Using stressor gradients to determine reference expectations for great river fish assemblages

Angradi, Ted R.; Pearson, Mark S.; Jicha, Terri M.; Taylor, Debra L.; Bolgrien, David W.; Moffett, Mary F.; Blocksom, Karen A.; Hill, Brian H.

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2008.09.007

Cited by 43 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…These reference conditions are usually defined as minimally disturbed or least disturbed (i.e., little evidence of human disturbance or systems with the best extant physical, chemical, and biological habitat conditions in the current human-dominated landscape; Stoddard et al 2006). Reference sites are usually selected by means of screening criteria based on stressor response information and expert judgment, which are used to obtain threshold values that enable different condition classes of the system to be characterized (Karr and Chu 1999;Bailey et al 2004;Angradi et al 2009). The reference systems selected for the present paper were littoral wetlands on the coasts of Southern Spain where the study area is located.…”

Section: Selection Of Baseline Sites Of Ecological Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Determination of the reference ecosystem conditions is generally based upon observations and measurements made in locations that represent a certain status or condition class of ecological integrity (Angradi et al 2009). These reference conditions are usually defined as minimally disturbed or least disturbed (i.e., little evidence of human disturbance or systems with the best extant physical, chemical, and biological habitat conditions in the current human-dominated landscape; Stoddard et al 2006).…”

Section: Selection Of Baseline Sites Of Ecological Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Selection of ecological indicators for the conservation, management and monitoring of Mediterranean coastal salinas

López

Aguilera

Schmitz

et al. 2009

Environ Monit Assess

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Salinas systems are artificial wetlands which are interesting from the viewpoint of nature conservation. They play an important role both as habitats for migratory waterbird species and as nodes of biotic connectivity networks. In the Mediterranean basin, where the coastal salinas are highly significant as alternative and complementary habitats for waterbirds, a process of abandonment occurs, and many seminatural systems of this kind are disappearing. This abandonment is having serious consequences for migratory bird populations and for the ecological role these play. In the present paper, this group of waterbird species has been used to evaluate these wetlands for conservation purposes. We have developed a methodological approach for the selection of ecological indicators for the conservation and management of these Mediterranean habitats and waterbird assemblages, the main consumers therein. The stepwise procedure developed constitutes a practical tool for this task. Application thereof enabled us to differentiate the habitats available for the waterbirds and to identify the biotic and abiotic indicators for the maintenance and management of the salina ecosystems. These variables can then be incorporated into monitoring programs.

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Section: Selection Of Baseline Sites Of Ecological Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Selection Of Baseline Sites Of Ecological Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selection of ecological indicators for the conservation, management and monitoring of Mediterranean coastal salinas

López

Aguilera

Schmitz

et al. 2009

Environ Monit Assess

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“…In selecting land use hypotheses and subsequently estimating their degree of severity, we took into consideration actual situations in the study area and its surroundings [39,46,50,[66][67][68][69], along with planned uses in the PAs according to the categories established by the IUCN [4], considering that, at present in Spanish PAs, the main vectors of disturbance described are urban development in the territory, excessive pressure by visitors and certain agricultural or livestock farming practices [70]. Land use hypotheses were also considered according to what is established by Spanish law as permissible activities in the different categories of protected areas.…”

Section: Land Use Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zoning a Protected Area: Proposal Based on a Multi-thematic Approach and Final Decision

Ruiz-Labourdette

Schmitz

Montes

et al. 2010

Environ Model Assess

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The Madrid Regional Government (Central Spain) proposes a zone of the Guadarrama Mountains to be declared as a National Park. This paper reports on the zoning method developed to this end. The procedure followed considers compatibility of land uses with landscape characteristics and proposes protecting a part of the zone through declaration of National Park status and declaring another part as a Regional Park. The approach is based upon a multivariate environmental analysis aimed at zoning for optimal location of potential activities. The zoning permits the design of protected areas following the criteria underlying the declaration of these two categories in accordance with the Spanish environmental legislation in force. A practical tool for policy decision-making is provided. However, the final decision taken by policymakers in the design and zoning of protected areas differed from the model output used by the scientists. This is discussed in the paper to illustrate the interactions between political decision-making and scientific modelling.

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“…Large lowland rivers tend to be regionally unique, so even if undisturbed lowland rivers were to be found, they would not necessarily be a valid reference for other rivers. While it is possible to derive RC(BI) for rivers lacking data through modeling or expert opinion (e.g., Wessell et al 2008;Angradi et al 2009;Davies et al 2010), this approach would not be without risks. A large lowland river is typically developed along its entire length, so LDC would generally represent a considerably impaired state and therefore lead to overly optimistic assessments of river health (Wessell et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the ecological health of heavily utilized, large lowland rivers: example of the lower Yellow River, China

et al. 2016

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We describe an approach to assessing biological health in a heavily utilized, large lowland river setting, using the example of the lower Yellow River, China. In this study, the river was divided into four reaches, and a field survey of fish, benthic macroinvertebrates, and riparian plants was undertaken. Data from historical records were used for reference. The scoring system used weighting to adjust for differences in the importance of the chosen indicators and the relative efficiency of the sampling effort. The results indicated that the biological health of the lower Yellow River is distant from historical reference conditions, with its condition generally declining in the downstream direction. This result is consistent with the river's history of impairment of hydrology, water quality, wetland area and character, and physical form. We conclude that the reference river state based on historical conditions is unlikely to equate to the best attainable river health because certain changes have occurred in the river that may prohibit a return to the previous state of ecological health. On the basis of the results of this assessment as well as a review of the literature, we propose field data collection methodologies and indicators that can be applied in future assessments.

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Using stressor gradients to determine reference expectations for great river fish assemblages

Cited by 43 publications

References 21 publications

Selection of ecological indicators for the conservation, management and monitoring of Mediterranean coastal salinas

Selection of ecological indicators for the conservation, management and monitoring of Mediterranean coastal salinas

Zoning a Protected Area: Proposal Based on a Multi-thematic Approach and Final Decision

Assessment of the ecological health of heavily utilized, large lowland rivers: example of the lower Yellow River, China

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