An integrated approach to assessing multiple stressors for coastal Lake Superior

Authors

  • Gerald J. Niemi Center for Water and the Environment, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, 5013 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, Minnesota 55811-1442, USA
  • Euan D. Reavie Ely Field Station, Center for Water and the Environment, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, 1900 East Camp Street, Ely, Minnesota 55731, USA
  • Gregory S. Peterson Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Mid-Continent Ecology Division, 6201 Congdon Boulevard Duluth, Minnesota 55804-2595, USA
  • John R. Kelly Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Mid-Continent Ecology Division, 6201 Congdon Boulevard Duluth, Minnesota 55804-2595, USA
  • Carol A. Johnston Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Box 2207B Brookings, South Dakota 57007-0869, USA
  • Lucinda B. Johnson Center for Water and the Environment, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, 5013 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, Minnesota 55811-1442, USA
  • Robert W. Howe Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, Cofrin Center for Biodiversity University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin 54311-7001, USA
  • George E. Host Center for Water and the Environment, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, 5013 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, Minnesota 55811-1442, USA
  • Tom P. Hollenhorst Center for Water and the Environment, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, 5013 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, Minnesota 55811-1442, USA
  • Nicholas P. Danz Department of Natural Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Superior, 132 McCaskill Hall, Superior, Wisconsin 54880, USA
  • Jan J. H. Ciborowski Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada
  • Terry N. Brown Center for Water and the Environment, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, 5013 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, Minnesota 55811-1442, USA
  • Valerie J. Brady Center for Water and the Environment, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, 5013 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, Minnesota 55811-1442, USA
  • Richard P. Axler Center for Water and the Environment, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, 5013 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, Minnesota 55811-1442, USA

Keywords:

birds, diatoms, fish, indicators, macroinvertebrates, plants

Abstract

Biological indicators can be used both to estimate ecological condition and to suggest plausible causes of ecosystem degradation across the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region. Here we use data on breeding bird, diatom, fish, invertebrate, and wetland plant communities to develop robust indicators of ecological condition of the U.S. Lake Superior coastal zone. Sites were selected as part of a larger, stratified random design for the entire U.S. Great Lakes coastal region, covering gradients of anthropogenic stress defined by over 200 stressor variables (e.g. agriculture, altered land cover, human populations, and point source pollution). A total of 89 locations in Lake Superior were sampled between 2001 and 2004 including 31 sites for stable isotope analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates, 62 sites for birds, 35 for diatoms, 32 for fish and macroinvertebrates, and 26 for wetland vegetation. A relationship between watershed disturbance metrics and 15N levels in coastal macroinvertebrates confirmed that watershed-based stressor gradients are expressed across Lake Superior's coastal ecosystems, increasing confidence in ascribing causes of biological responses to some landscape activities. Several landscape metrics in particular—agriculture, urbanization, human population density, and road density—strongly influenced the responses of indicator species assemblages. Conditions were generally good in Lake Superior, but in some areas watershed stressors produced degraded conditions that were similar to those in the southern and eastern U.S. Great Lakes. The following indicators were developed based on biotic responses to stress in Lake Superior in the context of all the Great Lakes: (1) an index of ecological condition for breeding bird communities, (2) diatom-based nutrient and solids indicators, (3) fish and macroinvertebrate indicators for coastal wetlands, and (4) a non-metric multidimensional scaling for wetland plants corresponding to a cumulative stress index. These biotic measures serve as useful indicators of the ecological condition of the Lake Superior coast; collectively, they provide a baseline assessment of selected biological conditions for the U.S. Lake Superior coastal region and prescribe a means to detect change over time.

References

Ameel, J., Ruzycki, E., Owen, C. J. and Axler, R. 1998. Analytical chemistry and quality assurance procedures for natural water, wastewater, and sediment samples (revised 2003). NRRI/TR-98/28. Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth

APHA (American Public Health Association). 2000. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater , 21st Ed, Washington, DC: American Public Health Association.

