N and P limitation of benthos abundance in the Nechako River, British Columbia

Perrin, Chris J.; Richardson, John S.

doi:10.1139/f97-163

Cited by 43 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Here, lab experiments, small in situ exposure experiments, and large-scale observational studies afforded strong inference about the levels of heavy metals that affected biota in Rocky Mountain streams. Similar examples also exist for nutrients (e.g., Hart and Robinson 1990;Perrin and Richardson 1997;Lemly and King 2000). Thus, it seems that experiments can be a practical addition to the criteria development process if efficiently and purposefully designed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Integrating Bioassessment and Ecological Risk Assessment: An Approach to Developing Numerical Water-Quality Criteria

King

Richardson

2003

Environmental Management

139

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/ ioassessment is used worldwide to monitor aquatic health but is infrequently used with risk-assessment objectives, such as supporting the development of defensible, numerical water-quality criteria. To this end, we present a generalized approach for detecting potential ecological thresholds using assemblage-level attributes and a multimetric index (Index of Biological Integrity-IBI) as endpoints in response to numerical changes in water quality. To illustrate the approach, we used existing macroinvertebrate and surface-water total phosphorus (TP) datasets from an observed P gradient and a P-dosing experiment in wetlands of the south Florida coastal plain nutrient ecoregion. Ten assemblage attributes were identified as potential metrics using the observational data, and five were validated in the experiment. These five core metrics were subjected individually and as an aggregated Nutrient-IBI to nonparametric changepoint analysis (nCPA) to estimate cumulative probabilities of a threshold response to TP. Threshold responses were evident for all metrics and the IBI, and were repeatable through time. Results from the observed gradient indicated that a threshold was Ն50% probable between 12.6 and 19.4 g/L TP for individual metrics and 14.8 g/L TP for the IBI. Results from the P-dosing experiment revealed Ն50% probability of a response between 11.2 and 13.0 g/L TP for the metrics and 12.3 g/L TP for the IBI. Uncertainty analysis indicated a low (typically Ն5%) probability that an IBI threshold occurred at Յ 10 g/L TP, while there was Ն95% certainty that the threshold was Յ 17 g/L TP. The weight-of-evidence produced from these analyses implies that a TP concentration Ͼ 12-15 g/L is likely to cause degradation of macroinvertebrate assemblage structure and function, a reflection of biological integrity, in the study area. This finding may assist in the development of a numerical waterquality criterion for TP in this ecoregion, and illustrates the utility of bioassessment to environmental decision-making.Bioassessment has become a widely accepted technique for monitoring aquatic health in streams, lakes, and wetlands throughout the world (Rosenberg and Resh 1993). Bioassessment has a long history in Europe (reviewed by Cairns and Pratt 1993) and has more recently become popular in North America, largely in response to the mandate of §101(a) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) to restore and maintain the biological integrity of the USA's waters (Karr 1981). One bioassessment approach that has received considerable attention in the USA is the multimetric approach (sensu Karr 1981). Multimetric indices, such as the Index of Biological Integrity (e.g., Karr and Chu 1997), are an aggregation of a suite of biological attributes that represent key elements of structure or function of an aquatic assemblage and show a consistent, predictable response to human influence. The strength of multimetric assessments lies in their ability to integrate multiple facets of biological condition (Barbour and others 1995), and thus provid...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Integrating Bioassessment and Ecological Risk Assessment: An Approach to Developing Numerical Water-Quality Criteria

King

Richardson

2003

Environmental Management

139

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“…Benstead et al (2005) found that invertebrate abundance was 4 to 7× greater in an oligotrophic stream ecosystem after the addition of N and P and suggested that these changes were a result of enhanced food resources. Perrin and Richardson (1997) found that N and P additions to mesocosms increased mean invertebrate density by 70% over a period of 33 d and attributed their results to an increase in epilithic algal production.…”

