Regionalization of the Index of Biotic Integrity for Texas Streams

Regionalization of the Index of Biotic Integrity for Texas Streams

Regionalization of the Index of Biotic Integrity for Texas Streams Gordon W. Linam Leroy J. Kleinsasser Kevin B. Mayes River Studies Report No. 17 Resource Protection Division Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas June 2002 Table of Contents List of Tables.........................................................................................................................................................iii List of Figures....................................................................................................................................................... iv Executive Summary........................................................................... ................................................................... v Methods ................................................................................................................................................................2 Site Selection.....................................................................................................................................................2 Fish Sampling....................................................................................................................................................3 Data Analysis.....................................................................................................................................................4 Results ..................................................................................................................................................................5 Regionalization............................................................................. .....................................................................5 Ecoregion 24 - Southern Deserts ................................................................................................................. 6 Ecoregions 25 and 26 - Western High Plains and Southwestern Tablelands .............................................. 6 Ecoregions 27, 29, and 32 - Subhumid Agricultural Plains........................................................................... 7 Ecoregion 30 - Central Texas Plateau.......................................................................................................... 7 Ecoregion 31 - Southern Texas Plains ......................................................................................................... 7 Ecoregions 33 and 35 - South Central and Southern Humid, Mixed Land Use Region ............................... 7 Ecoregion 34 - Western Gulf Coastal Plain .................................................................................................. 8 Metric Development...........................................................................................................................................8 Ecoregion 24 - Southern Deserts ............................................................................................................... 11 Ecoregions 25 and 26 - Western High Plains and Southwestern Tablelands ............................................ 11 Ecoregions 27, 29, and 32 - Subhumid Agricultural Plains......................................................................... 12 Ecoregion 30 - Central Texas Plateau ....................................................................................................... 14 Ecoregion 31 - Southern Texas Plains ....................................................................................................... 15 Ecoregions 33 and 35 - South Central and Southern Humid, Mixed Land Use Region ............................. 15 Ecoregion 34 - Western Gulf Coastal Plain ............................................................................................... 18 Discussion ..........................................................................................................................................................18 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................23 References..........................................................................................................................................................24 i Appendix A. Site Descriptions....................................................................................................................A1 Appendix B. Guidelines for Applying the Index of Biotic Integrity Metrics ................................................ B1 Appendix C. Fish Species and Abundance in Selected Least Disturbed Reference Streams within Ecoregion 24 (Southern Deserts) ...........................................................................................................C1 Appendix D. Fish Species and Abundance in Selected Least Disturbed Reference Streams within Ecoregions 25 and 26 (Western High Plains and Southwestern Tablelands) ........................................D1 Appendix E. Fish Species and Abundance in Selected Least Disturbed Reference Streams within Ecoregions 27, 29, and 32 (Subhumid Agricultural Plains) .................................................................... E1 Appendix F. Fish Species and Abundance in Selected Least Disturbed Reference Streams within Ecoregion 30 (Central Texas Plateau) ....................................................................................................F1 Appendix G. Fish Species and Abundance in Selected Least Disturbed Reference Streams within Ecoregion 31 (Southern Texas Plains)................................................................................................... G1 Appendix H. Fish Species and Abundance in Selected Least Disturbed Reference Streams within Ecoregions 33 and 35 (South Central and Southern Humid, Mixed Land Use Region) ........................H1 Appendix I. Fish Species and Abundance in Selected Least Disturbed Reference Streams within Ecoregion 34 (Western Gulf Coastal Plain) ............................................................................................. I1 Appendix J. Classification of Texas Freshwater Fishes into Trophic and Tolerance Groups ................... J1 Appendix K. List of Introduced Fish Species in Texas Waters .................................................................K1 ii List of Tables TABLE 1.—Comparison of metrics developed for each Texas ecoregion or ecoregion aggregrate.......................9 TABLE 2.—Fish species collected from the Southern Deserts (Ecoregion 24) ....................................................11 TABLE 3.—Scoring criteria developed to assess stream fish assemblages in the Southern Deserts (Ecoregion 24).............................................................................................................................................. 12 TABLE 4.—Fish species collected from the Southwestern Tablelands (Ecoregion 26)........................................12 TABLE 5.—Scoring criteria developed to assess stream fish assemblages in the Western High Plains and Southwestern Tablelands (Ecoregions 25 and 26) ...................................................................................... 13 TABLE 6.—Fish species collected from the Subhumid Agricultural Plains (Ecoregions 27, 29, and 32) ............13 TABLE 7.—Scoring criteria developed to assess stream fish assemblages in the Subhumid Agricultural Plains (Ecoregions 27, 29, and 32) ............................................................................................................. 14 TABLE 8.—Fish species collected from the Central Texas Plateau (Ecoregion 30) ............................................15 TABLE 9.—Scoring criteria developed to assess stream fish assemblages in the Central Texas Plateau (Ecoregion 30) ............................................................................................................................................. 16 TABLE 10.—Fish species collected from the Southern Texas Plains (Ecoregion 31) .........................................16 TABLE 11.—Scoring criteria developed to assess stream fish assemblages in the Southern Texas Plains (Ecoregion 31).............................................................................................................................................. 17 TABLE 12.—Fish species collected from the South Central and Southern Humid, Mixed Land Use Region (Ecoregions 33 and 35) ................................................................................................................................ 17 TABLE 13.—Scoring criteria developed to assess stream fish assemblages in the South Central and Southern Humid, Mixed Land Use Region (Ecoregions 33 and 35) ............................................................ 19 TABLE 14.—Fish species collected from the Western Gulf Coastal Plain (Ecoregion 34)................................. 20 TABLE 15.—Scoring criteria developed to assess stream fish assemblages in the Western Gulf Coastal Plain (Ecoregion 34) .................................................................................................................................... 20 TABLE 16.—Comparison of statewide versus regional index of biotic integrity scoring criteria results when applied to least disturbed reference streams .............................................................................................. 21 TABLE 17.—Comparison of statewide versus regional index of biotic integrity scoring criteria results when applied to Texas Natural Resource

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