MONTANA STATE LIBRARY 3 0864 0015 4556 8 BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF BEAR CREEK, PARK COUNTY, MONTANA BASED ON THE COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF THE BENTHIC ALGAE COMMUNITY Prepared for: /" ". State of Montana Department of Environmental Quality P.O. Box 200901 Helena, Montana 59620-0901 Project Officer: Patrick Newby DEQ Contract No. 200012-2 Prepared by: Loren L . Bahl s , Ph . D . Hannaea 1032 Twelfth Avenue Helena, Montana 59601 September 1, 2000 '^T/\TE DOCUmms COLLECTION ^"i^y 2 S 200Z MONTANA STATE LIBRARY ur, ,-^^^5 E- 6th AVE HELENA, MONTANA 59620 Printed on lOOt Recycled Post -Consumer Paper SUMMARY On July 13, 2000, a composite periphyton sample was collected from natural substrates at the mouth of Bear Creek in the upper Yellowstone River drainage of southcentral Montana for the purpose of assessing whether Bear Creek is water-quality limited and in need of TMDLs . The sample was collected following DEQ standard operating procedures, processed and analyzed using standard methods for periphyton, and evaluated following modified USEPA rapid bioassessment protocols for wadeable streams. The periphyton of Bear Creek was dominated by diatoms, the chrysophyte Hydrurus foetidus, and by the filamentous green alga Ulothrix. Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) were of secondary- importance in Bear Creek, indicating that the stream might be receiving some cultural inputs of nutrients. Typically, green and blue-green algae share dominance in streams of the Middle Rockies Ecoregion and dominance by diatoms and green algae may indicate higher than normal levels of nutrient enrichment. The diatom flora of Bear Creek was dominated by Hannaea arcus, the unofficial State Diatom of Montana. This species prefers cold, flowing waters and is reported to be indifferent to small amounts of organic pollution. Major diatom taxa in Bear Creek also included one other "sensitive" species and two species that are somewhat tolerant of pollution. Diatom association metrics indicated good to excellent water quality, little or no impairment, and full support of aquatic life uses, except for a borderline percent dominant species value (50.85%), which indicated moderate impairment. This dominance by Hannaea arcus also resulted in a depressed species diversity index that indicated minor impairment. A small percentage (0.24%) of abnormal diatom cells (again, Hannaea arcus) may indicate chronic toxicity from heavy metals in Bear Creek. INTRODUCTION This report evaluates the biological integrity, support of aquatic life uses, and probable causes of impairment to those uses, in Bear Creek near Gardiner, Montana. The purpose of this report is to provide information that will help the State of Montana determine whether Bear Creek is water-quality limited and in need of TMDLs . The federal Clean Water Act directs states to develop water pollution control plans (Total Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs) that set limits on pollution loading to water-quality limited waters. Water-quality limited waters are lakes and stream segments that do not meet water-quality standards, that is, that do not fully support their beneficial uses. The Clean Water Act and USEPA regulations require each state to (1) identify waters that are water-quality limited, (2) prioritize and target waters for TMDLs, and (3) develop TMDL plans to attain and maintain water- quality standards for all water-quality limited waters. Evaluation of use support in this report is based on the species composition and structure of the periphyton (benthic algae, phytobenthos) community at a single stream site that was sampled on July 13, 2000. The periphyton community is a basic biological component of all aquatic ecosystems. Periphyton accounts for much of the primary production and biological diversity in Montana streams (Bahls et al . 1992). Plafkin et al . (1989) and Stevenson and Bahls (1999) list several advantages of using periphyton in biological assessments of streams: • Algae are universally present in large numbers in all streams and unimpaired periphyton assemblages typically support a large number (>30) of species; • Algae have rapid reproduction rates and short life cycles, making them useful indicators of short-term impacts; • As primary producers, algae are most directly affected by physical and chemical factors, such as temperature, nutrients, dissolved salts, and toxins; • Sampling is quick, easy and inexpensive, and causes minimal damage to resident biota and their habitat; • Standard methods and criteria exist for evaluating the composition, structure, and biomass of algal