Table Of Content

Open-FileReport94-378 Biomonitoring Our Streams What's It All About? By THOMAS D.BYL1andGEORGE F.SMITH2 Preparedbythe U.S.GEOLOGICALSURVEY mcooperationwith THEUNIVERSITYOFTENNESSEE 2 AGRICULTURALEXTENSIONSERVICE Nashville,Tennessee 1994 Report Documentation Page Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 1994 N/A - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Biomonitoring Our Streams, What’s It All About? 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC REPORT NUMBER 20240 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release, distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF ABSTRACT OF PAGES RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE SAR 8 unclassified unclassified unclassified Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 (cid:9) WhatIsBiomonitoring? Testing forchemicalpollutioninour nation's streamshastraditionally meantusinganalytical chemistry. Inrecent years,environmental agencies haveendorsedbiologicalmonitoringtoenhance or replacechemicalmonitoring. Thetheory behind biological monitoring (biomonitoring)istouse the organisms livingintheaquatic systemasameasureof waterquality. Thisconceptwas applied toair quality andusedbyminerswhotookcanariesintodeep mineswiththem. Ifthecanary died,theminersknew theairwasbad,and theyhad toleavethemine. . Biomonitoring anaquaticsystemusesthesame theoreticalapproach. Aquatic organisms aresubject topollutants inthestream asitflowsby,dayornight. Consequently, thehealthoftheorganisms reflectsthe quality ofthewatertheylivein.Ifthepollution levels reachacritical concentration,certainorganisms will die,migrate away,orfailtoreproduce,eventually leading tothedisappearance ofthosespecies atthe pollutedsite. Normally, theseorganisms willreturnif conditionsimprove inthesystem. Thethreegeneral componentsofanaquatic eco- systemthatinfluence thebiologicalcommunity are: waterchemistry, geomorphology, and hydrology. Eachcomponentinfluencesthehealthofthebio- logical communityindividuallyand together. Toxic chemicalsareonlyasingle factor within thewater- chemistry component. Therelation ofthesethree components toeachothercanbeshownonatriangle (figure 1). GEOMORPHOLOGY HYDROLOGY habitat, waterdepth streambank stability, water velocity, shifting sandbars,bedmaterial durationofstandingwater Figure1. Threegeneralcomponentsthatinfluencethe biologicalcommunitycomposition. Therelative importanceofonecomponentmay change withtimeand location. Atcertaintimesofthe yearorindifferentgeographicalsettings,asingle factor may exertprimary controlonthewell-beingof the biologicalcommunity. Forexample,straighten- ingastreamandremovingall woodydebris drasti- callyaltersastream's geomorphology.Thisresults in lossofnaturalhabitatand shelterforcertainorgan- isms. The organisms thatrequirethisshelter will disappear fromthemodified system. Separatingthe influenceofone componentfromthe othersis difficult.Considerationofallthreecomponents andtheirinteractionsiscriticalwheninterpreting biomonitormgdata. Factorsthat controltoxicity ofachemical Two important factors thatmustalways be considered whendiscussingchemicaltoxicity arethe concentration and thelength ofexposure. The con- ceptofconcentration andexposurearepracticed routinelybyfarmers whentheyapplypesticides. First, thefarmer calculatesthe concentration required tocoverandprotectacropbasedonthemanu- facturers'recommendations. Second, thefarmer contemplates thelengthofexposureneeded whencon- sideringtheweather conditions. Predictionofrain willoftencauseafarmer topostpone spraying becausetherainwouldwashthepesticide offthe crop,reducingthelengthofexposure. Asufficient concentration mustbeappliedoveranadequate exposureperiod forthechemicaltobeeffective. Concentration and lengthofexposure are the basic factorsthatcontrol toxicity