Using Adopt-A-Stream in the coastal plain: a look at the macroinvertebrate index
Author(s)
Muenz, Tara K.
Golladay, Stephen W.
Vellidis, George
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Hatcher, Kathryn J.
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Abstract
As major threats to Georgia’s waterways continue, volunteer-based monitoring groups such as Georgia Adopt-A-Stream (GA AAS) have become a vital source of information on aquatic ecological condition. Biological monitoring is an important component of the program, with macroinvertebrates serving as the primary tool for assessing water quality. We evaluated the validity and applicability of the GA AAS macroinvertebrate index on three impacted and two reference streams within an agricultural landscape in the Coastal Plain region of southwest Georgia. We compared these findings to a concurrent study that examined the condition of streams impacted by grazing livestock, through water quality, physical and vegetative parameters as well as macroinvertebrate metrics. The GA AAS index for macroinvertebrates proved to be effective in separating sites with different impacts, showing similar results as most invertebrate indices, and appears to be a valid tool to assess the ecological condition of Coastal Plain streams.
Sponsor
Sponsored by:
Georgia Environmental Protection Division
U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Water Science Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute
The University of Georgia, Water Resources Faculty
Date
2005-04
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Proceedings