2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
6/06/2017 | 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM | PRIORITIZING STREAM RESTORATION AND PROTECTION TO MAXIMIZE ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS: STREAM HABITAT, TEMPERATURE, AND WATERSHED CONSIDERATIONS | 302A
PRIORITIZING STREAM RESTORATION AND PROTECTION TO MAXIMIZE ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS: STREAM HABITAT, TEMPERATURE, AND WATERSHED CONSIDERATIONS
Biotic assemblages consistently degrade with urbanization; however, at low impervious levels, biotic integrity varies widely across streams, suggesting a range in resistance to urban disturbance. We asked what reach- and watershed-scale characteristics explain differences in biota at similar levels of imperviousness, thereby identifying potential locations to prioritize restoration or protection. Forty sites were selected across Massachusetts within two narrow bands of impervious cover: 1–4% (n = 20) and 7–10% (n = 20) that exhibited a wide range of fish and macroinvertebrate assemblage integrity. Models with reach-scale variables (reflecting habitat heterogeneity, flow, temperature, or water quality) or watershed-scale variables (e.g., geology, historic land cover, flow alterations, distance-weighted impervious) were better supported than models based solely on total impervious cover. Streams with higher habitat heterogeneity, more large wood, and colder water temperatures tended to have higher biotic integrity, suggesting that restoration should focus on strategies to reduce impacts that degrade these conditions. Watersheds in high-elevation regions, despite higher dam density, more road crossings, and more flow alteration, also had streams with higher biotic integrity, indicating they may be more resistant to urban disturbance and thus could be prioritized for protection.
- C08 Urban Ecology
- S02 Urban streams, aquatic ecology, and stormwater engineering: How do we encourage integration, opportunities and collaboration in an era of green infrastructure innovation?
- S23 Rehabilitating urban streams: perspectives from science and management
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Presenters/Authors
Allison Roy
(), U.S. Geological Survey, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Massachusetts Amherst, aroy@eco.umass.edu;
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Catherine Bentsen
(), Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Massachusetts Amherst, cbentsen@umass.edu;
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David Armstrong
(), U.S. Geological Survey, New England Water Science Center, darmstro@usgs.gov;
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Matthew Baker
(), University of Maryland Baltimore County, mbaker@umbc.edu;
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