Barbour, M. T., Gerritsen, J., Snyder, B. D. and Stribling, J. B. 1999. Rapid bioassessment protocols for use in streams and wadeable rivers: Periphyton benthic macroinvertebrates and fish , 2nd edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Water. EPA 841-B-99-002

Battarbee, R. W., Jones, V. J., Flower, R. J., Cameron, N. G., Bennion, H., Carvalho, L. and Juggins, S. 2001. “Diatoms”. In Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments Volume. 3: Terrestrial, Algal, and Siliceous Indicators, Edited by: Smol, J. P., Birks, H. J.B. and Last, W. M. 155–202. Dordrecht: Kluwer.

Bernthal, T. W. 2003. Development of a floristic quality assessment methodology for Wisconsin. Final report to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region V. PUB-SS-986 2003. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison

Bertram, P. and Stadler-Salt, N. 1998. Selection of indicators for the Great Lakes basin ecosystem health, Version 3. 1998 State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program Office, Chicago, Illinois

Bertram, P., Stadler-Salt, N., Horvatin, P. and Shear, H. 2003. Bi-national assessment of the Great Lakes SOLEC partnerships. Environ. Monitor. Assess., 81: 27–33.

Bourdaghs, M., Johnston, C. A. and Regal, R. R. 2006. Properties and performance of the floristic quality index in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Wetlands, 26: 718–735.

Brady, V. J., Ciborowski, J. J.H., Johnson, L. B., Danz, N. P., Holland, J. D., Breneman, D. H. and Gathman, J. P. 2007. Optimizing fishing time: One vs. two-night fyke net sets in Great Lakes coastal systems. J. Great Lakes Res., 33: 236–245.

Bray, J. R. and Curtis, J. T. 1957. An ordination of the upland forest communities in southern Wisconsin. Ecol. Monogr., 27: 325–349.

Brazner, J. C., Danz, N. P., Niemi, G. J., Regal, R. R., Trebitz, A. S., Howe, R. W., Hanowski, J. M., Johnson, L. B., Ciborowski, J. J.H., Johnston, C. A., Reavie, E. D., Brady, V. J. and Sgro, G. V. 2007a. Evaluation of geographic, geomorphic, and human influences on Great Lakes wetland indicators: a multi-assemblage approach. Indic. Ecol., 7: 610–635.

Brazner, J. C., Danz, N. P., Niemi, G. J., Regal, R. R., Hollenhorst, T., Host, G. E., Brown, T., Trebitz, A. S., Howe, R. W., Hanowski, J. M., Johnson, L. B., Ciborowski, J. J.H, Johnston, C. A., Reavie, E. D. and Sgro, G. V. 2007b. Responsiveness of Great Lakes wetland indicators to human disturbances at multiple spatial scales: a multi-assemblage assessment. J. Great Lakes Res., 33: 42–66.

Burton, T. M., Brazner, J. C., Ciborowski, J. J.H., Grabas, G. P., Hummer, J., Schneider, J. and Uzarski, D. G. 2008. Great Lakes coastal wetland monitoring plan. Final report to U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office

Clarke, K. R. and Gorley, R. N. 2006. PRIMER v6: User Manual/Tutorial, Plymouth, United Kingdom: PRIMER-E Ltd..

Cutright, N., Harriman, B. and Howe, R. 2006. The Atlas of Wisconsin Breeding Birds, Milwaukee, WI: Wisconsin Society for Ornithology.

Danz, N. P., Regal, R. R., Niemi, G. J., Brady, V. J., Hollenhorst, T. P., Johnson, L. B., Host, G. E., Hanowski, J. M., Johnston, C. A., Brown, T. N., Kingston, J. C. and Kelly, J. R. 2005. Environmentally stratified sampling design for the development of Great Lakes environmental indicators. Environ. Monit. Assess., 102: 41–65.

