▪ Abstract Local habitat and biological diversity of streams and rivers are strongly influenced by landform and land use within the surrounding valley at multiple scales. However, empirical associations between land use and stream response only varyingly succeed in implicating pathways of influence. This is the case for a number of reasons, including (a) covariation of anthropogenic and natural gradients in the landscape; (b) the existence of multiple, scale-dependent mechanisms; (c) nonlinear responses; and (d) the difficulties of separating present-day from historical influences. Further research is needed that examines responses to land use under different management strategies and that employs response variables that have greater diagnostic value than many of the aggregated measures in current use. In every respect, the valley rules the stream.      H.B.N. Hynes (1975)

http://deq.idaho.gov/media/525804-Landscapes_Riverscapes_Influence_landuse_stream_ecosystems_Allan_2004.pdf

Landscapes and Riverscapes: The Influence of Land Use on Stream Ecosystems

/pdf/an-introduction-to-the-aquatic-insects-of-north-america-20i7stzjkw.pdf

An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America

Thirty-three brothels in rural and small-town Nevada, which contain between 225 and 250 prostitutes, are legal or openly tolerated and strictly controlled by state statute, city and county ordinances, and local rules. Twenty-two of the brothels are in places with populations between 500 and 8,000, and the remaining eleven are in rural areas. The legal and quasi-legal restrictions placed on prostitutes severely limit their activities outside brothels. These restrictions in conjunction with historical inertia, perceived benefits of crime and venereal disease control, and the good image of madams contribute to widespread positive local attitudes toward brothel prostitution. Interactions between clients and prostitutes in brothel parlors are also restricted and limited to a few basic types which are largely determined by entrepreneurial philosophy. KEY WORDS : Nevada, Political geography, Prostitution, Restricted activity spaces.

ANNALS of the Association of American Geographers

Twenty-four articles by biologists, ecologists, and other scientists represent a year's progress in the field. Among the topics addressed: the effects of introduced species, paleobiogeography, genetics and geographic structure, marine fisheries management, time as an ecological resource, genetic var

Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics

▪ Abstract Aquatic insects and other benthic invertebrates are the most widely used organisms in freshwater biomonitoring of human impact. Because of the high monetary investment in freshwater management, decisions are often based on biomonitoring results, and a critical and comparative review of different approaches is required. We used 12 criteria that should be fulfilled by an “ideal” biomonitoring tool, addressing the rationale, implementation, and performance of a method. After illustrating how the century-old but still widely used Saprobian system does not meet these criteria, we apply them to nine recent approaches that range from the suborganismal to the ecosystem level. Although significant progress has been made in the field, no recent approach meets all 12 criteria. Given that the use of biomonitoring information has important financial consequences, we suggest that societies and governments prioritize how these criteria should be ranked.

DEVELOPMENTS IN AQUATIC INSECT BIOMONITORING: A Comparative Analysis of Recent Approaches

Stream habitat is characterized in the US Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program as part of an integrated physical, chemical, and biological assessment of the Nation's water quality The goal of stream habitat characterization is to relate habitat to other physical, chemical, and biological factors that describe water-quality conditions To accomplish this goal, environmental settings are described at sites selected for water-quality assessment In addition, spatial and temporal patterns in habitat are examined at local, regional, and national scales This habitat protocol contains updated methods for evaluating habitat in NAWQA Study Units Revisions are based on lessons learned after 6 years of applying the original NAWQA habitat protocol to NAWQA Study Unit ecological surveys Similar to the original protocol, these revised methods for evaluating stream habitat are based on a spatially hierarchical framework that incorporates habitat data at basin, segment, reach, and microhabitat scales This framework provides a basis for national consistency in collection techniques while allowing flexibility in habitat assessment within individual Study Units Procedures are described for collecting habitat data at basin and segment scales; these procedures include use of geographic information system data bases, topographic maps, and aerial photographs Data collected at the reach scale include channel, bank, and riparian characteristics INTRODUCTION The US Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program is designed to assess the status of and trends in the Nation’s water quality (Gilliom and others, 1995) and to develop an understanding of the major factors that affect observed water-quality conditions and trends (Hirsch and others, 1988; Leahy and others, 1990) This assessment is accomplished by collecting physical, chemical, and biological data at sites that represent major natural and human factors (for example, ecoregion, land use, stream size, hydrology, and geology) that are thought to control water quality These data are used to provide an integrated assessment of water quality within selected environmental settings, assess trends in water quality, and investigate the influence of major natural and human factors on water quality Study Unit investigations in the NAWQA Program are done on a staggered time scale in approximately 59 of the largest and most significant hydrologic systems across the Nation (Gilliom and others, 1995) These investigations, which consist of 4 to 5 years of intensive assessment followed by 5 years of low-intensity assessment, consist of four main components—(1) retrospective analysis; (2) occurrence and distribution assessment; (3) assessment of long-term trends and changes; and (4) case studies of sources, transport, fate, and effects (Gilliom and others, 1995) Occurrence and distribution assessments are done in a nationally consistent and uniform manner for identification of spatial and temporal trends in water quality at a national scale (Gilliom and others, 1995) Characterization of stream habitat is an essential component of many water-quality assessment programs (Osborne and others, 1991) and an important element in the NAWQA Program (Gurtz, 1994)

