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Ecological Integrity Assessment of Ozark Rivers

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Ecological Integrity Assessment of Ozark Rivers ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT OF OZARK RIVERS TO DETERMINE SUITABILITY FOR PROTECTIVE STATUS by Andrea Radwell Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division Department of Biological Sciences University of Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas 2000 COOP UNIT PUBLICATION NO. 36 ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT OF OZARK RIVERS TO DETERMINE SUITABILITY FOR PROTECTIVE STATUS ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT OF OZARK RIVERS TO DETERMINE SUITABILITY FOR PROTECTIVE STATUS A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science by Andrea Radwell, B.S., M.A. Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 1971, 1972 May 2000 University of Arkansas THESIS DUPLICATION RELEASE I hereby authorize the University of Arkansas Libraries to duplicate this thesis when needed for research and/or scholarship. Agreed _______________________________________ Refused ______________________________________ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank the many people who have expressed their confidence in me, shared their expertise, and provided the encouragement and guidance needed to complete the research presented in this thesis. Without Dr. Tom Kwak’s initial confidence in my abilities to become a researcher, this project would never have been undertaken. He provided the important step in helping me develop my ideas for this project into a coherent, well-defined research agenda. He has always encouraged me to proceed, never doubting my ability to carry on. He has provided guidance from start to finish. I will always value both his friendship and his contribution to my growth as a graduate student and a researcher. Dr. Art Brown is deserving of acknowledgement for sharing his wealth of knowledge of stream ecology and his enthusiasm for studying and protecting the natural environment. Kip Heth deserves special recognition for invaluable assistance with invertebrate identification. I thank Dr. Paul Vendrell for providing insight into water quality issues. And I would also like to acknowledge Dwayne Rambo for his cooperative spirit in sharing data that he collected in 1996 that was incorporated into this study. Dr. James Dunn and Lynnette Duncan of the Mathematical Sciences Department made a major contribution to my understanding of statistical analyses. They offered great patience, genuine interest, and creative options for analysis of my data. I am most grateful for their contribution to this research. iv The Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit provided financial support, office support, and equipment, as well as field technician assistance. I thank Barbara Parker, Dennis Lichtenberg, and Casey Pevey for being there for me. Many individuals spent time in the rivers with me, and I extend my appreciation for the help of Sam Allen, Rebecca Dukes, Jacque Hill, Shane Jackson, April King, Mike Mason, Danielle Pender, Scott Quinton, Rhonda Rimer, and Jennifer Robbins. I offer special thanks to Rhonda Rimer for the many hours she gave and for her spirited appreciation of this project, and to Jacque Hill for the generous hospitality he offered to us at his home during field work. The landowners along the rivers were gracious enough to allow us access to sampling sites, as well as cordial and willing to share information about the unique river environment they know so well. Malcolm Williamson and Anne Gisiger from the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies were most helpful with the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) component of this study. Conclusions surrounding the data that they assisted me in obtaining were among the most important findings in this study. Also, Terri and Bruce Gorham have been great friends and colleagues – providing further assistance with GIS analyses, as well as sharing an enthusiasm for my project. For much of my life and this study, I had the loyal support of my sister, Karen. I only wish she were still with me to see the completion of this work. I know she would have expressed pride in my achievements, as she often did over the course of my life. I have worked hard to live up to her expectations. Margie and Nick, my remaining sister and brother, have taken a sincere interest in my work, which has been positive for all of us. v Sharing the “trials and tribulations” as well as the joys of this research with my son, Brent, has served to motivate me to do my very best. We are role models for one another. His expressed support and excitement over my accomplishments is truly rewarding. To all these people, I extend a most sincere thank-you – it could not have been done without you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES xii ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION 3 OBJECTIVES AND RELEVANCE 8 BACKGROUND 10 Ecological Integrity 10 History of Aquatic Bioassessment 11 Recent Bioassessment Protocols 13 Ecoregion Perspective 14 Fish Assemblages 15 Macroinvertebrate Assemblages 16 Instream Habitat and Riparian Vegetation 18 METHODS 19 Study Rivers and Sampling Sites 19 Field and Laboratory Procedures 21 Fish