Aquatic Community Classification, "Heritage Approach"
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Saint Lawrence/Champlain Valley (STL) Aquatic Community Classification, "Heritage Approach" Background Information, Explanation and Justification Draft 1: David Hunt, New York Natural Heritage Program (Riverine Communities: March 14, 2000; Lacustrine Communities: May 3, 2000) Final Draft: January 12, 2003; David Hunt, Ecological Intuition & Medicine Saint Lawrence/Champlain Valley (STL) Aquatic Community Working Group Working Group Leader: David Hunt, New York Natural Heritage Program Team Members: Mark Anderson, Eric Sorenson Other Cooperators: Mark Bryer, Susan Warren, Steve Fiske, Rich Langdon, Mark Fitzgerald, Mike Kline, Jim Kellogg, Kathy Schneider, Jonathan Higgins, Sandy Bonanno, Gerry Smith, Judy Ross, Paul Novak, Greg Edinger. List of Tables, Figures, Appendices and Other Attachments. Glossary of Classification Units Table 1. Tally of Aquatic Community Units in First Iteration STL Classification Table 2. List of Aquatic Macrohabitat Types of New York Table 3. List of Aquatic Macrohabitats Targeted for STL Portfolio Table 4. List of Aquatic Macrohabitats Known or Strongly Suspected from NY/VT STL Table 5. Microhabitat Type Hierarchy used in STL Aquatic Community Classification Table 6. Species Assemblage Hierarchy for STL Aquatic Community Classification Figure 1. Visual Key to Non-Tidal Riverine Macrohabitat Types of New York Figure 2. Visual Key to Non-Tidal Lacustrine Macrohabitat Types of New York Figure 3. River Macrohabitat Types Over a Representative Stream Course/Corridor Figure 4. Influence of Natural Barriers on Species Assemblage Distributions Figure 5. Stream Macrohabitat Classification for Wallface Mountain-Street Mountain Figure 6. Flow Microhabitats in Rivers (Microhabitat type composition/structure of macrohabitat type-Streams) Figure 7. Depth/Substrate Microhabitats (Zones) of a Lake Figure 8. Differentiation of Aquatic and Terrestrial Associations Key 1. Dichotomous Key to Basic Freshwater Aquatic Macrohabitat Types of New York Appendix 1. River Macrohabitats Appendix 2. Lake Macrohabitats Appendix 3. River Species Assemblages Appendix 4. Lake Species Assemblages Appendix 5. Aquatic Macrohabitat Template Appendix 6. Species Assemblage Template Attachment 1. TNC's Aquatic Classification Framework/Hierarchy Attachment 2. NYHP Aquatic Community Classification Attachment 3. NYHP Community Specifications: Sample Attachment 4. NYHP Aquatic Field Forms Attachment 5. NYHP Aquatic Field Forms: Sample Attachment 6. VTHP Aquatic Community Classification Attachment 7. NHHP Aquatic Community Classification Attachment 8. MEHP Aquatic Community Classification Attachment 9. Great Lakes Basin Aquatic Community Classification Attachment 10. Widoff Regional Lake Community Classification (sample) Attachment 11. Lampert and Sommer: Characterization of Oligotrophic and Eutrophic Lakes Attachment 12. Ecological Drainage Units within New York part of Great Lakes Basin Attachment 13. Great Lakes Basin Stream Targets Attachment 14. Haeur and Lamberti: Hierarchical Subdivision of Channel Units in Streams Attachment 15. Associations of Lake George Attachment 16. NE U.S. Vegetation Classification: Aquatic Association Sample Attachment 17. Great Lakes Basin Fish Alliances (1998) Attachment 18. Great Lakes Basin Fish Communities (2000) GLOSSARY OF CLASSIFICATION UNITS Ecological Alliance (= Biotic Alliance) A biotic classification unit representing an aggregated group of ecological associations of somewhat dissimilar taxa which repeatedly occur in close geographic proximity, clustered in a mosaic. This unit often occurs at relatively large spatial scales, usually corresponding to a single regional macrohabitat (entire lake or segment of stream systems), and is generally restricted to a geographic region. Ecological Association (=Biotic Association) A biotic classification unit representing an aggregation of species assemblages of different taxonomic groups, especially resident species, which repeatedly occur in close geographic proximity, clustered in a mosaic. This unit occurs at relatively small spatial scales, usually corresponding to regional microhabitats (portions of lakes or portions of stream reaches) and is generally restricted to a geographic region. The term "plant association" follows a similar concept: "a plant community of definite floristic composition, presenting a uniform physiognomy, and growing in uniform habitat conditions" (Anderson et al., 2000). Ecological Community "A variable assembly of interacting plant and animal populations that share a common environment" distinguished by features such as ecological structure, physiognomy, the composition of resident organisms, and ecological processes. (Reschke, 1990) Macrohabitat Type (=Basic Macrohabitat