Effect of riparian land use on the biotic integrity of fish assemblages in Black Creek, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Black Creek is a third-order Ridge and Valley stream (Tennessee River drainage) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Most ofBlack Creek's watershed is forested (ca. 71% in 1991 ). However, increasing urban development, particularly along the riparian landscapes, could impact the stream's ecological health. I assessed fish assemblages (biotic integrity), water quality, instream habitat, and riparian land-use features at eight sites in Black Creek, May-June 2000. Water quality conditions (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity) were favorable for stream fishes, but some level of habitat degradation (bank erosion, sedimentation, loss of riparian vegetation) was observed at all sites. Electrofishing samples yielded a total of29 species and 9,178 fish. Index ofbiotic integrity (IBI) scores ranged from 30 to 42, corresponding to IBI ratings of "poor" to "fair," respectively, at the individual sites. The IBI score was negatively correlated with sediment depth in the stream (r = -0.727, P = 0.041) and the percentage of urban land use in the riparian zone (r = -0.739, P = 0.036). Urban land use was negatively correlated with the dissolved oxygen concentration (r = -0.888, P = 0.003). Findings from this study document the negative effect of urban land use on biotic integrity in a Ridge and Valley stream, and provide baseline data for community planning, bioassessment, and mitigation projects.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Phillips, Jerri Leigh

Contributors dc:contributor

• Schorr, Mark S.
• Van Horn, Gene; Aborn, David
• College of Arts and Sciences

• Water quality biological assessment--Tennessee--Chattanooga
• Fish populations--Tennessee--Chattanooga
• Urban watersheds
• Fishes--Habitat
• Stream ecology

Licence

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English, eng

Identifier

LB2369.2 .P444 2002

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-2108