Evaluating the Illinois Stream Valley Segment Model as an Effective Management Tool

Autor: Ann Marie Holtrop, Leon C. Hinz, James M. Novak, Stephen S. Warrner, Robert U. Fischer
Rok vydání: 2010
Předmět:
Zdroj: Environmental Management. 46:761-770
ISSN: 1432-1009
0364-152X
DOI: 10.1007/s00267-010-9551-x
Popis: Stream habitat assessments are conducted to evaluate biological potential, determine anthropogenic impacts, and guide restoration projects. Utilizing these procedures, managers must first select a representative stream reach, which is typically selected based on several criteria. To develop a consistent and unbiased procedure for choosing sampling locations, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Natural History Survey have proposed a technique by which watersheds are divi- ded into homogeneous stream segments called valley seg- ments. Valley segments are determined by GIS parameters including surficial geology, predicted flow, slope, and drainage area. To date, no research has been conducted to determine if the stream habitat within a valley segment is homogeneous and if different valley segments have vary- ing habitat variables. Two abutting valley segments were randomly selected within 13 streams in the Embarras River watershed, located in east-central Illinois. One hundred meter reaches were randomly selected within each valley segment, and a transect method was used to quantify habitat characteristics of the stream channel. Habitat vari- ables for each stream were combined through a principal components analysis (PCA) to measure environmental variation between abutting valley segments. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed on PCA axes 1-3. The majority of abutting valley segments were significantly different from each other indicating that habitat variability within each valley segment was less than variability between valley segments (5.37 B F B 245.13; P B 0.002). This comparison supports the use of the valley segment model as an effective management tool for iden- tifying representative sampling locations and extrapolating reach-specific information.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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