Yangdong Pan

Using diatoms as indicators of ecological conditions in lotic systems: a regional assessment

Benthic diatoms and water chemistry were sampled from 49 stream sites in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands region of the United States to evaluate the use of diatoms as indicators of environmental conditions in streams across varying geographic and ecoregional areas. Diatom samples were collected from depositional and erosional habitats in a randomly selected reach in each stream site. Patterns of diatom species distributions in relation to environmental variables were determined using canonical correspondence analysis. Diatom species in both habitats were highly correlated with a pH gradient. A second gradient was correlated with variables that were commonly associated with agricultural runoff such as turbidity and total phosphorus. The relationship between diatoms and major environmental variables was quantified with regression and calibration models. The correlation between diatom-inferred and observed pH was high (r2 = 0.90). Cross-validation with jackknifing showed that pH models were reasonably robust (r2 = 0.69 for depositional habitats, r2 = 0.67 for erosional habitats). The regression and calibration models for the depositional habitats had only slightly higher predictive powers than those of erosional habitats. The relationship between diatoms and important environmental variables was robust and quantifiable, and the sensitivity of diatom assemblages to environmental conditions did not differ between erosional and depositional habitats. Therefore we concluded that diatoms can be used as quantitative indicators of environmental conditions in lotic systems.

Spatial patterns and ecological determinants of benthic algal assemblages in mid-atlantic streams, usa

We attempted to identify spatial patterns and determinants for benthic algal assemblages in Mid‐Atlantic streams. Periphyton, water chemistry, stream physical habitat, riparian conditions, and land cover/use in watersheds were characterized at 89 randomly selected stream sites in the Mid‐Atlantic region. Cluster analysis (TWINSPAN) partitioned all sites into six groups on the basis of diatom species composition. Stepwise discriminant function analysis indicated that these diatom groups can be best separated by watershed land cover/use (percentage forest cover), water temperature, and riparian conditions (riparian agricultural activities). However, the diatom‐based stream classification did not correspond to Omernik’s ecoregional classification. Algal biomass measured as chl a can be related to nutrients in habitats where other factors do not constrain accumulation. A regression tree model indicated that chl a concentrations in the Mid‐Atlantic streams can be best predicted by conductivity, stream slope, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and riparian canopy coverage. Our data suggest that broad spatial patterns of benthic diatom assemblages can be predicted both by coarse‐scale factors, such as land cover/use in watersheds, and by site‐specific factors, such as riparian conditions. However, algal biomass measured as chl a was less predictable using a simple regression approach. The regression tree model was effective for showing that ecological determinants of chl a were hierarchical in the Mid‐Atlantic streams.

Ecoregions and benthic diatom assemblages in Mid-Atlantic Highlands streams, USA

Ecoregional differences in geology and hydrology may affect physical and chemical conditions in streams and, consequently, the species composition of algal assemblages. Stresses resulting from human disturbance, however, may constrain species membership in algal assemblages and reduce regional diversity. We expected that ecoregional differences in diatom assemblages, if they were present, would be more evident in relatively undisturbed sites than in randomly selected sites. Benthic diatom and water chemistry samples were collected from streams in 7 ecoregions of the Mid-Atlantic Highlands to evaluate correspondence between ecoregional classification and diatom assemblages. Ecoregional differences were assessed using 196 randomly selected stream sites (probability sites) and 60 sites with less disturbance by humans (reference sites). Multivariate analyses showed that significant ecoregional differences in diatom assemblages were observed only in probability sites and not in reference sites. Water chemistry was significantly different among ecoregions, both for probability sites and for reference sites. Significant differences in diatom assemblages and water chemistry were, however, evident only among ecoregions grouped by topography (i.e., montane, high plateau, and low plateau/valley). Ecoregional differences between montane regions or low plateau/valley regions were subtle. Stream sites grouped by catchments were also significantly different in water chemistry but not in diatom assemblages, both for probability sites and for reference sites. Our data suggest that diatom assemblages respond to land use, especially agricultural activities, and thus may correspond to the ecoregional classification when land use differs significantly among these ecoregions (e.g., montane vs valley ecoregions). Diatom assemblages that lack a region-specific feature may be ideal as unbiased indicators of stream water quality.

