Example IBI

Home

definition
functions


History

losses
alterations

Restoration Decisions: (and theory)

design
type
site
reference sites
HGM vs. IBI

Case Studies

hydrology
vegetation
soil
landscape

State of the Science

success criteria
floristic quality


References

Created by:

Abby Rokosch
Jessen Book Siobhan Fennessy

Original IBI scoring system used by Karr. Numbers in parenthesis indicate references (see list at table's conclusion) (Table reprinted from Simon and Lyons, 1995, found at URL: http://www.epa.gov/ceisweb1/ceishome/atlas/bioindicators/history_of_the_ibi.html).

Species Richness and Composition Metrics

1. Total Number of Fish Species (1-7, 11, 13-15, 18, 19, 22)
A. Number of native fish species (8-10, 12, 16, 17, 20, 22)
B. Number of fish species, excluding Salmonidae (13)
C. Number of amphibian species (3, 13)

2. Number of Catostomidae Species (1, 4-6, 8, 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20)
A. Percent of individuals that are Catostomidae (9)
B. Percent of individuals that are round-bodied Catostomidae: Cycleptus, Hypentelium, Minytrema, and Moxostoma (9, 17, 19)
C. Number of Catostomidae and Ictaluridae species (10)
D. Number of Catostomidae and Cyprinidae species (17)
E. Number of benthic insectivorous species (7, 11, 17, 22)
F. Number of laterally compressed minnow species (21)
G. Number of minnow species (4, 6, 9, 14, 15, 17, 22)
H. This metric deleted from IBI (2, 3, 13, 14)

3. Number of Darter Species (Percidae genera: Crystallaria, Etheostoma, Percina,
Ammocrypta) (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 15-17, 19, 22)
A. Number of darter and Cottidae species (9, 10)
B. Number of darter, Cottidae, and Noturus (Ictaluridae) species (15, 16, 19)
C. Number of darter, Cottidae, and round-bodied Catostomidae species (17)
D. Number of Cottidae species (6, 13)
E. Abundance of Cottidae individuals (3)
F. Number of benthic species (11, 18)
G. Percent of individuals that are native benthic species (11)(same as #2)
H. Number of benthic insectivorous species (7)
I. Number of darter species, excluding “tolerant darter species” (headwater sites) (21)
J. Percent cyprinids with subterminal mouths (22) K. This metric deleted from IBI (14)

4. Number of Sunfish Species (Centrarchidae excluding Micropterus)(1, 4, 5, 14-17, 20)
A. Number of native sunfish species (9, 12)
B. Number of sunfish and Salmonidae species (10)
C. Number of sunfish species and Perca flavescens (Percidae) (16)
D. Number of headwater (restricted to small streams) species (9, 15, 22)
E. Number of water column (non-benthic) species (7, 17, 18)
F. Number of water column cyprinid species (17)
G. Number of sunfish species including Micropterus (19, 22)
H. This metric deleted from IBI (11)

Indicator Species Metrics

5. Number of Intolerant or Sensitive Species (1-4, 6-8, 10-12, 14, 15, 17-20, 22)
A. Number of Salmonidae species (3,15)
B. Percent of individuals that are Salmonidae (11)
C. Juvenile Salmonidae presence or abundance (3, 18)
D. Large (>1 5-20 cm) or adult Salmonidae presence or abundance (3, 6, 18)
E. Abundance or biomass of all sizes of Salmonidae (3, 13)
F. Mean length or weight of Salmonidae (13)
G. Percent of individuals that are anadromous Oncorhynchus mykiss (Salmonidae) older than age 1 (3)
H. Presence of Salvelinus fontinalis (Salmonidae) (10)
I. Presence of juvenile or large Esox lucius (Esocidae) (18)
J. Number of Large River (restricted to great rivers) species (19, 22)
K. Percent of species that are native species (3)
L. Percent of individuals that are native species (3)
M. This metric deleted from IBI (2, 14)

