Integrity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Friendship Hill National Historic Site: Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network, 2009 summary report
Tzilkowski CJ, Callahan KK, Marshall MR, Weber AS. 2010. Integrity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Friendship Hill National Historic Site: Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network, 2009 summary report. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/ERMN/NRDS—2010/028. 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. This report provides preliminary results of sampling during 2008–2009 at three targeted (non-random) sites at Fort Necessity National Battlefield (FONE) and two targeted sites at Friendship Hill National Historic Site (FRHI). 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. Abandoned mine drainage to Ice Pond Run has been well documented; thus, it was not a surprise that water in that stream had exceptionally high specific conductance (928 μS/cm) and extremely low pH (2.63). At the unnamed tributary (UNT) to Scotts Run (Picnic Loop) measures of specific conductance (46.1 μS/cm) and pH (5.76) were relatively low, whereas those parameters were typical of similarly sized Pennsylvania streams at Dublin Run and Great Meadows Run. Due to habitat conditions (i.e., low flow, silt substrate), samples could not be collected effectively from the UNT to Great Meadows Run. Similar conditions existed in Great Meadows Run, and although a sample was collected at that site, the sample is also considered to be of limited value. Proposed alternative strategies (i.e., artificial samplers) are described to sample those streams. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities at four stream sites sampled in FONE and FRHI had Macroinvertebrate Biotic Integrity Index values that ranged from 14.29 (Ice Pond Run) to 51.4 (UNT to Scotts Run [Picnic Loop]). 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 FONE, FRHI, and the rest of the ERMN. Once natural variability of BMI communities is quantified, we will be in a better position to make inferences regarding the relative condition of sampled streams.
- 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
- ERMN , FONE , FRHI , NRSS
- Keywords
- Biomonitoring, Macroinvertebrate, Monitoring, Water Quality