Overview of Land Cover and Geomorphic Indicators of Biotic Integrity in the Etowah River Basin, Georgia
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Author(s)
Leigh, David S.
Freeman, Byron J.
Freeman, Mary C.
Kramer, Elizabeth A.
Pringle, Catherine M.
Rosemond, Amy D.
Paul, Michael J.
Walters, David M.
Roy, Allison
Lo, C. P.
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Hatcher, Kathryn J.
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Abstract
Land cover, catchment geomorphology, stream channel geomorphology, and water quality were measured at 32 sites in the Etowah River basin north of Atlanta to identify landscape indicators of biotic integrity in Piedmont streams. Results show that multivariate models using two or three variables from these indicator categories explain 60 to 90 percent of the variation in multi-metric scores of biotic integrity for fishes and macroinvertebrates. Thus, these landscape indicators provide a suitable proxy for the biotic quality of streams, and they can be used to help manage, restore, and predict degraded and impaired stream conditions that result from urban growth and other changes in land cover.
Sponsor
Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology
Date
2001-03
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Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Proceedings