Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Invertebrate Data Package By The Great Lakes Inventory And Monitoring Network

Benthic macroinvertebrates have long been used as an indicator of water quality impairment in streams and rivers. Indices of Biotic Integrity (IBI) calculated from macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance data can be used to assess if stream ecosystems are being subjected to stressors, such as pollution, low dissolved oxygen, high temperatures, excessive sedimentation, or changes in flow. Beginning in 2016, the Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network (GLKN) and park staff have been monitoring macroinvertebrates annually at up to ten sites on the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers within the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN). In this effort, Hester-Dendy artificial substrate samplers are deployed in July, colonized by macroinvertebrates over a six-week period, and are then retrieved. Samples are cleaned of debris and macroinvertebrates, then preserved and sent to the laboratory. At the laboratory, samples are enumerated and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. This dataset contains all GLKN large river macroinvertebrate data collected to date at SACN. At time of publication, all known relevant parameters needed to assess abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates and calculate relevant IBIs at mainstem Namekagon and St. Croix River sites within SACN are included in the dataset.
Organization: Department of the Interior
Last updated: 2024-11-02T08:48:25.426415
Tags: aquatic-ecosystems, benthos, community, composition, ecology, epifauna, freshwater, glkn, great-lakes-inventory-and-monitoring-network, insects, larvae, long-term-monitoring, macroinvertebrates, namekagon-river, river, sacn, saint-croix-national-scenic-riverway, st-croix-river, stream-ecology