QHEI and River Quality Analysis Questions
1.) The general health of the lotic habitat was overall very good from what my assessment. The amount of pools, riffles, and runs was very healthy. The variety and amount of substrate was consistent with those of a healthy habitat. The high sinuosity, low levels of channelization, and moderate stability contributed to the health of the habitat. There was some bank erosion present, and the stream was very slow moving which are not ideal in a perfect habitat.
2.) The pH, DO, and CO2 levels appeared to be healthy at the lotic habitat we studied. It seems the DO and CO2 levels fluctuate with a change in pH.
3.) We are missing several things for this to be a completely accurate study. Ideally we could have visited more than one location to study. Also more accurate measuring devices could be brought in to help measure depth of pools, example, and many other uses.
4.) Observing the physical and chemical characteristics of a lotic environment is extremely important. Understanding the ideal conditions of a habitat allows us to observe change in the habitat over time. The changes viewed in characteristics of the habitat over time can either be a good thing or a bad thing. Understanding the ideal conditions allows us to try to maintain the habitat’s ideal characteristics to ensure that all the organisms dependent upon the habitat can thrive.
5.) The QHEI is very good at giving us insight into the physical and biological conditions of a particular stream site. It is great for assessing land use practices and determining whether a stream is fit for a certain species to thrive.
6.) The major weakness with QHEI is that it is very open to interpretation. The measurements that make up the QHEI assessment are determined by the observer. There is no real scientific method to get an exact number on many of the characteristics such as how