Abstract
Using a probabilistic survey design, we assessed the ecologicalcondition of the Florida (U.S.A.) portion of the Escambia Riverwatershed using selected environmental and benthicmacroinvertebrate data. Macroinvertebrates were sampled at 28sites during July-August 1996, and 3414 individuals wereidentified. Taxonomic data were distilled into the 8 m ofthe Stream Condition Index (SCI), developed specifically forFlorida waterways, and sites were classified on an ordinal scaleas very good, good, poor, and very poor. The weighted cumulativedistribution function of the SCI showed that 8% (± 7) of thestream and river miles in this landscape were in very goodcondition, while 25% (± 7), 51% (± 16), and 16%(±15) were in good, poor, and very poor condition, respectively.The only environmental parameter significantly correlated withSCI was dissolved oxygen (DO), and two sites classified as verypoor had oxygen levels around or below 2 mg L-1. However, othersites exhibited similarly low SCI values without the attendantlow DO, implying that factors determining site condition werecomplex and multivariate. The results of this survey corroborateFederal and state assessments demonstrating that many locationswithin this watershed exhibit significant degradation.
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DiDonato, G.T., Summers, J.K. & Roush, T.H. Assessing the Ecological Condition of a Coastal Plain Watershed Using a Probabilistic Survey Design. Environ Monit Assess 85, 1–21 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023348931931
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023348931931