An analysis of factors contributing to the stability of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in lotic ecosystems

Boyle, Terence; Hoefs, Nancy

Structural and functional attributes of benthic macroinvertebrate communities have been used historically as indicators of water quality and biological criteria of the environmental health of lotic systems. There has been little examination of limitations or qualifications of what environmental conditions make it appropriate to use various attributes of the benthic macroinvertebrate community in environmental assessments. One goal of developing ecological risk analysis techniques is to he able to distinguish the natural uncertainty in bioindicators due to environmental conditions from those anthropogenically induced. Approaches to determine the variability of the macroinvertebrate community due to natural conditions will affect their use as an environmental assessment tool. Data on the macroinvertebrate communities from the Virgin River, Utah; St. Croix River, WI & MN; Niobrara River in NE: Platte River, Otter Creek, Shad Creek and Crystal River in Ml; and Wilson's Creek, MO were analyzed for community characteristics suitable for analysis for environmental impact. Key characteristics of the physical and chemical environment such as patterns of hydrological discharge, substrate, organic loading, etc. were analyzed has natural forces shaping community structure in these different areas that determine the appropriateness and type of community analysis scheme to be used in different conditions.

An analysis of factors contributing to the stability of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in lotic ecosystems

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