Development and Validation of Indices of Biological Integrity (IBI) for Depressional Wetlands in the Temperate Prairies Ecoregion

Document
Description
Utilizing the appropriate framework for classifying wetlands is a necessary component of any monitoring and assessment program. A good classification framework minimizes the natural variability within each class of wetlands so that variability due to anthropogenic impacts can be better distinguished (US EPA 2002). Without such a framework in place, apparent differences in wetland condition based on biological or chemical assessments may reflect natural differences between wetland types (e.g., depressional vs. slope), ecoregions, or landscape position. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has adopted a classification scheme for wetlands based on four factors: 1) ecoregions (Level III, Omernik 1987); 2) hydrogeomorphic (HGM) wetland types (Brinson 1993); 3) structural plant communities (e.g., forested vs. emergent); and 4) hydrologic regime (e.g., temporary vs. permanent).
Date Issued
2006-04
Number of Pages
136
Decade
Publisher
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Rights Holder
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Rights Management
Public Domain