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Communication at the NABS Annual meeting, Keystone, 2000
(183) RELATION OF LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS TO IMPAIRMENT OF AQUATIC COMMUNITIES IN NEW JERSEY STREAMS ALONG AN URBAN LAND-USE GRADIENT.
J.G. Kennen and M.A. Ayers. U.S. Geological Survey, 810 Bear Tavern Rd., Suite 206, West Trenton, New Jersey 08628
Data on fish, invertebrate, and algal communities in 36 N.J. streams were integrated with approximately 400 environmental variables to assess the effects of human alterations of the landscape on water quality. Watersheds were chosen to represent an urban land-use gradient, which ranged from 3 to 95 percent. Previous analyses indicated that aquatic community impairment was related to the proximity of controlling factors such as land use and population. Weighting of landscape variables improved the predictive ability of the controlling factors by more accurately representing the effects of landscape position relative to hydrologic processes along land and stream pathways. Partial indirect gradient analysis was used to restrict the effects of variability along natural gradients. Results of multiple linear regression analyses that describe the relation between first axes scores (i.e., the hypothesized urban gradient) and landscape variables were significant. Results of partial constrained ordination indicated that increasing fish, invertebrate, and algal community impairment were related to urban-gradient variables--population density, impervious surface area, waste-water discharge, and flow/nutrient-related changes resulting from human activities. Findings from this study will help define the environmental factors that are most responsible for driving aquatic community response in urban settings and better identify thresholds of rapid change in aquatic community condition.
Presented at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, May 31, 2000 in Water Quality and Land Use I
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