ofany chemical. Whatis involvedin abiomonitoringproject? Abiomonitoringprojectbegins withanexperi- mentaldesign andsiteselection. Thenextstep includes selecting the organisms appropriate forthe stream and typesofcontaminationofconcern. After theorganisms havebeen selected, theappropriate collection technique mustbeapplied. Finally,once thesamples havebeencollected,identified, and counted,thedatamustbeinterpreted. Thesestepsare described inmoredetailinthe following tables. (cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9) Table 1. Approaches to site selectionandsome ofthe benefitsandlimitationsof each Approach Expectationandlimitationofresults Pairedbasin Twobasins withsimilarfeaturesarecomparedto determinedifferences inwaterqualityasaresultof landuse.Benefits:Goodforcomparisonpurposes. Limitations:Difficulttofindtwobasinsthatare similarinallwaysexcepttheonevariablebeing evaluated Upstream- Qualityofwaterenteringatasiteis evaluatedto downstream establishaknownbaselinecondition. Then,the waterqualityis evaluatedagainafterithas traveledthroughadefined testsite(pastafactory, alandfill, afarm,orawetland).Bent:Changes inwaterqualitythatarethe resultofthetest site canbedistinguished. Limitations: Canonlybe used onamoderate scale;oftenthetestsite (streamorriver)has otherinputs ofwaterthat enterthrough springsorditches whichcontribute tothewaterquality. Alloftheinputs mustbe consideredbeforeinferringacauseandeffect. Trendanalysis Trendanalysisis usedtodeterminechangesin waterqualityovertimeasaresultofchanging managementpractices. Forexample,imple menting conservationpracticesorimprovinga waste-treatmentfacility shouldimprovewater qualityovertime. Benefits:Provides anopportu- nitytoseeandquantifyimprovementsinwater qualitybecauseofchangesinoperatingproce- dures:Limitations:Difficulttoseeanysignificant changeinwaterqualityovertimeinlargeareas becauseofthevariabilityduetonaturalevents. Thus,manyyearsofdatamustbegatheredbefore astatistically significantimprovementinwater qualityisdemonstrated. Thisproblemcan be minimizedbyrunningapairedbasinstudy concurrently. (cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9) Table2. Targetorganismsandsome general applications in water-qualitymonitoring Category Application Bacteria Detectionofcertainbacteriaindicatessewagecon- tamination. Algaeand Exceptionallyrapidgrowthofplants andalgae aquaticplants typicallyindicatesnutrientenrichment ofthe surfacewater. Deathduringthegrowing season mayindicateacuteturbidity(blocking sunlight)or herbicideexposure. Zooplankton Microscopicanimalsthatareindicativeoftoxins, turbidity,andnutrientenrichment.Usefulbecause theseorganisms haveabrieflife-cycle, providinga fastresponse. However,usehas beenlimitedby ' theirpatchydistributionandtheinconvenienceof theirmicroscopic size. Macro- Good generalindicatorsofoverallwaterquality. invertebrates Theyaresensitivetowaterchemistry,hydrology, andgeomorphology. Various specieshaveadis- tinctrangeofsensitivitytopollutants.Thus,they areoftenusedtoindicatevarious degreesof environmentaldegradation. Fish Goodindicatorsoftheecosystemsincefishrelyon theothercategoriesforfood.Thus,theyreflectthe overallhealthoftheentirefoodchain. Theiruseis limitedbytheirpatchydistribution. (cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9) Table3.Sampling techniquesandthecriteria foruse Samplingdevice Goodforuseinthefollowingsituations Graborscoop Devicesthataredesignedtopenetrate bottom samplers sedimentand collectasampleinstandingor flowingwater. Samples aresiftedthrougha sievetosorttheorganisms. Largeitemslike twigsorstonesaresearchedbyhand.Thistech- niqueis primarilyusedtocollectmacroinverte- bratesandaquaticplants. Nets: Usedprimarilytocollectmacroinvertebrate,fish, andzooplanktonsamples. Kicknet Usefulinsmallstreams with gravellybottoms andgoodflowvelocity. Nets