ArticlePDF Available

Biological interity: a long negelcted aspect of water resource management

Wiley
Ecological Applications
Authors:
James R Karr at University of Washington
James R Karr
Download full-text PDFDownload full-text PDF
Read full-text
Download citation

Abstract

Water of sufficient quality and quantity is critical to all life. Increasing human population and growth of technology require human society to devote more and more attention to protection of adequate supplies of water. Although perception of biological degradation stimulated current state and federal legislation on the quality of water resources, that biological focus was lost in the search for easily measured physical and chemical surrogates. The "fishable and swimmable" goal of the Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 (PL 92-500) and its charge to "restore and maintain" biotic integrity illustrate that law's biological underpinning. Further, the need for operational definitions of terms like "biological integrity" and "unreasonable degradation" and for ecologically sound tools to measure divergence from societal goals have increased interest in biological monitoring. Assessment of water resource quality by sampling biological communities in the field (ambient biological monitoring) is a promising approach that requires expanded use of ecological expertise. One such approach, the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), provides a broadly based, multiparameter tool for the assessment of biotic integrity in running waters. IBI based on fish community attributes has now been applied widely in North America. The success of IBI has stimulated the development of similar approaches using other aquatic taxa. Expanded use of ecological expertise in ambient biological monitoring is essential to the protection of water resources. Ecologists have the expertise to contribute significantly to those programs.
113-1991-Ecol Applications biological integri
ty.pdf
Content uploaded by James R Karr
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by James R Karr on Jan 20, 2016
Content may be subject to copyright.
113-1991-Ecol Applications biological integri
ty.pdf
Content uploaded by James R Karr
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by James R Karr on Jul 18, 2014
Content may be subject to copyright.
... First, environmental filtering strongly determines which species from the regional species pool can survive and reproduce in specific habitats (Menge & Olson, 1990;Ricklefs & Schluther, 1993;Elliot et al., 1995;Poff, 1997). A species can persist locally if its trait state complex aligns with habitat conditions and enables adaptation to local biotic interactions (Karr, 1991;Mackay, 1992;Sweeney, 1993;Townsend et al., 1997). Species lacking appropriate traits or trait combinations are filtered out by environment (Poff, 1997;Götzenberger et al., 2012). ...
... In brief, hydrological regimes and water quality can individually and interactively determine community composition from the same species pool (Karr, 1991;Mackay, 1992;Sweeney, 1993;Wallace & Webster, 1996;Townsend et al., 1997). Flow intermittency and poor ecological conditions, as stressors, may occur either separately or simultaneously across different streams (Lukács et al., 2021). ...
Exploring macroinvertebrate community assembly rules: unraveling the effects of flow intermittency and poor ecological potential on environmental filtering and limiting similarity through functional traits
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2025
  • HYDROBIOLOGIA
Flow intermittency and poor environmental conditions can occur separately or simultaneously, affecting the occurrence of trait states in stream macroinvertebrate assemblages. Within the framework of limiting similarity theory, we investigate whether environmental filtering or limiting similarity serves as the primary driver force under three environmental conditions: unstressed (perennial environment and good ecological potential), single-stressed (intermittent condition or poor ecological potential), and multi-stressed (intermittent condition and poor ecological potential) environments. Our analysis validated neutral trait states that are not influenced by different environmental stressors. In unstressed environments, limiting similarity is the primary driver force shaping the macroinvertebrate community. In stressed environments, however, the type of stress determines the influence of environmental filtering. It is not the quantity but rather the quality of stress that increases the influence of environmental filtering. Flow intermittency has a more pronounced effect on the aquatic community than poor ecological potential because it eliminates living conditions, while poor ecological conditions merely restrict them. As anticipated, we observed that certain trait states have specific responses indicating that different driver forces influence them across various environmental conditions. Our study provides valuable insights for managing freshwater habitats and developing adaptive conservation strategies considering increasing drought frequency worldwide.