associations; • Identification to species is straightforward for the diatoms, for which there is a large body of taxonomic and ecological literature; • Excessive algae growuh in streams is often correctly perceived as a problem by the public. • Periphyton and other biological communities reflect the biological integrity^ of waterbodies; restoring and maintaining the biological integrity of waterbodies is a goal of the federal Clean Water Act; • Periphyton and other biological communities integrate the effects of different stressors and provide a measure of their aggregate impact; and • Periphyton and other biological communities may be the only practical means of evaluating impacts from non-point sources of pollution where specific ambient criteria do not exist (e.g., impacts that degrade habitat or increase nutrients). Periphyton is a diverse assortment of simple photosynthetic organisms called algae, and other microorganisms that live attached to or in close proximity of the stream bottom. Most algae, such as the diatoms, are microscopic. Diatoms are distinguished by having a cell wall composed of opaline glass- - hydrated amorphous silica. Diatoms often carpet a stream bottom with a slippery brown film. ^ Biological integrity is defined as "the ability of an aquatic ecosystem to support and maintain a balanced, integrated, adaptive community of organisms having a species composition, diversity, and functional organization comparable to that of natural habitats within a region" (Karr and Dudley 1981) . Some algae, such as the filamentous greens, are conspicuous and their excessive growth may be aesthetically displeasing, deplete dissolved oxygen, interfere with fishing and fish spawning, clog irrigation intakes, create tastes and odors in drinking water, and cause other problems. PROJECT AREA AND SAMPLING SITES The project area is located in southern Park County in southcentral Montana. Bear Creek heads in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, flows south past the mining town of Jardine, and enters the Yellowstone River about two miles east of Gardiner, Montana just north of Yellowstone National Park (Map 1) . The Bear Creek watershed is within the Middle Rockies Ecoregion of North America (Woods et al . 1999) . The surface geology consists of Lower Tertiary volcanic rocks with granitic intrusives, and undifferentiated Precambrian metamorphic rocks (Renfro and Feray 1972) . Vegetation is alpine tundra in the headwaters, mixed conifer forest at middle elevations, and mixed grassland at lower elevations (USDA 1976) . A single periphyton sample was collected at a site near the mouth of Bear Creek on July 13, 2000 (Map 1) . This site is situated at an elevation of 5,300 feet at Latitude 45 01 55 North, Longitude 110 39 56 West. Bear Creek is classified B-1 in the Montana Surface Water Quality Standards. METHODS The periphyton sample was collected by Patrick Newby of the MDEQ Monitoring and Data Management Bureau following standard operating procedures of the MDEQ Planning, Prevention, and Assistance Division. Using appropriate tools, microalgae were scraped, brushed, or sucked from natural substrates in proportion to the rank of those substrates at the study site. Macroalgae were picked by hand in proportion to their abundance at the site. All collections of microalgae and macroalgae were pooled into a common container and preserved with Lugol's solution. The sample was examined to estimate the relative abundance and rank by biovolume of diatoms and genera of soft (non-diatom) algae according to the method described in Bahls (1993) . Soft algae were identified using Dillard (1999), Prescott (1978), Smith (1950) , and Whitford and Schumacher (1984) . These books also served as references on the ecology of the soft algae, along with Palmer (1977) . After the identification of soft algae, the raw periphyton sample was cleaned of organic matter using sulfuric acid, and two permanent diatom slides were prepared using Naphrax, a high refractive index mounting medium, following Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (APHA 1998) . Four hundred and eleven diatom cells (822 valves) were counted at random and identified to species. The following were used as the main taxonomic and autecological references for the diatoms : Krammer and Lange-Bertalot 1986, 1988, 1991a, 1991b; Patrick and Reimer 1966, 1975. Lowe (1974) was also used as an ecological reference for the diatoms. The diatom proportional count was used to generate an array of diatom association metrics (Table 1) . A metric is a characteristic of the biota that changes in some predictable way with increased human influence (Barbour et al . 