SAB Report: Evaluation of Draft Technical Guidance on Biological Criteria forStreams and Small Rivers

摘要

The report includes the Biological criteria which are numeric or narrativeexpressions that describe the biotic integrity (health) of aquatic communities in minimally impaired reference areas. The Subcommittee concluded that the options presented for selecting reference conditions (i.e., use of reference sites in concert with historical data, empirical models, and expert opinion/consensus) were appropriate. The Subcommittee also supported the use of multiple metrics to evaluate the integrity of aquatic communities, but felt that seasonal variability requires that sampling be conducted at various times of the year. The report stresses the importance of consistent taxonomic identification of biological specimens, use of established museum repositories for curation of voucher specimens, and the importance of developing diagnostic tools to differentiate probable causes of impairment.