Red River of the North Basin
National Water-Quality Assessment Program
Goldstein, R.M., Simon, T.P., Bailey, P.A., Ell, Michael, Pearson, Eric,
Schmidt, Konrad, and Enblom, J.W., 1994 Concepts for an Index of Biotic
Integrity for Streams of the Red River of the North Basin: North Dakota
Water Quality Symposium Proceedings, March 30-31, 1994, Fargo, North
Dakota, North Dakota State University Extension Service, pp.169-180.
The index of biotic integrity (IBI) has been used to assess the biological
quality of rivers and streams in numerous areas of the United States. The IBI
compares measures (called metrics) of the structural and functional
components of the fish community with those from unaffected or minimally
affected communities from ecologically similar areas. The metrics are in
three categories: (1) species richness and composition, (2) trophic structure,
and (3) fish abundance and health. Modifications of the metrics have been
made by previous researchers to account for regional or local differences in
fish communities. A combined effort among Federal and State agencies targets
the multi-state Red River of the North drainage basin for IBI development and
assessment. Some metrics have been modified for application to this
biologically young (since glaciation) system. Several additional new metrics
are proposed for this basin-specific IBI which address the climatological,
hydrological, and biological variability of the region.
Citation
Index-Published Meeting Abstracts | Study Unit Publications |
Red River of
the North Basin, NAWQA | U.S. Geological Survey in
Minnesota | NAWQA Program
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