Relationships Between Macroinvertebrate Assemblages and Physicochemical Factors in Illinois Streams

Download or read book Relationships Between Macroinvertebrate Assemblages and Physicochemical Factors in Illinois Streams written by Thomas Heatherly and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Illinois streams are subject to numerous stressors that can negatively impact their biological integrity. This study was to determine the effects of measured physicochemical properties on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in Illinois streams, evaluate multimetric and multivariate bioassessment approaches, and make recommendations to water resource managers. Benthic macroinvertebrate and physicochemical data were collected from 55 streams in March 2005. Macroinvertebrates were collecting according to rapid bioassessment protocols. Physicochemical data were collected by grab sample, survey, and from historical records. I identified a gradient that showed streams with high quality habitat usually had relatively low nutrient concentrations. Streams that were placed into groups using a cluster analysis aligned well along this gradient in an ordination. The macroinvertebrate communities reflected nonpoint sources of impact, which were identifiable using a combination of multimetric and multivariate methods.