“Habitat Assessment Using the QHEI “

Edward T. Rankin

June 6City of Columbus, Level 3 Training Course

Columbus, Ohio

Senior ResearchScientist

QHEI@aol.com

QualitativeHabitatEvaluation Index

QHEI Training

FlowRegime

High/LowExtremes

Precipitation &Runoff

Velocity

Land Use

GroundWater

ChemicalVariables

BioticFactors

EnergySource

HabitatStructure

Hardness

Turbidity

pH

D.O.Temperature

AlkalinitySolubilities

Adsorption

Nutrients

Organics

Reproduction

DiseaseParasitism

Feeding

Predation

Competition

Nutrients

Sunlight

Organic MatterInputs 1 and 2

Productiono o

SeasonalCycles

RiparianVegetation

Siltation

CurrentSubstrate

Sinuosity

CanopyInstream

Cover

Gradient

ChannelMorphology

Bank Stability

Width/Depth

INTEGRITY OF THEWATER RESOURCE

“Principal Goal of the Clean Water Act

The Five Major Factors Which Determine the Integrity of Aquatic Resources (from Karr 1981)

Visual Method Tool For Designating Aquatic Life Uses Tool For Assessing Causes of Impairment Correlated With Biological Integrity Associated With Sediment/Nutrient Inputs Effects on Biota Occur At Multiple Scales Matches Resolution of Biological Data

QHEI

Substrate – Size, Quality Instream Cover – Type, Quality, Amount Channel Quality – Sinuosity, Riffle/Pool

Development, Channelization, Stability Riparian Width, Type, Bank Stability Pool, Riffle/Run – Depth, Morphology, Current Types,

Riffle/Run Substrates Stream Gradient – Standardized by Stream Size

QHEI: Six Major Categories of Macrohabitat

Assessing Reach Habitat Features

Level 2◦ This training and site scored independently at last site

tomorrow◦ Sufficient similarity with Instructor Score

Level 3◦ This training and site scored independently (Level II site

above)◦ Three sites scored outside of this training◦ Sufficient similarity with all test sites

Level 2 vs. Level 3 QHEI Certification

Stream Flow Not explicitly

measured in QHEI Reflected in

certain metrics Can be limiting to

aquatic life in many instances

Consider flow regime when interpreting data

Correlated With IBI QHEI and its subcomponents correlated with IBI at multiple

scales

10

20

30

40

50

60

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Data by Site All YearsECBP & HELP EcoregionsReference Sites ONLY

y = 15.4 + 0.39x R2= 0.51

Site

Spe

cific I

BI

Site Specific QHEI

10

20

30

40

50

60

20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Data by Huc 11 WatershedI BI Data - 1994-2001

ECBP and HELP Ecoregions

y = 9.98 + 0.43x R2= 0.43

Mea

n Huc

-11 S

cale

IBI

Mean Huc-11 Scale QHEI

Another Way to Examine Correlation of QHEI with IBI: Probability of Attaining Biocriteria

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 20 40 60 80 100

Ohio Wadeable Reference Data

EWHWWHModified

Prob

abili

ty

QHEI Score

Level III-IV Ecoregions

54c

56b

56a

56c

54a

54b

54d

54a

56d

55b

55f

72b

72c

72a

71a71b

71c

55d

57b57b

57a

55a

55 57

56

61a

61c

61e

61d

61d61b

61c

70e

70c

70b

70a

70f

55b55e

55c

71d

55d

55b

70d

55a

71d

57c 57d

54

72

71

70

69

61

56

70

Indianapolis

Columbus

YoungstownAkron

Cleveland

CantonWooster

Marietta

Toledo

Cincinnati

Dayton

FortWayne

South Bend

Chicago

Bloomington

Louisville

Gary

Lake Michigan

GrandLake

PymatuningLake

MonroeLake

MICHIGANINDIANA

88 87 86 85 84 83 82 81

38

39

40

41

42

39

40

41

42

LEVEL III ECOREGIONS OF OHIO LEVEL III ECOREGIONS OF OHIO (after Omernik 1987)(after Omernik 1987)

HELPHELP

ECBPECBP

IPIP

EOLPEOLP

WAPWAP

Structural features include the numerous components of habitat that include living and non- living attributes.

Parent geology and climatic influences are two factors that influence structural attributes..

Riffle

areas of the stream with fast current velocity and shallow depth;

the water surface is visibly broken by rocks, boulders, etc.