View
... Although now more than 30 years ago, Karr (1991) discussed the index of biological integrity (IBI) in terms of an operationally-direct linkage of field data to broad legislative goals and objectives of the CWA. It is important to understand, as a critical concept, that reference conditions are used to represent biological integrity as a goal, functionally including chemical and physical integrity. ...
Integrating Bioassessment in the Global Sustainability Agenda
Technical Report
Full-text available
  • Dec 2024
Biomonitoring is a crucial tool for enhancing policy responses and ensuring the sustainability of water resources, both closing the gaps on, and complementing, water quality monitoring and other ambient water quality monitoring approaches. To meet the targets of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: ‘Clean water and sanitation for all’ and address the global water quality crisis, biological monitoring and assessment need to be integrated into national and transboundary water quality monitoring frameworks. This effort will bridge current data gaps and encourage and enhance comparability among programs, data sets, and assessments where ambient water quality is concerned, and in a way that supports overall water management.
View
... Indices of biological integrity (IBI) are commonly used to serve as a holistic measure of overall river health. IBIs are intended to reflect the integrity, resilience, and diversity of ecosystems, which are attributes of direct interest to the public and policymakers (Bain et al., 2000;Barbour et al., 1999;Karr, 1991). For example, biological integrity is an explicit goal of the United States Clean Water Act (1972), and has been found in citizen deliberations to be a highly valued environmental asset (Mavrommati et al., 2021). ...
Local land‐use decisions drive losses in river biological integrity to 2099: Using machine learning to disentangle interacting drivers of ecological change in policy forecasts
Article
Full-text available
Climate and land‐use/land‐cover (LULC) change each threaten the health of rivers. Rising temperatures, changes in rainfall and runoff, and other perturbations, will all impact rivers' physical, biological, and chemical characteristics over the next century. While scientists and policymakers have increasing access to climate and LULC forecasts, the implications of each for outcomes of interest have been difficult to quantify. This is partially because climate and LULC perturb ecological outcomes via incompletely understood site‐specific, interacting, and nonlinear mechanisms that are not well suited to analysis using classical statistical methods. This creates uncertainties over the benefits of local‐level interventions such as green infrastructure investments and urban densification, and limits how forecasts can be used to inform decision‐making. Here, we demonstrate how machine learning can be used to quantify the relative contributions of LULC and climate drivers to impacts on riverine health as measured by taxonomic richness of the macroinvertebrate orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT). We develop a cross‐validated Random Forest (RF) model to link EPT taxa richness to meteorological, water quality, hydrologic, and LULC variables in watersheds in New Hampshire and Vermont, USA. Prospective climate and LULC scenarios are used to generate predictions of these variables and of EPT taxa richness trends through the year 2099. The model structure is mechanistically interpretable and performs well on test data (R² ~ 0.4). Impacts on EPT taxa richness are driven by local LULC policy such as increased suburbanization. Future trends are likely to be exacerbated by climate change, although warming conditions suggest possible increases in springtime EPT taxa richness. Overall, this analysis highlights (1) the impact of local LULC decisions on riverine health in the context of a changing climate, and (2) the role machine learning methods can play in developing models that disentangle interacting physical mechanisms to advance decision support.
View
... Understanding biological condition is an important component of managing healthy ecosystems and maintaining and restoring biological integrity is a goal of the U.S. Clean Water Act. Therefore, developing an indicator that incorporates multiple measures of a biological assemblage plays an important part in whether an indicator is successful in describing the biological condition of an ecosystem (Karr 1991). Multimetric indicators (MMIs) have been used to assess the biological condition of aquatic ecosystems in the U.S. for over 40 y (Karr 1981, Karr et al. 1986, Barbour et al. 1995 and on all continents but Antarctica (Ruaro et al. 2020;. ...