Comparison of correlations between environmental characteristics and stream diatom assemblages characterized at genus and species levels

1US Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 USA 2Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824 USA 3Environmental Sciences and Resources, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97207 USA 4Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, c/o US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA 5US Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA 6OAO Corporation, c/o US Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA

Development of diatom indicators of ecological conditions for streams of the western US

Abstract The species composition of benthic diatoms was related to environmental conditions in streams throughout the western US to develop diatom traits, indicators for assessment of biological condition and indicators for diagnosing stressors. We hypothesized that indicators based on species traits determined for subsets of streams with similar natural landscape features would be more precisely related to environmental conditions than would be indicators calculated based on species traits for all streams in the data set. The ranges of many environmental conditions were wide among western streams, and these conditions covaried greatly along a major environmental gradient characterized by positive correlations among % watershed disturbed by agricultural and urban land uses (% WD), conductivity, total N, total P, and % fine sediments. Species traits were calculated for 242 diatom taxa. Weighted average (WA) methods were used to define species environmental optima, and regression approaches were used to determine whether species were sensitive or tolerant to environmental conditions indicated by % WD, total P, total N, a nutrient multivariate index, pH, conductivity, % fine sediments, % embeddedness, and a watershed disturbance multivariate index. Indicators based on WA optima and sensitive/tolerant traits were highly correlated with these environmental conditions. Natural and anthropogenic conditions varied greatly among classes of streams grouped by climate regions, but indicators developed for the entire western US were consistently more accurate than were regional indicators. Indicators for individual stressors, such as total P, conductivity, and % embeddedness, were highly correlated with values of respective stressors, but covariation among all indicators and stressors indicated that only 1 environmental gradient was reliably reflected by the indicators. Thus, robust indicators of the biological condition of diatom assemblages were developed for streams of the western US, but development of stressor-specific indicators will require application of additional analytical approaches.

Linkages among land-use, water quality, physical habitat conditions and lotic diatom assemblages: A multi-spatial scale assessment

We assessed the importance of spatial scales (catchment, stream network, and sample reach) on the effects of agricultural land-use on lotic diatom assemblages along a land-use gradient in the agricultural Willamette Valley Ecoregion of Oregon. Periphyton, water chemistry, and physical habitat conditions were characterized for 25 wadeable streams during a dry season (July to September, 1997). Additional water chemistry samples were collected in the following wet season (February 1998) to assess seasonal effects of land-use on stream water chemistry. Percent agricultural land-use in the study catchments ranged from 10% to 89% with an average of 52%. Partial canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) with the first axis constrained by % agricultural land-use showed that % agricultural land-use at 3 spatial scales explained between 3.7%–6.3% of variability in the diatom species dataset. Monte Carlo Permutation tests indicated that the variance explained by % agricultural land-use was only significant at the spatial scale of the stream network with 10- and 30-m band width (p<0.05, 999 permutations). In addition to the effects of % agricultural land-use, partial CCAs with a forward selection option showed that water chemistry (e.g., SiO2), reach-scale stream channel dimensions (e.g., width, depth, and slope), reach-scale in-stream habitats (substrates and filamentous algal cover in stream beds), and riparian vegetative buffer were all important with relation to diatom species assemblages. Percent of obligately nitrogen-heterotrophic taxa was the only diatom autecological metric that showed a significant but weak correlation with % agricultural land-use along the stream network (r=0.50), but not at catchment or sample reach scale. Correlation between % agricultural land-use and water chemistry variables varied among the spatial scales and between seasons. Physical habitat variables (log10 erodible substrate diameters and stream reach slope) were significantly correlated with % agricultural land-use along the stream network but not at catchment or sample reach scale. Our data suggest that spatial scales are important in assessing effects of land-use on stream conditions but the spatial scale effects may vary between seasons. Direct linkages between agricultural land-use and lotic diatom assemblages were weak during summer base-flow time regardless of the spatial scales. Summer sampling may underestimate the effects of catchment land-use on stream conditions in areas where seasonal patterns are so distinctive as in the Willamette Valley.

Using diatom assemblages to assess urban stream conditions

We characterized changes in diatom assemblages along an urban-to-rural gradient to assess impacts of urbanization on stream conditions. Diatoms, water chemistry, and physical variables of riffles at 19 urban and 28 rural stream sites were sampled and assessed during the summer base flow period. Near stream land use was characterized using GIS. In addition, one urban and one rural site were sampled monthly throughout a year to assess temporal variation of diatom assemblages between the urban and rural stream sites. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that the 1st ordination axis distinctly separated rural and urban sites. This axis was correlated with conductivity (r = 0.75) and % near-stream commercial/industrial land use (r = 0.55). TWINSPAN classified all sites into four groups based on diatom assemblages. These diatom-based site groups were significantly different in water chemistry (e.g., conductivity, dissolved nutrients), physical habitat (e.g., % stream substrate as fines), and near-stream land use. CCA on the temporal diatom data set showed that diatom assemblages had high seasonal variation along the 2nd axis in both urban and rural sites, however, rural and urban sites were well separated along the 1st ordination axis. Our results suggest that changes in diatom assemblages respond to urban impacts on stream conditions.