Danz, N. P., Niemi, G. J., Regal, R. R., Hollenhorst, T. P., Johnson, L. B., Hanowski, J. M., Axler, R. P., Ciborowski, J. J.H., Hrabik, T., Brady, V. J., Kelly, J. R., Morrice, J. A., Brazner, J. C., Howe, R. W., Johnston, C. A. and Host, G. E. 2007. Integrated gradients of anthropogenic stress in the U.S. Great Lakes basin. Environ. Manage., 39: 631–647.

Dobiesz, N. E., Hecky, R. E., Johnson, T. B., Sarvala, J., Dettmers, J. M., Lehtiniemi, M., Rudstam, L. G., Madenjian, C. P. and Witte, F. 2010. Metrics of ecosystem status for large aquatic systems - a global comparison. J. Great Lakes Res., 36: 123–138.

Environment Canada and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2006 Nov. 1–3. State of the Great Lakes 2005. EPA 905-R-06-001, Governments of Canada and the U.S. Burlington, ON; Chicago, IL, 2005.

Epstein, E. J., Judziewicz, E. J. and Smith, W. A. 1997. Wisconsin's Lake Superior coastal wetlands evaluation, Madison, WI: Wisconsin's Natural Heritage Inventory Program, Department of Natural Resources. PUB ER-095 99

Gauch, H. G. 1982. Multivariate Analysis in Community Structure, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hanowski, J. M., Danz, N. P., Howe, R. W., Regal, R. R. and Niemi, G. J. 2007a. Considerations for monitoring breeding birds in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. J. Great Lakes Res., 33: 245–252.

Hanowski, J. M., Danz, N. P., Howe, R. W., Niemi, G. J. and Regal, R. R. 2007b. Consideration of geography and wetland geomorphic type in the development of Great Lakes coastal wetland bird indicators. Ecohealth, 4: 194–205.

Herman, K. D., Masters, L. A., Penskar, M. P., Reznicek, A. A., Wilhelm, G. S., Brodovich, W. W. and Gardiner, K. P. 2001. Floristic quality assessment with wetland categories and examples of computer applications for the state of Michigan , 2nd edition, Lansing: Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Hilborn, R. and Mangel, M. 1997. The ecological detective: confronting models with data, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Hilsenhoff, W. L. 1987. An improved biotic index of organic stream pollution. Great Lakes Entomol., 20: 31–39.

Hollenhorst, T. P., Brown, T. N., Johnson, L. B., Ciborowski, J. J.H. and Host, G. E. 2007. Methods for generating multi-scale watershed delineations for indicator development in Great Lake coastal ecosystems. J. Great Lakes Res., 33: 13–26.

Host, G. E., Schuldt, J., Ciborowski, J. J., Johnson, L. B., Hollenhorst, T. P. and Richards, C. 2005. Use of GIS and remotely-sensed data for a priori identification of reference areas for Great Lakes coastal ecosystems. Int. J. Remote. Sens., 26: 5325–5342.

Host, G. E., Brown, T. N, Hollenhorst, T. P., Johnson, L. B. and Ciborowski, J. J.H. 2011. High-resolution assessment and visualization of environmental stressors in the Lake Superior basin. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society, 14(4): 376–385.

Howe, R. W., Regal, R. R., Niemi, G. J., Danz, N. P. and Hanowski, J. M. 2007a. A probability-based indicator of ecological condition. Indic. Ecol., 7: 793–806.

Howe, R. W., Regal, R. R., Hanowski, J. M., Niemi, G. J., Danz, N. P. and Smith, C. R. 2007b. An index of biotic condition based on bird assemblages in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. J. Great Lakes Res., 33: 93–105.

Johnston, C. A., Bedford, B. L., Bourdaghs, M., Brown, T., Frieswyk, C. B., Tulbure, M., Vaccaro, L. and Zedler, J. B. 2007. Plant species indicators of physical environment in Great Lakes coastal marshes. J. Great Lakes Res., 33: 106–124.