View
... Bioindicators make it possible to measure different aspects, from biochemical, physiological, or immunological markers at the cellular or tissue level (Peakall & Shugart, 1992) to population and community ecological variables, such as abundance, composition, and richness (Markert et al., 2003). Within this panorama, indices of biotic or biological integrity (IBI) consider a series of organismic and ecological attributes of individuals (Karr, 1991), using their biological characteristics to comprehensively and effectively assess the condition or health of ecosystems. ...
Approach to a biotic integrity index of phycoperiphyton in the Colombian Zapatosa Swamp Complex
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2025
Las microalgas son organismos productores utilizados como bioindicadores desde el siglo XIX. Se caracterizan por su rápida reproducción, sus ciclos de vida cortos y la facilidad de su colecta, y aunque su identificación es complicada, se han evaluado otros atributos como sus medidas morfológicas y sus rasgos funcionales, los cuales permiten hacer una rápida y eficiente valoración de estos organismos, subsanando algunos inconvenientes taxonómicos. En este trabajo se desarrolló una herramienta de evaluación de la salud ecosistémica del Complejo Cenagoso de Zapatosa (CCZ), basada en la composición y en las características biológicas y ecológicas de la comunidad de algas perifíticas, para determinar su integridad biótica y valorar el estado ecológico de este conjunto de ciénagas. Para ello, se analizó la composición de dichas algas en el CCZ, se evaluaron algunos aspectos de su morfología funcional y se seleccionaron las variables funcionales más apropiadas para la elaboración de un índice de integridad biótica (IIB) de esta comunidad. Los análisis matemáticos y estadísticos mostraron que los atributos seleccionados (dimensión lineal máxima, biovolumen, área superficial, exoesqueleto de sílice, mucílago, colonias, aerotopos y flagelos) fueron razonablemente apropiados para el desarrollo del IIB y que se correlacionaron con algunas variables ambientales. Con los resultados del IIB se discriminaron las condiciones ecológicas de las distintas zonas del CCZ. Sin embargo, el índice propuesto es una primera aproximación, que deberá desarrollarse en el futuro para lograr una herramienta de gestión y predicción eficaz, teniendo en cuenta los cambios estacionales en la hidrología del CCZ.
View
... Benthic macroinvertebrates are a highly diverse taxonomic group in stream ecosystems, including sensitive taxa with varying degrees of tolerance to water quality gradients (Lenat 1988, Strayer 2006, Verdonschot & Moog 2006, Schletterer et al. 2010. Therefore, the composition of the stream invertebrate community has been used as a comprehensive measure of water quality corresponding to the time scale of their life history (Karr 1991, Bonada et al. 2006. To date, a variety of biotic indices based on invertebrate composition have been developed to assess stream water quality worldwide (Hering et al. 2004, Morse et al. 2007, Eriksen et al. 2021. ...
Application and development of invertebrate indices for water quality assessment in Indonesian streams
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2024
The invertebrate indices for assessing water quality have not been widely developed in tropical regions where invertebrate diversity is generally high and severe water quality degradation is ongoing. We compared the applicability of six existing invertebrate indices using the dataset from 23 Indonesian streams and developed a new index by modifying an existing one using Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN). Analyses using general linear models (GLMs) revealed that among the six existing indices, the biological monitoring working party (BMWP)-based scoring system for Thailand streams (BMWP THAI) exhibited the strongest negative relationship with phosphate (PO4-P) concentration, a proxy for stream water quality. Based on the results of TITAN, five taxa were added to develop a modified invertebrate index, namely BMWP IDN, by assigning taxon scores in accordance with the responses to the water quality gradient. The relationship between the BMWP IDN and PO4-P concentration was found to be stronger than any of the existing invertebrate indices, indicating the superiority of the new index. Therefore, the extraction of uncovered sensitive taxa was important for modifying the existing index, and this study can contribute to improving the invertebrate index for assessing water quality of Indonesian streams.