Section: Invertebrate Densitymentioning

confidence: 98%

Environment shapes invertebrate assemblage structure differences between volcanic spring-fed and runoff rivers in northern California

et al. 2016

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Flow variability plays an important role in structuring lotic communities, yet comparatively little is known about processes governing assemblage dynamics in stream ecosystems with stable environmental conditions, such as spring-fed rivers. Volcanic spring-fed rivers (hereafter spring-fed rivers) occur in geologically active landscapes of the western USA and around the globe. We sampled invertebrate assemblages and quantified primary productivity and habitat characteristics of spring-fed and runoff rivers in northern California over 4 seasons. We predicted that abiotic factors would be more stable and nutrient availability greater and that invertebrate density would be greater and diversity lower in spring-fed than in runoff rivers. Runoff rivers exhibited high variability in discharge and temperature, whereas spring-fed rivers were relatively stable with high naturally occurring nutrient levels. On average, NO 3 − and PO 4 3− concentrations were 40× greater in spring-fed than in runoff rivers. Spring-fed rivers supported nearly 7 to 16× greater densities of invertebrates than runoff systems, depending on season. However, invertebrate species richness was greater in runoff rivers in all seasons. Spring-fed river invertebrate assemblages were strongly correlated with elevated nutrient concentrations and basal C sources, whereas runoff assemblages were associated with discharge variability and median substrate size. We suggest that strong differences in abiotic variability between spring-fed and runoff rivers play an important role in determining invertebrate assemblage structure. Because spring-fed rivers exhibit more stable temperatures throughout the year and lower temperatures during the summer than runoff rivers, they may provide essential refugia for coldwater taxa in a warming climate.

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“…Enrichment of the Nechako River in British Columbia indicated N limitation (Perrin and Richardson 1997). Enrichment of a tundra river with P for four consecutive summers first stimulated algal biomass and productivity and eventually stimulated fish production (Peterson et al 1993).…”

Section: Defining Trophic State and Eutrophication In Streamsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eutrophication and trophic state in rivers and streams

Dodds

2006

Limnology & Oceanography

377

269

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Many natural streams are net heterotrophic, so I propose that trophic state be divided into autotrophic and heterotrophic state. This division allows consideration of the influence of external carbon sources as well as nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Empirical results suggest that phosphorus and nitrogen are the most important nutrients regulating autotrophic state in flowing waters and that benthic algal biomass is positively correlated to gross primary production in streams. Reference (minimally influenced by human activities) nutrient concentrations and correlations of nutrients with algal biomass are used to characterize reference distributions of stream autotrophic state. Only when reference nutrient concentrations are in the upper one third of those expected in the United States, is maximum benthic chlorophyll projected to exceed 100 mg m Ϫ2 (a concentration commonly used to indicate nuisance levels) Ͼ30% of the time. Average reference nutrient concentrations lead to sestonic chlorophyll concentrations above those considered typical of eutrophic lakes (Ͼ8 mg m Ϫ3 ) less than half the time. Preliminary analysis suggests that autotrophic state is variable in small pristine streams because it is influenced by canopy cover (light), but heterotrophic state is less variable because it can be based on allochthonous or autochthonous production. Nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment can influence both heterotrophic and autotrophic state, and these effects could cascade to animal communities. Stoichiometry should be considered because carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are all involved in trophic state. The proposed definition of trophic state offers a starting conceptual framework for such considerations. The evolution of concepts regarding enrichment in streamsIn its course from the source to the sea, the progressive eutrophication of a river water by drainage from cultivated and inhabited districts is an almost inevitable natural process.-Butcher 1947Although current concerns about stream eutrophication mainly focus on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) enrichment (e.g., Smith 2003), early water quality and nutrient enrichment studies in lotic systems focused on carbon (C) enrichment from untreated sewage. Excessive loading of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) made rivers completely anoxic downstream of sewage treatment plants. Hynes (1960) considered the physical, biological, and chemical effects of sewage loading to create a general conceptual model on the basis of the research of Butcher (1946) and others. The conceptual model of Hynes in part considered the influence of increased organic C on dissolved oxygen (O 2 ) and subsequently on hypoxia-and anoxia-sensitive animals. He noted that most animals immediately downstream from a sewage outfall disappear under anoxic conditions and that, as O 2 enters the stream via aeration, high densities of pollution-tolerant fauna 1 Corresponding author (wkdodds@ksu.edu).

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N and P limitation of benthos abundance in the Nechako River, British Columbia

Cited by 43 publications

References 29 publications

Integrating Bioassessment and Ecological Risk Assessment: An Approach to Developing Numerical Water-Quality Criteria

Integrating Bioassessment and Ecological Risk Assessment: An Approach to Developing Numerical Water-Quality Criteria

Environment shapes invertebrate assemblage structure differences between volcanic spring-fed and runoff rivers in northern California

Eutrophication and trophic state in rivers and streams

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