Johnston, C. A., Ghioca, D., Tulbure, M. G., Bedford, B. L., Bourdaghs, M., Frieswyk, C. B., Vaccaro, L. and Zedler, J. B. 2008. Partitioning vegetation response to anthropogenic stress to develop multi-taxa wetland indicators. Ecol. Appl., 18: 983–1001.

Johnston, C. A., Brown, T. N., Hollenhorst, T. P., Wolter, P. T., Danz, N. P. and Niemi, G. J. 2009a. “GIS in support of ecological indicator development”. In Manual of Geographic Information Systems, 1095–1113. Bethesda, MD: American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

Johnston, C. A., Zedler, J. B., Tulbure, M. G., Frieswyk, C. B., Bedford, B. L. and Vaccaro, L. 2009b. A unifying approach for evaluating the condition of wetland plant communities and identifying related stressors. Ecol. Appl., 19: 1739–1757.

Johnston, C. A., Zedler, J. B. and Tulbure, M. G. 2010. Latitudinal gradient of floristic condition among Great Lakes coastal wetlands. J. Great Lakes Res., 36: 772–779.

Keough, J. R., Thompson, T., Guntenspergen, G. R. and Wilcox, D. 1999. Hydrogeomorphic factors and ecosystem responses in coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes. Wetlands, 19: 821–834.

Kireta, A. R., Reavie, E. D., Axler, R. P., Sgro, G. V., Kingston, J. C., Brown, T. N., Danz, N. P. and Hollenhorst, T. P. 2007. Coastal geomorphic variability in the Laurentian Great Lakes: implications for a diatom-based monitoring tool. J. Great Lakes Res., 33: 136–153.

Lawson, R. 2004. Coordinating coastal wetlands monitoring in the North American Great Lakes. Aquat. Ecosys. Health Manage., 7: 215–221.

Mackey, S. D. and Goforth, R. R. 2005. Special issue on Great Lakes nearshore and coastal habitats. J. Great Lakes Res., 31: 1–5.

McClelland, J. W. and Valiela, I. 1998. Linking nitrogen in estuarine producers to land-derived sources. Limnol. Oceanogr., 43: 577–583.

Morrice, J. A., Danz, N. P., Regal, R. R., Kelly, J. R., Niemi, G. J., Reavie, E. D., Hollenhorst, T. P., Axler, R. P., Trebitz, A. S., Cotter, A. M. and Peterson, G. S. 2008. Human influences on water quality in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Environ. Manage., 41: 347–357.

Niemi, G. J. and McDonald, M. E. 2004. Application of ecological indicators. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst., 35: 89–111.

Niemi, G., Wardrop, D., Brooks, R., Anderson, S., Brady, V., Paerl, H., Rakocinski, C., Brouwer, M., Levinson, B. and McDonald, M. 2004. Rationale for a new generation of ecological indicators for coastal waters. Environ. Health Persp., 112: 979–986.

Niemi, G. J., Axler, R. P., Brady, V. J., Brazner, J., Brown, T. N., Ciborowski, J. H., Danz, N. P., Hanowski, J. M., Hollenhorst, T. P., Howe, R., Johnson, L. B., Johnston, C. A., Reavie, E. D., Simcik, M. and Swackhamer, D. 2006. “Environmental indicators of the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region”. Report NRRI/TR-2006/11 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STAR Program, ver.1. Agreement R82-8675, Washington DC. Prepared by Great Lakes Environmental Indicators Collaboration, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, 121 pp + attachments (CD)

Niemi, G. J., Kelly, J. R. and Danz, N. P. 2007. Foreword. Environmental indicators for the coastal region of the North American Great Lakes: introduction and prospectus. J. Great Lakes. Res., 33: 1–12.

