Final stuff: n Lab practical –Coleoptera, Hemiptera n Final exam: Fri May 2:15 –Assessment with Invertebrates n Lecture material (IDEM protocol) n Stone et al. (2005): Ag streams in Illinois n Signatures of ICI; Ohio EPA use of ICI

Today n IDEM sampling n Stone et al. (2005) paper n Assessment exercise

MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY MONITORING EXAMPLE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

STAGES OF BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT n n DATA REDUCTION AND ANALYSIS FIELD PROCESSING n LABORATORY PROCESSING n SAMPLE COLLECTION

What are We Trying to Measure ??

“The ability of an aquatic ecosystem to support and maintain a balanced, integrated, adaptive community of organisms having a species composition, diversity, and functional organization comparable to the best natural habitats within a region.” BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY

STAGES OF A BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT n n DATA REDUCTION AND ANALYSIS FIELD PROCESSING n LABORATORY PROCESSING n SAMPLE COLLECTION

Aquatic Larvae Aquatic Adults Terrestrial Adults

Adult and Larval Caddisflies (Trichoptera)

USEPA Rapid Bioassessment Protocols Riffle Habitats

Two Composite KICK Screen Samples

STAGES OF A BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT n n DATA REDUCTION AND ANALYSIS FIELD PROCESSING n LABORATORY PROCESSING n SAMPLE COLLECTION

Sample Elutriation  Remove Gravel and Sand  Remove Excess CPOM

The Final Sample Ready for Preservation

Field Preservation of Samples

GPS for Spatial Reference PAPERWORK…PAPERWORK…. TRIPLE REDUNDANCY  Water Chemistry  Habitat Assessments  Field Observations

STAGES OF A BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT n n DATA REDUCTION AND ANALYSIS FIELD PROCESSING n LABORATORY PROCESSING n SAMPLE COLLECTION

All Samples are Returned to Laboratory for Processing

Squares (25 cm 2 ) Removed by Suction to Petri Dish 100 Organism Sub-Sample 15 Minute Sort Sub-Sample

100 Organism Sub-Sample Selected at Random Second Sub-Sample 15 Minutes Entire Pan “Randomly” Sorted Using Forceps Final Sort Under Microscope

Sub-Samples Processed to Family Level

All Samples Preserved for Permanent Museum Storage

STAGES OF A BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT n n DATA REDUCTION AND ANALYSIS FIELD PROCESSING n LABORATORY PROCESSING n SAMPLE COLLECTION

TEN SUB- METRICS SITE INFORMATION TAXONOMIC INFORMATION AND TAXA COUNTS LABORATORY BENCHSHEET

Example of 2 Sub-Metrics E P T EPT Index = 6 Families EPT Count = 7 Individuals Metric Scores = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8

Scoring Criteria for Riffle KICK Samples

Not All Rivers and Streams Have Riffle Habitats

Multi-Plate Samples are Collected Individually Multi-Plate Samples are Preserved in the Field and Scraped in the Laboratory

Systematic Community Assessments of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities are Effective SUMMARY

IBI -- Family Level Multi-Metric Indices Provide: n n Cost Effective Data of Ecological Health of Rivers and Streams n n n n Assessment Information to Make Management Decisions