Integrity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and Johnstown Flood National Memorial: Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network 2008 summary report
Tzilkowski CJ, Callahan KK, Marshall MR, Weber AS. 2010. Integrity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and Johnstown Flood National Memorial: Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network 2008 summary report. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/ERMN/NRDS—2010/025. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center. Fort Collins, Colorado
During 2008, the Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network (ERMN) of the National Park Service (NPS) began monitoring benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) communities in wadeable streams throughout its nine parks. Three targeted (i.e., non-random) sites at ALPO and one targeted site at JOFL were chosen in consultation with Kathy Penrod, the Natural Resource Specialist at the parks. In addition to BMI samples, core water quality data (i.e., temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance) were collected and reach-scale habitat was characterized. Water in the unnamed tributary (UNT) to South Fork Little Conemaugh River (SFLCR) at JOFL had considerably greater specific conductance (239.4 μS/cm) than the ALPO sites. Otherwise, core water quality parameters at ALPO and JOFL sites were characteristic for forested Pennsylvania watersheds with similar geologic characteristics. Among ALPO and JOFL sites, specific conductance generally increased with increasing pH, whereas dissolved oxygen concentrations more often than not, decreased with increasing water temperature. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities throughout ALPO and JOFL streams had Macroinvertebrate Biotic Integrity Index (MBII) values that ranged from 23.6 (UNT to SFLCR) to 53.7 (Millstone Run). Given that this report represented the first year of data collection, there were few inferences or management recommendations that could be confidently made. Biological communities (including BMI) can vary through time due to a range of naturally occurring biotic phenomena (e.g., interspecific competition, predation) and abiotic disturbances (severe drought, floods). It will take several years to determine the degree to which BMI communities naturally vary throughout ALPO, JOFL, and the rest of the ERMN. Once natural variability of BMI communities is quantified, we will be in a better position to make inferences about the relative condition of ALPO and JOFL streams. Despite having only one year of data, we can confidently report that the JOFL site (UNT to SFLCR) was impaired compared to all ALPO sites. The sources of impairment at that site were likely related to the historical mining activity in that area and the lack of shading due to the absence of trees that would provide canopy cover.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Tzilkowski, Caleb; Callahan, Kristina; Marshall, Matthew; Weber, Andrew
- Date of Issue
- 2010-02
- Publisher
- United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center
- Units
- ALPO , ERMN , JOFL , NRSS
- Keywords
- Biomonitoring, Macroinvertebrate, Monitoring, Water Quality