An expanded fish-based index of biotic integrity for Great Lakes coastal wetlands

Testing a Fish Index of Biotic Integrity for Responses to Different Stressors in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands

Fish community composition often varies across ecoregions and hydrogeomorphic types within ecoregions. We evaluated two indices of biotic integrity (IBIs) developed for fish in Great Lakes coastal wetlands dominated (> 50% cover) by Typha (cattail) and Schoenoplectus (formerly Scirpus) (bulrush) vegetation. Thirty-three coastal wetlands dominated by either Typha or Schoenoplectus vegetation wer...

An Index of Biotic Condition Based on Bird Assemblages in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands

An Index of Ecological Condition Based on Bird Assemblages in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands

We use bird distributions in non-forested coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes to illustrate a new, conceptually explicit method for developing biotic indicators. The procedure applies a probabilistic framework to derive an index that best “fits” an observed assemblage of species, based on preliminary information about species’ responses to human environmental disturbance. Among 215 coastal wetl...

Considerations for Monitoring Breeding Birds in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands

One goal in indicator development is to implement long-term monitoring that will track the relative condition of the indicator over time. Among the first steps in establishing a monitoring program is to develop a sampling design that adequately characterizes the indicator to be monitored as well as the cost-effectiveness of the program. We used breeding bird data collected in Lake Superior and ...

Human influences on water quality in Great Lakes coastal wetlands.

A better understanding of relationships between human activities and water chemistry is needed to identify and manage sources of anthropogenic stress in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. The objective of the study described in this article was to characterize relationships between water chemistry and multiple classes of human activity (agriculture, population and development, point source pollution...