Influence of Stream Habitat and Land Use on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indicators of Stream Quality of Selected Above-Tidal Streams in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Service Area, Texas, 1997–98

By J. Bruce Moring

U.S. Geological Survey
Water-Resources Investigations Report 01–4010

In cooperation with the Houston-Galveston Area Council

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Table of Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Purpose and Scope

Description of Study Area

Approach

Reach Selection

Assessment Components

Sampling-Reach Stream Habitat

Land Use and Population

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Sampling

Data Analysis

Influence of Stream Habitat and Land Use on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Indicators of Biological Integrity

Relation Between Stream Habitat and Land Use

Relation Between Benthic Aquatic Insects and Land Use

Selection of Reference Reaches

Stream-Habitat and Biological Integrity Scores

Multiple-Regression Model to Predict Biological Integrity

Summary

References Cited

Figures

1. Map showing data-collection sites in the Houston-Galveston Area Council service area
   
2. Boxplots showing distribution of selected stream-habitat variables for reaches grouped by dominant land use
   
3. Graphs showing relation between population density in above-reach drainage areas and selected stream-habitat variables
   
4. Boxplots showing distribution of selected benthic aquatic insect variables for reaches grouped by dominant land use

5–10. Graphs showing:

  5. Relation between population density in above-reach drainage areas and selected benthic aquatic insect variables

  6. Reach structural index and RCE maximum for selected reaches classified by percentile and stream-habitat integrity score

  7. Percent EPT taxa and number of taxa for selected reaches classified by percentile and biological integrity score

  8. Hilsenhoff’s biotic index and percent Chironomidae for selected reaches classified by percentile and biological integrity score

  9. Correlation of stream-habitat integrity score with biological integrity score for selected reaches

10. Stream-habitat and biological integrity scores compared to median integrity scores for reference sites

Tables

1. Data-collection sites for stream-habitat and benthic macroinvertebrate sampling in the Houston-Galveston Area Council service area
   
2. Stream-habitat and land-use metrics determined for each stream reach
   
3. Benthic macroinvertebrate metrics determined for each stream reach
   
4. Factor loadings from principle components analysis (PCA) greater than 0.7 for reach-habitat variables and proportion of variation explained by each principal componet
   
5. Factor loadings from principle components analysis (PCA) greater than 0.7 for land-use variables and proportion of variation explained by each principal component
   
6. Factor loadings from principle components analysis (PCA) greater than 0.7 for benthic aquatic insect variables and proportion of variation explained by each principal component
   
7. Stream-habitat and biological integrity scores for selected reaches

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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Persistent URL: http://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri014010/ Page Contact Information: USGS Publishing Network Last modified: Wednesday, December 07 2016, 01:20:13 PM

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