Improved thermal preferences and a stressor index derived from modeled stream temperatures and regional taxonomic standards for freshwater macroinvertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, USA
Benthic macroinvertebrate taxa vary in their sensitivities to water quality and habitat conditions, contributing to their extensive use as ecological indicators. As climate change and landscape alteration increasingly impact stream temperatures, interest is growing in expanding our knowledge of how...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24003261 |
| _version_ | 1797213437715021824 |
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| author | Shannon Hubler Jen Stamp Sean P. Sullivan Mark Fernandez Chad Larson Kate Macneale Robert W. Wisseman Rob Plotnikoff Britta Bierwagen |
| author_facet | Shannon Hubler Jen Stamp Sean P. Sullivan Mark Fernandez Chad Larson Kate Macneale Robert W. Wisseman Rob Plotnikoff Britta Bierwagen |
| author_sort | Shannon Hubler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Benthic macroinvertebrate taxa vary in their sensitivities to water quality and habitat conditions, contributing to their extensive use as ecological indicators. As climate change and landscape alteration increasingly impact stream temperatures, interest is growing in expanding our knowledge of how macroinvertebrates are affected by current and future thermal conditions. Using samples from 3501 sites, we evaluated relationships between macroinvertebrate taxa and modeled stream temperatures across Oregon and Washington, in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. We used Maximum Weekly Maximum Temperature (MWMT) values from the NorWeST temperature dataset, which is the same metric used for numeric water temperature standards in Oregon and Washington. MWMT captures peak thermal stress, when cold-water adapted aquatic biota are closest to their upper physiological limits. For each macroinvertebrate taxon, we characterized relationships between MWMT and their distributions with three measures: 1) central thermal tendency, based on weighted average (WA) optima calculations and relative abundance data; 2) lower and upper thermal limits, based on the 10th and 90th percentiles of taxon occurrence, using presence data; and 3) thermal sensitivity curve shape, based on Generalized Additive Model (GAM) plots. We assigned 521 taxa, from species to phyla, to seven thermal preference categories, ranging from cold and warm stenotherms (narrow range) to eurythermal (wide range). Thermal sensitivity and variability within each taxonomic group were identified for establishing taxonomic targets for regional monitoring programs. We also developed the Macroinvertebrate Thermal Tolerance Index (MTTI) to represent the assemblage-level response to available thermal habitats, using WA optima and relative abundances for 324 taxa. The MTTI model had a strong relationship with modeled temperatures (R2 = 0.68) and a root-mean-square-error of 2.5 °C. Our work builds on previous regional and national efforts to identify thermal indicator taxa by using modeled stream network temperatures and a thermal metric that corresponds directly to regional water temperature standards. Both the taxa thermal preferences and the MTTI can be used to help identify causes of biological impairment, prioritize restoration and protection actions, and monitor assemblage-wide changes in thermal tolerance over time. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:58:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2cdbb5e69a074374bf5af5f91936c54b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:58:16Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj.art-2cdbb5e69a074374bf5af5f91936c54b2024-04-12T04:44:49ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2024-03-01160111869Improved thermal preferences and a stressor index derived from modeled stream temperatures and regional taxonomic standards for freshwater macroinvertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, USAShannon Hubler0Jen Stamp1Sean P. Sullivan2Mark Fernandez3Chad Larson4Kate Macneale5Robert W. Wisseman6Rob Plotnikoff7Britta Bierwagen8Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 3150 NW 229th Ave., Hillsboro, OR 97124, USATetra Tech, Inc., Bristol, NH 03222, USA; Corresponding author.Rhithron Associates, Inc., 33 Fort Missoula Road, Missoula, Montana 59804, USATetra Tech, Inc., 4000 Sancar Way, Suite 200, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USAWashington State Department of Ecology, Environmental Assessment Program, Lacey, WA 98503, USAKing County DNRP, 201 South Jackson St., Suite 5600, Seattle, WA 98104, USAAquatic Biology Associates, Inc., 3490 NW Deer Run Street, Corvallis, OR 97330, USASnohomish County Department of Conservation of Natural Resources, 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett, WA 98201, USAEPA Office of Research and Development, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460, USABenthic macroinvertebrate taxa vary in their sensitivities to water quality and habitat conditions, contributing to their extensive use as ecological indicators. As climate change and landscape alteration increasingly impact stream temperatures, interest is growing in expanding our knowledge of how macroinvertebrates are affected by current and future thermal conditions. Using samples from 3501 sites, we evaluated relationships between macroinvertebrate taxa and modeled stream temperatures across Oregon and Washington, in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. We used Maximum Weekly Maximum Temperature (MWMT) values from the NorWeST temperature dataset, which is the same metric used for numeric water temperature standards in Oregon and Washington. MWMT captures peak thermal stress, when cold-water adapted aquatic biota are closest to their upper physiological limits. For each macroinvertebrate taxon, we characterized relationships between MWMT and their distributions with three measures: 1) central thermal tendency, based on weighted average (WA) optima calculations and relative abundance data; 2) lower and upper thermal limits, based on the 10th and 90th percentiles of taxon occurrence, using presence data; and 3) thermal sensitivity curve shape, based on Generalized Additive Model (GAM) plots. We assigned 521 taxa, from species to phyla, to seven thermal preference categories, ranging from cold and warm stenotherms (narrow range) to eurythermal (wide range). Thermal sensitivity and variability within each taxonomic group were identified for establishing taxonomic targets for regional monitoring programs. We also developed the Macroinvertebrate Thermal Tolerance Index (MTTI) to represent the assemblage-level response to available thermal habitats, using WA optima and relative abundances for 324 taxa. The MTTI model had a strong relationship with modeled temperatures (R2 = 0.68) and a root-mean-square-error of 2.5 °C. Our work builds on previous regional and national efforts to identify thermal indicator taxa by using modeled stream network temperatures and a thermal metric that corresponds directly to regional water temperature standards. Both the taxa thermal preferences and the MTTI can be used to help identify causes of biological impairment, prioritize restoration and protection actions, and monitor assemblage-wide changes in thermal tolerance over time.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24003261TemperatureStreamBenthic macroinvertebratePacific NorthwestThermal preferenceClimate change |
| spellingShingle | Shannon Hubler Jen Stamp Sean P. Sullivan Mark Fernandez Chad Larson Kate Macneale Robert W. Wisseman Rob Plotnikoff Britta Bierwagen Improved thermal preferences and a stressor index derived from modeled stream temperatures and regional taxonomic standards for freshwater macroinvertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, USA Ecological Indicators Temperature Stream Benthic macroinvertebrate Pacific Northwest Thermal preference Climate change |
| title | Improved thermal preferences and a stressor index derived from modeled stream temperatures and regional taxonomic standards for freshwater macroinvertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, USA |
| title_full | Improved thermal preferences and a stressor index derived from modeled stream temperatures and regional taxonomic standards for freshwater macroinvertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, USA |
| title_fullStr | Improved thermal preferences and a stressor index derived from modeled stream temperatures and regional taxonomic standards for freshwater macroinvertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, USA |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improved thermal preferences and a stressor index derived from modeled stream temperatures and regional taxonomic standards for freshwater macroinvertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, USA |
| title_short | Improved thermal preferences and a stressor index derived from modeled stream temperatures and regional taxonomic standards for freshwater macroinvertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, USA |
| title_sort | improved thermal preferences and a stressor index derived from modeled stream temperatures and regional taxonomic standards for freshwater macroinvertebrates of the pacific northwest usa |
| topic | Temperature Stream Benthic macroinvertebrate Pacific Northwest Thermal preference Climate change |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24003261 |
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