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Selecting objectively defined reference sites for stream bioassessment programs

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Abstract

Our study develops and demonstrates an objective method for selecting reference sites for the assessment of ecological condition in freshwater ecosystems. The method uses widely available GIS data to group potential sites based on their natural environments. It then establishes the degree and types of human activities each site is exposed to prior to scoring the sites in each group by the relative amount of human activity present. Finally, the sites in each group with the least amount of human activity are categorized as reference sites, with the boundary between reference and test sites defined to maximize the distinctiveness of the two categories with respect to human activity. Application of this technique for the purpose of identifying headwater reference basins in rural areas of southwestern Ontario resulted in the classification of basins into six natural groups based on the dominant texture of the surface geology. Development of a human activity gradient indicated that basins varied according to the amount of exposure to agricultural activities with most basins having at least moderate exposure. Establishment of the reference test boundary indicated that the selected reference basins exhibited substantively lower extents of agricultural activity than test sites for most groups. Because this method uses only widely available GIS data, it enables rapid and cost-effective identification of candidate reference sites, even for large, remote, and understudied regions.

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Author notes

  1. Adam Gordon Yates

    Present address: Aquatic Ecosystem Impacts Research Division, Environment Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, 867 Lakeshore Rd., P.O. Box 5050, Burlington, Ontario, Canada, L7R 4A6

  2. Robert C. Bailey

    Present address: Cape Breton University, 1250 Grand Lake Rd., P.O. Box 5300, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, B1P 6L2

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St. N., London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5B7

    Adam Gordon Yates & Robert C. Bailey

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  1. Adam Gordon Yates
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  2. Robert C. Bailey
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Correspondence to Adam Gordon Yates.

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Yates, A.G., Bailey, R.C. Selecting objectively defined reference sites for stream bioassessment programs. Environ Monit Assess 170, 129–140 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-1221-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-1221-1

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