6. Percent of Individuals that Are Lepomis cyanellus (Centrarchidae) (1, 17)
A. Percent of individuals that are Lepomis megalotis (Centrarchidae) (5)
B. Percent of individuals that are Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae) (6)
C. Percent of individuals that are Semotilus atromaculatus (Cyprinidae)(2)
D. Percent of individuals that are Rutilus rutilus (Cyprinidae) (18)
E. Percent of individuals that are Rhinichthys species (Cyprinidae) (10)
F. Percent of individuals that are Catostomus commersoni (Catostomidae) (4, 7, 11)
G. Percent of individuals that are tolerant species (8, 9, 12, 14-17, 19, 22)
H. Percent of individuals that are “pioneering” species (9, 15, 22)
I. Percent of individuals that are introduced species (4, 6, 12, 14)
J. Number of introduced species (12, 13)
K. Evenness (22)
L. This metric deleted from IBI (3)

Trophic Function Metrics

7. Percent of Individuals that Are Omnivores (1-4, 6-8, 10, 12, 14-20, 22)
A. Percent of individuals that are omnivorous Cyprinidae species (10)
B. Percent of individuals that are Luxilus cornutus or Cyprinella spiloptera (Cyprinidae), facultative omnivores (9)
C. Percent of individuals that are generalized feeders that eat a wide range of animal material but limited plant material (2, 9, 11)
D. Percent biomass of omnivores (22)
E. This metric deleted from IBI (3, 13)

8. Percent of Individuals that Are Insectivorous Cyprinidae (1, 17)
A. Percent of individuals that are insectivores/invertivores (5-7, 9, 12, 14-19)
B. Percent of individuals that are specialized insectivores (2, 4, 20)
C. Percent of individuals that are specialized insectivorous minnows and darters (8)
D. Percent biomass of insectivorous cyprinids (22)
E. This metric deleted from IBI (3, 10, 13)

9. Percent of Individuals that Are Top Carnivores or Piscivores (1, 5, 7-9, 11, 12, 15-20)
A. Percent of individuals that are large (> 20 cm) piscivores (10)
B. Percent biomass of top carnivores (22)
C. This metric deleted from IBI (2-4, 6, 13-15)

Reproductive Function Metrics

10. Percent of Individuals that Are Hybrids (1, 7, 8, 13)
A. Percent of individuals that are simple lithophilous species: spawn on gravel, no nest, no parental care (9, 15-17, 19, 20, 22)
B. Percent of individuals that are gravel spawners (18)
C. Ratio of broadcast spawning to nest building cyprinids (22)
D. This metric deleted from IBI (2-6, 10-12, 14)

Abundance and Condition Metrics

11. Abundance or Catch per Effort of Fish (1 -8, 10-11, 14-15, 18, 19, 22)
A. Catch per effort of fish, excluding tolerant species (9, 16, 20)
B. Biomass of fish (6, 13, 22)
C. Biomass of amphibians (13)
D. Density of macroinvertebrates (13)
E. This metric deleted from IBI (17)

12. Percent of Individuals that are Diseased, Deformed, or Have Eroded Fins, Lesions, or Tumors (1-7, 9, 11, 12, 14-16, 18, 19, 20, 22)
A. Percent of individuals with heavy infestation of cysts of the parasite Neascus (10)
B. This metric deleted from the IBI (13, 17)
Note: The numbers in parentheses correspond to the following references.
1. Karr (1981); Fausch et al. (1984); Karr et al. (1985a,b); Karr et al. (1986); Angermeier and Karr (1986);
Berkman et al. (1986); Karr et al. (1987); Hite and Bertrand (1989); Angermeier and Schlosser (1988); Hite et al. (1992); Osborne et al. (1992).
2. Leonard and Orth (1986).
3. Moyle et al. (1986).
4. Schrader (1986).
5. Foster (1987).
6. Hughes and Gammon (1987).
7. Miller et al. (1988).
8. Saylor and Scott (1987); Saylor et al. (1988);
Saylor and Ahlstedt (1990).		 9. Ohio EPA (1987a,b).
10. Steedman (1988).
11. Langdon (1989).
12. Crumby et al. (1990).
13. Fisher (1990).
14. Bramblet and Fausch (1991).
15. Simon (1991).
16. Lyons (1992).
17. Hoefs and Boyle (1992).
18. Oberdorff and Hughes (1992).
19. Simon (1992).
20. Bailey et al. (1993).
21. Gatz and Harig (1993).
22. Goldstein et al. (1994).

Please see original manuscript for a full list of references and citations. For more information on this book chapter, please contact Dr. Thomas Simon with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Kenyon