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A Statewide Assessment Of Drivers Influencing Biotic Integrity In Perennial, Wadeable Prairie Streams Of South Dakota, Lyntausha Kuehl
A Statewide Assessment Of Drivers Influencing Biotic Integrity In Perennial, Wadeable Prairie Streams Of South Dakota, Lyntausha Kuehl
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Biological assessments are used to evaluate the biotic integrity of a system. Great Plains prairie streams are harsh environments due to variable climate, topography, vegetation, and human development. This presents a challenge to water resource managers who must detect impairment and determine causation. The objectives of this study were: 1) to develop a macroinvertebrate Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for the Northwestern Great Plains (NWGP) and compare it to an existing Northern Glaciated Plains (NGP) IBI, and 2) to identify and evaluate statewide abiotic drivers of biotic integrity. The IBIs were hypothesized to differ regionally, as were abiotic drivers explaining …