Nutrient, Habitat, and Basin-Characteristics Data and Relations with Fish and Invertebrate Communities in Indiana Streams, 1998-2000

An analysis of existing nutrient, habitat, basin-characteristics, and biological-community (fish and invertebrate) data assessed significant relations between nutrients and biological data. Data from 1998 through 2000 for 58 sites in the Upper Wabash River Basin, Lower Wabash River Basin, and tributaries to the Great Lakes and Ohio River Basins were analyzed. Correspondence analysis was used to assess significant relations among nutrients, habitat, basin-characteristics, and biological-community data. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to identify which environmental parameters most influenced the biological communities. When all 58 sites were assessed, six biological-community attributes, metric scores, or site scores were statistically sigificant but weak. When a subset of data was analyzed for eight headwater streams in one ecoregion to minimize the naturally occurring variability associated with the 58 sites, the strength of the relations increased and 24 attributes, metric scores, or site scores were significantly related. Fish-community composition in the 58 sites was most influenced by habitat and land use but not by nutrients. The invertebrate-community composition in the 58 sites was most influenced by habitat, land use, soils, and one nutrient (total Kjeldahl nitrogen [TKN]).