions. Fish assemblages are an important component of stream/river systems with each species carrying out specific roles in the aquatic community. Assessment of entire fish communities provides information on ecosystem integrity and function. Because land use and management of adjacent lands can have a substantial impact on the quality of streams and rivers in our national parks, the Heartland I&M and Prairie Cluster Prototype Programs began an aquatic monitoring program to detect trends in water quality, physical habitat, and fish assemblage integrity in prairie parks and large river parks.
- Type
- Project
- Authors
- Dodd, Hope
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- BUFF , OZAR
- Keywords
- Buffalo National River, Communities, Fish, Habitat, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, River, Water Quality
Products
- Protocol Methods for monitoring fish communities of Buffalo National River and Ozark National Scenic Riverways in the Ozark Plateaus of Arkansas and Missouri, Version 2.0
- Fish Community and Associated Habitat Data From the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network: 2001-2023 - Data Package
- Fish Community and Associated Habitat Data From the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network: 2001-2023 - Processing Script
- Fish Community and Associated Habitat Data From the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network: 2001-2023 - Raw Data
- Fish community monitoring at Ozark National Scenic Riverways: 2005-2010 summary report