View
... Metrics are simple-to-measure variables that predict ecosystemlevel attributes or functions. A common example is the index of biotic integrity (Karr, 1991), which uses community structure to measure health and anthropogenic impacts in aquatic ecosystems. IBIs have been employed in freshwater wetland monitoring using macroinvertebrates (Uzarski et al., 2004), fish (Uzarski et al., 2005), amphibians (Micacchion et al., 2015), plants (Dybiec et al., 2020) and mosses (Stapanian et al., 2016). ...
Evaluating restoration success using metric‐based indicators of ecosystem recovery in tidal marshes along the northern Gulf of Mexico
Article
Full-text available
Habitat restoration is commonly used to recover ecosystem services, but due to resource constraints, post‐project monitoring often fails to fully evaluate the recovery of important ecosystem functions. Metric‐based indicators use simple‐to‐measure variables to assess ecosystem health and function, thereby providing a time‐ and cost‐effective method to improve monitoring. We used a tidal‐marsh data set to develop metric‐based indicators of ecosystem recovery. In 2021 and 2022, we surveyed eight restored/created and three natural reference tidal marshes in the northern Gulf of Mexico to assess the recovery of ecosystem attributes (e.g. above‐ and below‐ground biomass, soil organic matter [SOM] and sediment total carbon [C] and total nitrogen [N]). To determine what combinations of variables best predicted recovery, we split our data into model training and testing data sets, used backwards model selection and then created and tested a metric‐based indicator of ecosystem recovery. Recovery of plant above‐ and below‐ground biomass and sediment structure (i.e. SOM, C and N)—important measures of wetland carbon sink capacity and biogeochemical functioning—could be predicted through a combination of simpler to measure variables, such as time since restoration, percent plant cover and sediment bulk density. The indicator constructed from these relationships was highly effective in predicting the development of ecosystem attributes (r = 0.85, p < 0.001). Synthesis and applications. This indicator approach provides an effective but simple method to assess the recovery of ecosystem attributes in tidal marshes, and it can be used to develop similar indicators in other ecosystems. By overcoming resource constraints of post‐project monitoring, metric‐based indicators of ecosystem recovery may serve as a key strategy to improve restoration outcomes.
View
View
Development of a Wetland Ecosystem Health Assessment Method Using Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community
Article
  • Dec 2024
  • WETLANDS
Benthic macroinvertebrates are a major ecological group in freshwater ecosystems, exhibiting diverse adaptations depending on their habitat. Based on these characteristics, studies using benthic macroinvertebrate communities for aquatic ecosystem health assessments are currently being conducted worldwide, primarily focusing on lotic ecosystems such as rivers, and estuaries. However, due to the significant environmental changes caused by water flow affecting water quality, food sources, and microhabitats, it is essential to develop indices specialized for lentic ecosystems, which have different flow characteristics, to accurately evaluate their health. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a wetland health assessment index using benthic macroinvertebrates. Preliminary indicators were selected from domestic and international health assessment methods, and final indicators were chosen based on their correlation with water quality status, applicability in Korea, redundancy between indicators, and their reflection of wetland characteristics. The verification of each indicator was performed using benthic macroinvertebrate community data from 37 wetlands, while water quality data were used from wetland assessments conducted from 2018 to 2022. Evaluation scores were calculated based on the cumulative distribution function, reflecting the distribution of data for each indicator. The final indicators included the number of taxa, total individual density, the number and percentage of OCH (Odonata, Coleoptera, Hemiptera) taxa and individual density, non-insect taxa (%), Chironomidae spp. individual density (%), functional feeding groups (FFGs), and habitat-oriented groups (HOGs), with a total of eight indicators selected. We developed an index to effectively assess Korean wetland health, providing a foundational resource for health evaluations in Korea.
View
Water Resources
Chapter
  • Nov 2024
That one natural resource that is intricately linked to human survival and connected with every form of social development is undoubtedly fresh water.
