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The Problem
Habitat and microhabitat studies, to date, have remained largely exercises for finding statistical relations and for monitoring. What is needed for ecosystem management is a predictive means to relate the data directly to population (and community) dynamics models. We have been studying this problem for over 10 years now, and have developed such a means, called Interaction Assessment, or INTASS. INTASS depends on satisfying one basic assertion, that expectations of fitness tend toward equality over all occupied microhabitats. There is considerable evidence in the scientific literature that this generally is the case but validation of this assertion is virtually impossible in the field. Therefore, tests of INTASSs efficacy depend on the gathering of data in one environmental setting and its applications and use in making and testing predictions in another one (or predicting and testing predictions vis a vis management actions).
Objectives The 5-year research goals of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Program addressed are to: understand relationships between and among aquatic species habitats; provide science for restoring and maintaining declining species and their required habitat; and investigate aquatic species diversity. This subtask has four objectives: To analyze a considerable body of data in hand and use it to make and test predications about how management (fish, aquatic resource, and other) actions affect species configurations on independently gathered data from similar sites; 2. To further develop INTASS theory, and work to extend its breadth of applications. This activity involves primarly the development of software; 3. To develop Department of Interior support for the application of INTASS to prioritize natural resource issues. At some critical point, when enough data have been analyzed to make a convincing case, we will to go the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and other federal and state agencies and make presentations. In addition, we expect to publish up to a dozen or more papers in the peer reviewed press; 4. To extend the existing data base by working cooperatively with the USFS (already collecting appropriate data on amphibians and aquatic insects) to gather information on fishes (primarily juvenile steelhead) in the south fork of the Trinity River, California; and 5, to work with chemists/toxicologists to develop applications of INTASS for ecological risk assessment and predicting the consequences of expected spills, clean-up and various potential mitigation measures.Methodology Development and testing of approaches to the use of emergent properties of populations/communities (vis a vis dispersion patterns in relation to environmental variables, or energetic properties of the system) to parameterize population/community dynamics models. Development and application of field methods to collect appropriate data for the above. Current project (more are planned) involves analysis of the ecological community of wadeable streams flowing into the south fork Trinity River in northern California. Analysis of incoming data from the
Highlights and Key Findings Software for running INTASS analyses has been completed, data have been gathered from outside sources on salmonids, amphibians, birds, mammals, plants, and snails for eventual use in testing and applying the approach. One large project, applying INTASS on the South Fork Trinity River in California, is in its third year. Where Are We Headed In 2003 We will continue to develop software in connection with the INTASS methodology; one more year collecting data on the Trinity R., beginning in late spring, 2003, and continued support of the MS student. Much time will be spent in pursuing the application of INTASS (and possibly other, related methodologies) to the contamination problem. In addition, we will be working with Andrea Woodward (FRESC) to apply INTASS to investigate the impact and control of invasive plants in Olympic National Park, and are in contact with NAWQA personnel in connection with working with them to extend their ecological analyses for the Urban Land Use Gradient Study. Project Contact John Emlen Email: john_emlen@usgs.gov Publications |