Type; Generalized Macrohabitat Type) A relatively large-scale community classification unit that is primarily physiochemically based and thus repeatable over large geographic regions, theoretically worldwide. Defined in part by their unique combination and abundance of microhabitat types. Biotically, these units might be differentiated by broad patterns of biota at very high taxonomic levels, as opposed to regional macrohabitats that are based on regional difference in biota at lower taxonomic levels. Macrohabitat (=Regional Macrohabitat; =Specific Macrohabitat) A community classification unit that is primarily physiochemically based and generally confined to specific geographic regions (especially ecoregions). This unit is based on regional differences in biota at low taxonomic levels, and is thus taxonomically finer in scale than basic macrohabitat types. Microhabitat Type (=Basic Microhabitat Type) A community classification unit that is primarily physiochemically based and generally represents discrete physical habitats within macrohabitats with relatively uniform physical properties, especially for flow, light regime, water chemistry and thermal patterns. Microhabitat (=Regional Microhabitat; =Specific Microhabitat) A community classification unit that is primarily physiochemically based and generally confined to specific geographic regions (especially ecoregions). This unit is based on regional differences in biota at low taxonomic levels, and is thus taxonomically finer in scale than basic microhabitat types. Species Assemblage A distinct biological collection of (taxonomically similar) species which recur under similar habitat conditions and ecological processes. (Vermont's Aquatic Classification Work Group, 1998; slightly annotated) Table 1. Tally of Aquatic Community Units in First Iteration STL Classification Part 1. Abiotic Units Known, Suspected & Potential from STL. Ecoregion Units: 3 characteristic: 1 (STL) peripheral: 2 to 3 (NAP, GL, "Acadian") Microhabitat Types: 12 Flow Microhabitat Types: 3 Depth/Substrate Microhabitat Types: 5 Light Regime Microhabitat Types: 4 A. RIVERINE Basic Macrohabitat Types: 9 (known/suspected) Regional Macrohabitats: 25 known/suspected: 16 characteristic STL types: 8 peripheral NAP types: 4 peripheral GL types: 4 potential: 9 peripheral NAP types: 5 peripheral GL types: 4 total STL types: 8 total NAP types: 9 total GL types: 8 Regional Microhabitats: total known/suspected/potential from STL: ca. 30 to 50 ---------------------------------------- B. LACUSTRINE Basic Macrohabitat Types: 13 (known/suspected) Regional Macrohabitats: 25 known/suspected: 14 characteristic STL types: 10 peripheral NAP types: 2 peripheral GL types: 2 potential: 11 peripheral NAP types: 7 peripheral GL types: 4 total STL types: 10 total NAP types: 9 total GL types: 6 Regional Microhabitats: total known/suspected/potential: ca. 40 to 60 Table 1. (continued) Part 2. Biotic Units Known, Suspected & Potential from STL and NAP. A. RIVERINE Species Assemblages: 43 characteristic STL: 30 suspected in STL: 39 Plants: 15 characteristic STL: 10 characteristic NAP: 10 suspected in STL: 14 Macroinvertebrates: 16 characteristic STL: 11 characteristic NAP: 5 suspected in STL: 16 Fish: 9 characteristic STL: 7 characteristic NAP: 2 suspected in STL: 7 Herptiles: 2 characteristic STL: 2 suspected in STL: 2 Aquatic Alliances: 16* Aquatic Associations: ca. 30 to 40** ----------------------------------------------- B. LACUSTRINE Species Assemblages: 67 characteristic STL: 43 suspected in STL: 59 Plants: 26 characteristic STL: 18 suspected in STL: 23 Vascular Plant Dominated: 11 characteristic STL: 4 characteristic NAP: 5 characteristic GL: 2 suspected in STL: 9 Macroscopic Non-Vascular Plant Dominated: 7 characteristic STL: 7 Phytoplankton: 8 characteristic STL: 7 characteristic NAP: 1 suspected in STL: 7 Macroinvertebrates: 24 characteristic STL: 11 characteristic NAP: 13 suspected in STL: 21 Fish: 8 characteristic STL: 7 characteristic NAP: 1 suspected in STL: 7 Zooplankton: 7 characteristic STL: 6 characteristic NAP: 1 suspected in STL: 6 Herptiles: 2 characteristic STL: 1 characteristic NAP: 1 suspected in STL: 2 Aquatic Alliances: 14* Aquatic Associations: ca. 100 to 200*** * Under the hypothesis that these correspond 1:1 with regional macrohabitats. ** Under the hypothesis that these correspond 1:1 with regional microhabitats. ** Under the hypothesis that there is on average about 3 associations per macrohabitat- microhabitat combination. Table 2. List of Aquatic Macrohabitat Types of New York RIVERINE SYSTEM (9 types) Riverine Cave Community Intermittent Stream Spring Backwater Slough Rocky Headwater Stream Marsh Headwater Stream Confined River Unconfined River Deepwater River LACUSTRINE SYSTEM (17 types) Salt Pond* Lacustrine Cave Community Pine Barrens