/pdf/revised-methods-for-characterizing-stream-habitat-in-the-4ll60d9wbr.pdf

Revised Methods for Characterizing Stream Habitat in the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Data collected from 172 sites in 20 major river basins between 1993 and 1995 as part of the US Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program were analyzed to assess relations among basinwide land use (agriculture, forest, urban, range), water physicochemistry, riparian condition, and fish community structure. A multimetric approach was used to develop regionally referenced indices of fish community and riparian condition. Across large geographic areas, decreased riparian condition was associated with water-quality constituents indicative of nonpoint source inputs—total nitrogen and suspended sediment and basinwide urban land use. Decreased fish community condition was associated with increases in total dissolved solids and rangeland use and decreases in riparian condition and agricultural land use. Fish community condition was relatively high even in areas where agricultural land use was relatively high (>50% of the basin). Although agricultural land use can have deleterious effects on fish communities, the results of this study suggest that other factors also may be important, including practices that regulate the delivery of nutrients, suspended sediments, and total dissolved solids into streams. Across large geographic scales, measures of water physicochemistry may be better indicators of fish community condition than basinwide land use. Whereas numerous studies have indicated that riparian restorations are successful in specific cases, this analysis suggests the universal importance of riparian zones to the maintenance and restoration of diverse fish communities in streams.

/pdf/assessing-water-quality-at-large-geographic-scales-relations-47nz0xn3gm.pdf

Assessing water quality at large geographic scales: relations among land use, water physicochemistry, riparian condition, and fish community structure.

Benthic invertebrate communities are evaluated as part of the ecological survey component of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. These biological data are collected along with physical and chemical data to assess water-quality conditions and to develop an understanding of the factors that affect water-quality conditions locally, regionally, and nationally. The objectives of benthic invertebrate community characterizations are to (1) develop for each site a list of tax a within the associated stream reach and (2) determine the structure of benthic invertebrate communities within selected habitats of that reach. A nationally consistent approach is used to achieve these objectives. This approach provides guidance on site, reach, and habitat selection and methods and equipment for qualitative multihabitat sampling and semi-quantitative single habitat sampling. Appropriate quality-assurance and quality-control guidelines are used to maximize the ability to analyze data within and among study units.

Methods for collecting benthic invertebrate samples as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Methods for sampling fish communities as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Background: Benthic algae (periphyton) and phytoplankton communities are characterized in the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program as part of an integrated physical, chemical, and biological assessment of the Nation's water quality. Water quality can be characterized by evaluating the results of qualitative and quantitative measurements of the algal community. Qualitative periphyton samples are collected to develop of list of taxa present in the sampling reach. Quantitative periphyton samples are collected to measure algal community structure within selected habitats. These samples of benthic algal communities are collected from natural substrates, using the sampling methods that are most appropriate for the habitat conditions. Estimates of algal biomass (chlorophyll content and ash-free dry mass) also are optional measures that may be useful for interpreting water-quality conditions.

Michael R. Meador

Papers

Revised Methods for Characterizing Stream Habitat in the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Assessing water quality at large geographic scales: relations among land use, water physicochemistry, riparian condition, and fish community structure.

Methods for collecting benthic invertebrate samples as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Methods for sampling fish communities as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Methods for collecting algal samples as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program