Environmental Drivers of Stream Invertebrate Communities in Georgia, USA

Disciplines

Biodiversity | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Abstract (300 words maximum)

We investigated how stream macroinvertebrate communities of Georgia, USA, responded to natural and anthropogenic environmental factors at multiple spatial and temporal scales. The state of Georgia has approximately 70,000 km of perennial streams and rivers which contribute to the economic and environmental well-being of the state. Stream biodiversity can be an important indicator of watershed and stream health; therefore, our investigation focused on how different factors influence stream organisms at different spatial scales. To accomplish this, we integrated data from a state-wide biomonitoring program (Georgia Environmental Monitoring and Assessment System) collected from 2000 to 2018 with publicly available spatial data on numerous potential predictor variables. The dataset included >400 sampling sites throughout the state. We then used boosted regression trees (BRT) to identify environmental drivers of stream biodiversity while accounting for nonlinearity and interactions between predictors. Our results will identify the nature, scale, and intensity of human impacts on Georgia stream communities. This understanding will be critical for science-based watershed management as human land use intensifies (e.g., suburban and urban development) and these activities interact with pre-existing natural gradients such as elevation and latitude.

Academic department under which the project should be listed

CSM - Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology

Primary Investigator (PI) Name

Nicholas Green

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Environmental Drivers of Stream Invertebrate Communities in Georgia, USA

We investigated how stream macroinvertebrate communities of Georgia, USA, responded to natural and anthropogenic environmental factors at multiple spatial and temporal scales. The state of Georgia has approximately 70,000 km of perennial streams and rivers which contribute to the economic and environmental well-being of the state. Stream biodiversity can be an important indicator of watershed and stream health; therefore, our investigation focused on how different factors influence stream organisms at different spatial scales. To accomplish this, we integrated data from a state-wide biomonitoring program (Georgia Environmental Monitoring and Assessment System) collected from 2000 to 2018 with publicly available spatial data on numerous potential predictor variables. The dataset included >400 sampling sites throughout the state. We then used boosted regression trees (BRT) to identify environmental drivers of stream biodiversity while accounting for nonlinearity and interactions between predictors. Our results will identify the nature, scale, and intensity of human impacts on Georgia stream communities. This understanding will be critical for science-based watershed management as human land use intensifies (e.g., suburban and urban development) and these activities interact with pre-existing natural gradients such as elevation and latitude.