Niemi, G. J., Brady, V. J., Brown, T. N., Ciborowski, J. J.H., Danz, N. P., Ghioca, D. M., Hanowski, J. M., Hollenhorst, T. P., Howe, R. W., Johnson, L. B., Johnston, C. A. and Reavie, E. D. 2009. Development of ecological indicators for the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region - A summary of applications in Lake Huron. Aquatic Ecosys. Health Manage., 12: 77–89.

Peterson, G. S., Sierszen, M. E., Yurista, P. M. and Kelly, J. R. 2007. Stable nitrogen isotopes of plankton and benthos reflect a landscape-level influence on Great Lakes coastal ecosystems. J. Great Lakes Res., 33: 27–41.

Reavie, E. D. 2007. A diatom-based water quality index for Great Lakes coastlines. J. Great Lakes. Res., 33: 86–92.

Reavie, E. D., Axler, R. P., Sgro, G. V., Danz, N. P., Kingston, J. C., Kireta, A. R., Brown, T. N., Hollenhorst, T. P. and Ferguson, M. J. 2006. Diatom-based weighted-averaging transfer functions for Great Lakes coastal water quality: relationships to watershed characteristics. J. Great Lakes Res., 32: 321–347.

Ribic, C. A., Lewis, S. J., Melvin, S., Bart, J. and Peterjohn, B. 1999. Proceedings of the marsh bird monitoring workshop. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey,

Schierow, L. and Chesters, G. 1988. Evaluation of the Great Lakes nearshore index. Water Res., 22: 269–277.

Seilheimer, T. S. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2006. Development and use of the wetland fish index to assess the quality of coastal wetlands in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 63: 354–366.

Smith, R. A., Schwarz, G. E. and Alexander, R. B. 1997. Regional interpretation of water-quality monitoring data. Water Resour. Res., 33: 2781–2798.

Steinhart, C. E., Schierow, L. and Sonzogni, W. C. 1982. An environmental quality index for the Great Lakes. J. Am. Water Res. Assn., 18: 1025–1031.

Strahler, A. N. 1957. Quantitative analysis of watershed geomorphology. Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 8: 913–920.

Trebitz, A. S., Brazner, J. C., Cotter, A. M., Knuth, M. L., Morrice, J. A., Peterson, G. S., Sierszen, M. E., Thompson, J. A. and Kelly, J. R. 2007a. Water quality in Great Lakes coastal wetlands: basin-wide patterns and responses to an anthropogenic disturbance gradient. J. Great Lakes. Res., 33: 67–85.

Trebitz, A. S., Brazner, J. C., Brady, V. J., Axler, R. and Tanner, D. K. 2007b. Turbidity tolerances of Great Lakes coastal wetland fishes. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage., 27: 619–633.

U.S. EPA. 1983. “Methods for chemical analyses of waters and wastes”. Cincinnati, Ohio: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA/600/4-79/020

U.S. EPA. 1991. “The determination of inorganic anions in water by ion chromatography”. Cincinnati, Ohio: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory Method 300.0

U.S. EPA. 1993. “Methods for determination of inorganic substances in environmental samples”. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA/600/R-93/100

Welch, B. L. 1947. The generalization of “student's” problem when several different population variances are involved. Biometrika, 34(1–2): 28–35.

Yurista, P. M. and Kelly, J. R. 2009. “Spatial patterns of water quality and plankton from high-resolution continuous in situ sampling along a 537-kilometres nearshore transect of western Lake Superior, 2004”. In State of Lake Superior, Edited by: Munawar, M. and Munawar, I. F. 439–471. Burlington, ON: Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society. Ecovision World Monograph Series

Downloads

Published

2011-10-01

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 4 (2011): Ecology of Lake Superior

Section

Research article

License

Manuscripts must be original. They must not be published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. It is required that the lead author of accepted papers complete and sign the MSU Press AEHM Author Publishing Agreement and provide it to the publisher upon acceptance.