• Functions:– High production zone

for macroinvertebrates– Spawning area for

many sensitive species– Feeding area for

species groups such as darters

– Oxygenation

Functions:◦ Spawning Area◦ Feeding Area◦ Oxygenation◦ Macroinvertebrate

Production

areas of the stream that have a rapid, non-turbulent flow;

runs are deeper than riffles with faster current velocity than pools;

generally located down-stream from riffles where the stream narrows;

the stream bed is often flat beneath a run and the water surface is not visibly broken.

Run

an area of the stream with slow current velocity;

depth greater than riffle and run areas;

the stream bed is often concave;

stream width frequently is the greatest;

the water surface slope is nearly zero.

Functions:◦ Low Flow Refugia◦ Nursery Area◦ Resting Area◦ Cover

Pool

Glide

Flat, “canal-like” flow Shallow, generally

poor habitat Transitional in natural

streams Can be predominant

in channelized and altered streams

PO OL

• Functions:- Shallow nursery areas- Invertebrate production

Erosion:Particulate PD issolved P

Leaves,WoodyDebris

Bacteria,Fungi

Nutrients & SedimentAre Intercepted byRiparian Biom ass

Invertebrates (Shredders,Scrapers)

AlgaeInverts.

Predators

Herbivores

FishPredators

Sunlight isLim ited By

the RiparianVegetation

Two-WayMovement ofSedim ent &

NutrientsWoody Debris

SlowsExport ofSedim ents & Increases

Conversion of Nutrients toDesirable Biom ass Insectivorous

Fish

Humans Bird,Mamm al

Predators

Riparian W idth

G ood Stream Habitat

Major Downstream Exports: I. Desirable Biomass (e.g., fish, plants, birds, mammals, sensitive species) II. Low Sedim ent DeliveryIII. Water Quality Suitable for ALL Uses

O n e- W a y M o v em en to f Sed im en t &

N u t r ient s In t o St rea m s

E rosio n :Sedi m ent w i th

Parti cu late PD isso lv ed P

Fin e Sedim en tB ed lo ad w i th

A lgae & D etr i tus

L a c k o f W oo d y D ebr isI n cr eas es E x po r t &

C o nv er si on o f N u t r ient s t oU nd esi rab le B io m as s

F i l t er F e ed i n gI n v e r te b r a te s ,

D e tr i t i v o r e s

H erbiv o res

D i r ect S un l i ght A ffect s100% o f C h a nn el ;

L i ght i s N o t a L i m i t i n gF a ct o r

G ra sses C om pri se M ajo ri ty o fR i pari an “ Bu ffer”

P red ator s:I n v erteb rates

R a pi d T u rno v er o f N ut r i en t s( “ S ho r t Sp i ra ls ” ) i s a K ey

C h ara c ter i s t ic

N i trates v iaSubsurfaceD rain age

P red ator s:B ird s, M am m a ls

M odified Stream H abitat

External energyis required tomaintain modifiedenvironment andmaintain agricul-turalproduction M ajor D ow nstream E xports:

I . N utrients & U ndesirab le B iom ass (e.g., algae, detritivores, tolerant species)I I . H igh Sed im ent D el ivery

0

5

10

15

20

25

0 - 4 5 - 8 9 - 12 13 - 16 17 - 20

Natural and Modifi ed Ref erence SitesECBP & HELP Ecoregions

QHE

I Sub

stra

te S

core

QHEI Channel Score

Strong Link Between Channel Score and Substrate Score

Fine substrates (e.g., silts) source of attached phosphorus.

Improved channel form will result in higher channel score, higher substrate scores and less nutrients stored in wetted channel

Storm events will re-suspend less nutrients in stream with intact channels than with modified channels

May use pebble count data and sediment nutrient concentration from sediment chemical data to create “hypothetical” loads with various habitat types

QUESTION: How much channel improvement (e.g., full restoration vs. two-stage channel) is needed to significantly reduce nutrients?

http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/monitoring/rbp/

Illinois SHAP U.S. EPA EMAP/NWS Assessment Methods RBP Habitat Form Other State Methods (e.g., quantitative and

qualitative) QHEI has been modified for other environment and

systems (e.g., HHEI, Lake Erie Shoreline, etc)

Other Methods:

Goal is to explain variation we observe in aquatic biology◦ What is relative contribution of habitat condition to observed

biology?◦ What are the factors limiting the biology?◦ When in doubt about meaning of metric

Refer to reference materials Think FUNCTIONALLY! What is hypothetical link between metric

and biology (Think like a fish!)

Remember