arestretched acrossthestreamandthebedupstreamis dis turbedbykicking;organismsflowintothenet. Streamnet Longtaperingnetswithawide,rigidopening. Netsaresecuredinplaceandorganismswill passively driftorswimintothenetovera24 hourperiod. Usedforfishandmacroinverte- brates,dependingonnetdesign andmeshsize. Gillnet Usedtosamplefishofacertainsizerange. Usefulinlargerivers andlakes. Seinenet Usedtosamplefishinshallowpondsorstreams. Awidenetthatreachesfromtoptobottom ofthe waterandispulledateachend;usedtosweep acrossashallowbodyofwaterandcapturefish. Artificial Samplingdevicesmadeofnaturalorartificial substrates material. Theconfiguration ofthesubstrates varywiththetargetorganisms. Thesesubstrates canconsistofceramictiles,glassslides,wood plates,leafpacks, cement balls,orotheritems. Organisms arequantifiedperaknownsurface area. This techniqueis usedtocollectmacro- invertebrates oralgae,inrivers,lakes,and streams.Substratesshouldbeplacedatthe same depthinthewatercolumnbecausedifferentorga- nismswillcolonizethesubstratesatdifferent depths. Electroshocking Usedinstreams, rivers, andlakes. Strong electricalpulsesaresentbetweentwoelectrodes. Fishwillmovetowardthepositivepole. Thisis anonlethalmethodtocapturefish. Extremely dangeroustechniqueandshould onlybedone bytrainedprofessionals. Interpreting thedata Datacollectedduring abiomonitoring studyare interpreted indifferent ways.Usually, thetotal numberoforganismsandthenumberofdifferent speciespresent willbedetermined.Thenthesenum- berswillbeappliedtoanindexthatlistsorganisms according totheirsensitivity topollution. This produces an"index ofbiotic integrity."Otherstatis- ticalprocedurescanbeusedtohelpinterpret thedata. Ingeneral, agreaterdiversityoforganismsisusually anindicatorofahealthy stream. Thetotalnumberof organisms isnotalways indicativeofthehealth ofthe streams. Sometimesapollutedstream canbefilled withundesirable species. Atremendousamountofdataandinformation are requiredbefore adirectcauseand effectcan be assigned withabiomonitoringprogram. Inessence, biological monitoringallows ustolookattheeffectof changingwaterqualitywithoutnecessarilyknowing whatcauses thechange. Still,environmental scientists oftenrefertobiomonitoring asmorerelevantthan chemicalmonitoringinspiteofinterpretation limits. Thisisbecause biomonitoring measuresthe environmental consequence ofwaterqualityand notsimplythechemicalconcentration. Inconclusion, biomonitoring providesaquick, pertinent overall environmental picture. Thisinfor- mationisimportant topeople who makemanagement decisionsaimedatmaintaining andprotecting the quality ofsurfacewaters.Biomonitoringisparticu- larlyvaluableforalertingpeopletodecaying aquatic conditionsjustasthecanariesalerted theminers to deteriorating air conditions. Questionsto consider when conducting a biomonitoringstudy: l. What is theobjectiveofthebiomonitoring study? 2. Whatmonitoring strategy should be used to collectthedata; an upstream- downstream approach, apaired basin approach, or atrend analysis approach? Referto table 1 formoreinformation. 3. What targetorganismswere selected? And, is aseasonal fluctuationassociated withthetargetorganisms? 4. Hasthe appropriatesampling technique been selected forthe study? 5. Doesthereferencesite have asimilar hydrologic andgeomorphic setting compared to thetest site? 6. Hasthestream bedbeen modified to change thegeomorphologyorhydrology? Ifyes, howwill youdistinguishbetween theeffectsofchemistry andhydrologyor geomorphologyonthebiologic response? 7. Wasthebiologic indexdesigned forthis particular geographic regionused? Ifnot, wasthe standard adaptedto theareabeing studied., PhotographsbyA.Webbers,U.S.GeologicalSurvey Thismaterialisbasedinpartuponworksupportedbythe U.S.Department ofAgriculture,ExtensionService,underspecial projectnumber 91-EH UA-1-0063.