“Habitat Assessment Using the QHEI “ Edward T. Rankin June 6 City of Columbus, Level 3 Training...
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- Habitat Assessment Using the QHEI Edward T. Rankin June 6 City
of Columbus, Level 3 Training Course Columbus, Ohio Senior
ResearchScientist QHEI@aol.com
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- Q ualitative H abitat E valuation I ndex
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- Flow Regime High/Low Extremes Precipitation & Runoff
Velocity Land Use Ground Water Chemical Variables Biotic Factors
Energy Source Habitat Structure Hardness Turbidity pH D.O.
Temperature Alkalinity Solubilities Adsorption Nutrients Organics
Reproduction Disease Parasitism Feeding Predation Competition
Nutrients Sunlight Organic Matter Inputs 1 and 2 Production oo
Seasonal Cycles Riparian Vegetation Siltation Current Substrate
Sinuosity Canopy Instream Cover Gradient Channel Morphology Bank
Stability Width/Depth INTEGRITY OF THE WATER RESOURCE Principal
Goal of the Clean Water Act The Five Major Factors Which Determine
the Integrity of Aquatic Resources (from Karr 1981)
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- Visual Method Tool For Designating Aquatic Life Uses Tool For
Assessing Causes of Impairment Correlated With Biological Integrity
Associated With Sediment/Nutrient Inputs Effects on Biota Occur At
Multiple Scales Matches Resolution of Biological Data
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- Substrate Size, Quality Instream Cover Type, Quality, Amount
Channel Quality Sinuosity, Riffle/Pool Development, Channelization,
Stability Riparian Width, Type, Bank Stability Pool, Riffle/Run
Depth, Morphology, Current Types, Riffle/Run Substrates Stream
Gradient Standardized by Stream Size
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- Level 2 This training and site scored independently at last
site tomorrow Sufficient similarity with Instructor Score Level 3
This training and site scored independently (Level II site above)
Three sites scored outside of this training Sufficient similarity
with all test sites
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- Not explicitly measured in QHEI Reflected in certain metrics
Can be limiting to aquatic life in many instances Consider flow
regime when interpreting data
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- QHEI and its subcomponents correlated with IBI at multiple
scales
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- Structural features include the numerous components of habitat
that include living and non- living attributes. Parent geology and
climatic influences are two factors that influence structural
attributes..
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- areas of the stream with fast current velocity and shallow
depth; the water surface is visibly broken by rocks, boulders, etc.
Functions: High production zone for macroinvertebrates Spawning
area for many sensitive species Feeding area for species groups
such as darters Oxygenation
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- Functions: Spawning Area Feeding Area Oxygenation
Macroinvertebrate Production areas of the stream that have a rapid,
non- turbulent flow; runs are deeper than riffles with faster
current velocity than pools; generally located down- stream from
riffles where the stream narrows; the stream bed is often flat
beneath a run and the water surface is not visibly broken. Run
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- an area of the stream with slow current velocity; depth greater
than riffle and run areas; the stream bed is often concave; stream
width frequently is the greatest; the water surface slope is nearly
zero. Functions: Low Flow Refugia Nursery Area Resting Area Cover
Pool
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- Flat, canal-like flow Shallow, generally poor habitat
Transitional in natural streams Can be predominant in channelized
and altered streams Functions: - Shallow nursery areas -
Invertebrate production
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- Strong Link Between Channel Score and Substrate Score Fine
substrates (e.g., silts) source of attached phosphorus. Improved
channel form will result in higher channel score, higher substrate
scores and less nutrients stored in wetted channel Storm events
will re-suspend less nutrients in stream with intact channels than
with modified channels May use pebble count data and sediment
nutrient concentration from sediment chemical data to create
hypothetical loads with various habitat types QUESTION: How much
channel improvement (e.g., full restoration vs. two-stage channel)
is needed to significantly reduce nutrients?
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- http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/monitoring/rbp/
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- Illinois SHAP U.S. EPA EMAP/NWS Assessment Methods RBP Habitat
Form Other State Methods (e.g., quantitative and qualitative) QHEI
has been modified for other environment and systems (e.g., HHEI,
Lake Erie Shoreline, etc)
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- Goal is to explain variation we observe in aquatic biology What
is relative contribution of habitat condition to observed biology?
What are the factors limiting the biology? When in doubt about
meaning of metric Refer to reference materials Think FUNCTIONALLY!
What is hypothetical link between metric and biology (Think like a
fish!)