Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS40 Long-Term Research Programs in the Twenty-first Century (Spatial and Temporal Connections)

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 10:00:00 AM

Location: Ruidoso/Pecos

Milner, A, M, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA, ffamm@uaf.edu

Conn, S, C, University of Alaska, Fairbanks AK 99775, USA,

LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL MONITORING OF STREAMS IN DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA; IMPLICATIONS FOR REFERENCE CONDITIONS

Classification of streams in Denali National Park, Alaska have identified six groups of streams based on their macroinvertebrate community assemblages. Benthic macroinvertebrates have been collected at representative sites within these six groups for seven years commencing in 1994 and long term trends indicate substantial natural variation in community structure. Some metrics summarising community structure vary almost across the entire range of the metric. These data have significant implications for the selection of stream reference sites at high latitudes with which to monitor and compare ecological change due to natural or anthropogenic activities. Without these long term datasets, a comparison with reference sites where only one or two years data exist would have provided erroneous conclusions as to possible impairment.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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