Abstract The assessment of stream ecosystems is important to understanding how they may change over time. In 2003, researchers collected habitat, macroinvertebrate, and fish community data at 16 stream sites in the Pennsylvania portion of the Lake Erie watershed. In 2019, the article authors resampled those sites using similar methods to determine if changes in stream quality had occurred in the 16 years between sampling events. At each site, a 100 m reach was identified and its habitat was assessed using the Environmental Protection Agency’s Rapid Bioassessment protocols. Macroinvertebrates were collected and used to calculate the Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI) and the percentage of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (%EPT). Electrofishing data were used to calculate the index of biotic integrity (IBI). Habitat and fish IBI scores did not change significantly between samplings within or across sites but decreases in HBI and corresponding increases in %EPT were observed in 2019 compared with 2003. Differences in macroinvertebrate community structure between 2003 and 2019 may be due to differences in sampling methodology. The authors also found no correlations among habitat, macroinvertebrate, and fish-based estimates of stream quality. Overall, the results suggest little change has occurred in stream quality in the Pennsylvania portion of the Lake Erie watershed.
Calderón-Martell et al. (Sun,) studied this question.