Assemblages 21 Macroinvertebrate Assemblages 23 Instream Habitat and Riparian Vegetation 24 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page Water Quality 25 Geographic Information System Analysis 25 Statistical Methods 26 Cluster and Discriminant Function Analyses 26 Multidimensional Scaling 28 RESULTS 32 Biological Attributes 32 Fish Assemblages 32 Macroinvertebrate Assemblages 53 Physical and Chemical Attributes 53 Instream Habitat and Riparian Vegetation 53 Water Quality 75 Watershed Attributes 75 River Comparisons 81 Biotic and Physical Variable Comparisons 81 River Grouping based on Similarities 87 Ranking Rivers Relative to Ideal Conditions 90 DISCUSSION 94 LITERATURE CITED 101 viii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Geographic location and description of watersheds and 22 sampling sites. Table 2. Original data sources and categories used in GIS analysis of 27 watershed attributes. Data were derived from the digital data archives of the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST), University of Arkansas. Table 3. Values assigned to metrics for a conceptually ideal 29 headwater river reach in the Boston Mountain ecoregion. Table 4. Fish species present, metric classification, and number of 33 sites where each was present. Table 5. Fish assemblage characteristics for headwater reaches of 10 37 Boston Mountain rivers. Table 6. Density and biomass estimates for fishes sampled in Big 39 Piney Creek 15 October 1998. Table 7. Density and biomass estimates for fishes sampled in 40 Hurricane Creek 28 June 1996 (Rambo 1998). Table 8. Density and biomass estimates for fishes sampled in Kings 41 River 29 July 1998. Table 9. Density and biomass estimates for fishes sampled in Middle 42 Fork Illinois Bayou 9 July 1996 (Rambo 1998). Table 10. Density and biomass estimates for fishes sampled in 44 Mulberry River 12 September 1998. Table 11. Density and biomass estimates for fishes sampled in North 46 Fork Illinois Bayou 2 July 1996 (Rambo 1998). Table 12. Density and biomass estimates for fishes sampled in 47 Richland Creek 20 August 1998. Table 13. Density and biomass estimates for fishes sampled in Upper 48 Buffalo River 20 July 1998. ix LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Page Table 14. Density and biomass estimates for fishes sampled in War 49 Eagle Creek 23 July 1998. Table 15. Density and biomass estimates for fishes sampled in White 51 River 14 July 1998. Table 16. Macroinvertebrate assemblage characteristics for headwater 54 reaches of 10 Boston Mountain rivers. Table 17. Identity and number of macroinvertebrates sampled in Big 55 Piney Creek 16 October 1998. Table 18. Identity and number of macroinvertebrates sampled in 56 Hurricane Creek 1 August 1998. Table 19. Identity and number of macroinvertebrates sampled in Kings 58 River 30 July 1998. Table 20. Identity and number of macroinvertebrates sampled in 60 Middle Fork Illinois Bayou 24 October 1998. Table 21. Identity and number of macroinvertebrates sampled in 61 Mulberry River 12 August 1998. Table 22. Identity and number of macroinvertebrates sampled in North 63 Fork Illinois Bayou 26 September 1998. Table 23. Identity and number of macroinvertebrates sampled in 65 Richland Creek 10 October 1998. Table 24. Identity and number of macroinvertebrates sampled in 67 Upper Buffalo River 20 July 1998. Table 25. Identity and number of macroinvertebrates sampled in 69 War Eagle Creek 27 July 1998. Table 26. Identity and number of macroinvertebrates sampled in White 71 River 14 July 1998. Table 27. Instream habitat and riparian vegetation characteristics for 73 headwater reaches of 10 Boston Mountain rivers. x LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Page Table 28. Water quality characteristics for headwater reaches of 10 76 Boston Mountain rivers sampled in summer. Table 29. Water quality characteristics for headwater reaches of 10 78 Boston Mountain rivers sampled in winter. Table 30. Watershed attributes for headwater reaches of 10 Boston 80 Mountain rivers. Table 31. Statistical characteristics of metrics used in cluster analysis 82 and Guttman’s scaling. Table 32. Pearson correlation coefficient (r) between variables with 85 significance level (probability) of 0.05 or lower. Table 33. Significant variables (p < 0.07) that distinguished between 89 river groupings based on stepwise discriminant analysis. Table 34. Variables that characterized North Fork Illinois Bayou 93 ranked as closest to ideal and War Eagle Creek and White River ranked as furthest from ideal. xi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Map of Boston Mountain ecoregion showing study rivers 20 and sites. Figure 2. Grouping of study rivers based on cluster analysis. 88 Figure 3. Guttman’s scale ranking rivers relative to conceptually ideal 91 conditions using 34 variables describing biotic, physical, chemical, and watershed characteristics. xii ABSTRACT The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 was passed to protect free-flowing rivers with outstanding ecological and social values and requires suitability studies as part of the designation process. An objective, quantitative method to determine suitability based on ecological integrity was developed and tested using headwater reaches of 10 Ozark rivers, five with Wild and Scenic status.
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