Diatom assemblages as indicators of timber harvest effects in coastal Oregon streams

Abstract Spatially patchy and temporally varied cycles of timber harvest across a landscape may have subtle effects on stream conditions that are difficult, but important, to assess. The objective of our study was to examine the relationship between benthic diatom composition and timber harvest in coastal Oregon watersheds. Physical habitat conditions, water chemistry, and periphyton composition were characterized for 46 sites from 2 subbasins with different timber harvest intensities (0.3 km2/y vs 3 km2/y, between 1972–1998). Landscape variables including geology, vegetative cover types, and harvest intensity, were quantified for the watershed upstream of each sample point. Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling analysis of periphyton composition showed that the 1st axis was primarily driven by Achnanthidium minutissimum (r = −0.91) whereas the 2nd axis was driven by Nitzschia inconspicua (r = 0.77). The 1st axis was positively correlated with % of upstream area harvested between 1972 and 1998 (r = 0.54) and water-quality variables such as total P (TP) (e.g., rTP = 0.74). A subset comparison (n = 12) between harvested (30% harvested 1972–1998, n = 6) and unharvested (0% harvested 1972–1998, n = 6) watersheds with similar geology (>80% basalts), broadleaf vegetative cover (8–35% broadleaf), and other reach-scale characteristics revealed higher total N, TP, turbidity, and conductivity in the harvested than the unharvested watersheds (p < 0.05). Shannon diversity and species richness also were higher in the harvested group (p < 0.05). Our data suggest that diatom assemblages may be useful in assessing the long-term impact of timber harvest within coastal Oregon watersheds.

Should only live diatoms be used in the bioassessment of small mountain streams

It is unclear whether differentiating live and dead diatoms would enhance the accuracy and precision of diatom-based stream bioassessment. We collected benthic diatom samples from 25 stream sites in the Northern Oregon Coast ecoregion. We counted live diatoms (cells with visible chloroplasts) and then compared the counts with those generated using the conventional method (clean counts). Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) showed that the diatom assemblages generated from the two counts were overall similar. The relationships between the two diatom assemblages (summarized as NMDS ordination axes) and the environmental variables were also similar. Both assemblages correlated well with in-stream physical habitat conditions (e.g., channel dimensions, substrate types, and canopy cover). The conventional diatom method provides taxonomic confidence while the live diatom count offers ecological reliability. Both methods can be used in bioassessment based on specific assessment objectives.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIATOMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES IN WETLANDS IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OREGON, USA

The heterogeneous nature and widespread anthropogenic impacts to wetlands in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, pose challenges to bioassessment of these systems. The purpose of this study was to examine diatom species patterns in relation to environmental variables in wetlands, and to compare a diatom-based wetland classification to a hydrogeomorphic (HGM) wetland classification. Surface sediment diatoms, water quality, physical habitat, and surrounding land use characteristics were assessed for 92 wetlands. A total of 419 taxa were identified. Taxa richness was high (mean = 54, range 15–94) and dominance by a single taxon at a site was low (mean = 27%, range 7%–78%). Assemblages were dominated by tychoplanktonic taxa (e.g., Staurosira construens) and periphytic taxa (e.g., Fragilaria capucina and Achnanthidium minutissimum). Non-metric multidimensional scaling and correlational analysis showed that diatom assemblages were correlated with water depth, summer and winter total phosphorus, soluble reactive phosphorus, and turbidity. Diatom-based classification of wetlands produced four statistically significant groups that corresponded to within-wetland water depth, nutrient levels, and turbidity. Diatom-based wetlands classification did not agree with a priori HGM classification. Diatom assemblages and common species were similar between depressional and riverine-impounded wetlands. Our results suggest that, despite regional heterogeneity in both diatom assemblages and environmental conditions, diatoms can be useful indicators of water quality and habitat conditions in riverine and depressional wetlands. HGM classification may be too coarse to elucidate patterns of diatom community structure and conditions of the habitat in these anthropogenically-impacted wetlands.