View
Trophic structure of bird communities in forest patches in east-central Illinois
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 1983
  • Wilson Bull
Small forests were dominated by omnivores that frequently foraged in surrounding farmland. Foliage insectivores, primarily Neotropical migrants, were uncommon in smaller forests, but comprised the largest component of bird communities in large forests. Species totals in major trophic groups were significantly correlated with area in all years. Highest correlations were observed for foliage insectivores and bark insectivores. The former group had the highest slope, indicating the most rapid increase in species number with area, a reflection of the increase in number of long-distance migrants in larger forests. Abundances of both foliage and bark insectivores were strongly correlated with area. Omnivores were more common than expected in small forests. Ground insectivores and bark insectivores were more common than expected in large forests. Foliage insectivores were underrepresented over the entire range of forest size. -from Author
View
The Effects of Chemical Stress on Aquatic Species Composition and Community Structure
Chapter
Full-text available
  • Jan 1989
Biological communities are sensitive to their chemical environment, although the degree of sensitivity varies among species and communities. Aquatic ecosystems are particularly responsive to chemical stress, because pollutants tend to be well-distributed throughout zones of active mixing, and because communities tend to be dominated by motile, short-lived species with high reproductive rates. Response to chemical stress often involves rapid changes in species composition of aquatic ecosystems that can translate into changes in various aspects of community structure, such as species richness.
View
View
Stream management: emerging global similarities.
Article
  • Jan 1987
Stream management throughout the world requires a holistic, ecosystem approach, that is partly centered on stream riparian zones, but also involves fisheries management and factors exogenous to the stream. The importance of the riparian zone as a buffer between the sream and watershed is illustrated by examples from Denmark and The Netherlands where agricultural use of the watershed threatens surface-water quality. The holistic approach is extended to a global perspective where factors wholly outside the watershed may affect streams. Examples are deforestation in western Africa that causes desertification in Zimbabwe and long-range transport of air pollutants that causes acidification of running waters in Scandinavia. -from Authors
View
View
View
View
The Patch Dynamics Concept of Stream Community Ecology
Article
  • Mar 1989
Stream ecologists are faced with the problem of recognizing patterns in community organization and explaining the processes that determine these patterns. I argue that streams conform reasonably closely to the patch dynamics explanation of community organization which emphasizes temporal phenomena and focusses on the importance of history and chance. Even where competition or predation have been shown to play a role in shaping stream communities, the temporal phenomena of disturbance and colonization are invariably also of fundamental importance. In most cases, temporal variation is probably the factor of overriding significance, and species with weedy characteristics are a particularly prominent feature of streams. I highlight the critical role played by refugia as sources of recolonization after spates, and therefore as buffers against disturbance. A theoretical framework based on the patch dynamics view of community ecology may provide a unifying theme in stream ecology.
View
What Constitutes Ecosystem Health?
Article
  • Sep 1989
  • PERSPECT BIOL MED
There are three approaches commonly taken to the question of the health of nature. Most attention, as in human medicine, is given to signs and symptoms of pathology. Their absence allows the presumption that the ecosystem is in a healthy condition. A second approach involves monitoring recovery times after disturbance. While this is not a 'test' that can easily be performed 'at will' on regional scales (although such tests have been carried out both in the laboratory and field on 'micro' scales), natural or human-induced disturbances often provide opportunities for such observations (e.g., forest fires or clear cutting). Measures of the time required for the return of 'normal' conditions provides a measure of counteractive capacity. A third approach examines health status on the basis of potential threats from exposures to known stresses. Such assessments depend on case histories of similar ecosystems exposed to the same type of stress (e.g., the effects of oil spills on coastal marine environments). To determine health status, somewhat different criteria may be applied to managed ecosystems compared to natural or 'pristine' systems. However, in both cases a primary consideration is the extent to which ecological integrity is preserved and the ecosystem is sustainable. Forming, as they do, somewhat arbitrarily conceived entities embedded in a larger three-dimensional space (comprising the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere), the health of ecosystems ultimately both depends on and determines conditions in regional and global environments.
View
View