Fish Community Monitoring at Buffalo National River: 2006 – 2007 Status Report
Dodd HR. 2009. Fish Community Monitoring at Buffalo National River: 2006 – 2007 Status Report. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/HTLN/NRTR—2009/185. National Park Service. Fort Collins
The fish communities of the Buffalo River and its tributaries are good indicators of water quality. Fish perform many ecological functions in lotic ecosystems and have varying tolerances to anthropogenic disturbances. Fish are also longer-lived than many other aquatic organisms and therefore fish community composition can give a history of past environmental conditions. Several fish found in the Buffalo River are endemic to the Ozark Plateau region and many species are extremely sensitive to poor water quality conditions. In May 2006, annual monitoring was initiated at BUFF to assess the status and obtain baseline information on fish communities, physical habitat, water quality, and overall stream integrity of the Buffalo River. Six sites on the mainstem of the Buffalo River were sampled annually in 2006-2007. Tributaries to the Buffalo River were also sampled during this time period. The first set of six tributaries was sampled in 2006 and a second set was sampled in 2007.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Dodd, Hope
- Date of Issue
- 2009-03
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- BUFF , HTLN , NRSS
- Keywords
- Fish Communities Monitoring Reports, HTLN Fish Community Brief, HTLN Fish Community Monitoring