1999). Metric values from Bear Creek were compared to numeric biocriteria developed for streams in the Rocky Mountain Ecoregions of Montana (Table 2) . These criteria are based on metric values measured in least -impaired reference streams (Bahls et al . 1992) and on metric values measured in streams that are known to be impaired by various sources and causes of pollution (Bahls 1993) . Only periphyton samples collected in summer (June 21-September 21) can be compared with confidence to reference stream samples because metric values change seasonally and summer is the season in which reference streams and impaired streams were sampled for the purpose of biocriteria development. The criteria in Table 2 distinguish among four levels of impairment and three levels of aquatic life use support: no impairment or only minor impairment (full support) ; moderate impairment (partial support) ; and severe impairment (nonsupport) . These impairment levels correspond to excellent, good, fair, and poor biological integrity, respectively. Quality Assurance. Several steps were taken to assure that the study results are accurate and reproducible. Upon receipt of the sample, station and sample information were recorded in a laboratory notebook and the sample was assigned a unique number compatible with the Montana Diatom Database: 0787-05. The first part of this number (0787) designates the sampling site (Bear Creek at mouth) ; the second part of the number (05) designates the number of periphyton samples that have been collected at this site to date for which data have been entered into the Montana Diatom Database. Sample observations and analyses of soft (non-diatom) algae were recorded in a lab notebook along with station and sample information provided by MDEQ . A portion of the raw sample was used to make duplicate diatom slides. Following the diatom proportional count, the slide used for the count will be deposited in the University of Montana Herbarium in Missoula. The other slide will be retained by Hannaea in Helena. On completion of the project, station information, sample information, and diatom proportional count data will be entered into the Montana Diatom Database. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results are presented in Tables 3 and 4, located near the end of this report following the Literature Cited section. Spreadsheets containing completed diatom proportional counts, with species' pollution tolerance classes (PTC) and percent abundances, are attached as Appendix A. SAMPLE NOTES Bear Creek at mouth. Hannaea arcus was present as an epiphyte on Hydrurus foetidus and cells were erect and oriented perpendicular to the surface of the host. A large stalked Gomphoneis (Gomphoneis minuta) was also present. NON- DIATOM ALGAE The benthic flora of Bear Creek was dominated by diatoms, by another chrysophyte- -Hydrurus foetidus- -and by an attached filamentous green alga, Ulothrix (Table 3). However, only small patches of filamentous green algae were present in Bear Creek and the amount in the sample probably overestimates the amount in the creek relative to the other algae that were present (Patrick Newby, MDEQ, personal communication) . Hydrurus is a common alga of cold mountain streams, and is particularly abundant in the Spring. Ulothrix also prefers cold waters with moderate nutrient enrichment . Cyanobacteria, formerly called blue-green algae, were of secondary importance in Bear Creek. In Rocky Mountain streams, cyanobacteria seem to prefer cold waters and low concentrations of nutrients. In reference streams of the Middle Rockies Ecoregion, green and blue-green algae were co-dominants, whereas blue-green algae dominated the benthic floras of less productive streams in the Northern Rockies Ecoregion (Bahls et al . 1992). Dominance by diatoms and green algae in Bear Creek may indicate somewhat elevated concentrations of nutrients from natural and/or cultural origins. DIATOMS The diatom association of Bear Creek was dominated by Hannaea arcus , which contributed just over half of the diatom cells (Table 4) . Hannaea arcus is the unofficial State Diatom of Montana (Bahls 1974) and the namesake of my consulting business. Patrick and Reimer (1966) report it from cool, flowing waters. In a review of 11 diatom ecology papers, Lowe (1974) found Hannaea arcus to prefer cold, flowing, and somewhat alkaline waters, and to be indifferent to light organic pollution. In Montana, this species is most abundant in mountain streams on the east side of the Continental Divide (unpublished data) . A recent query to the Internet Diatom List regarding the ecology of this species yielded 15 replies. To summarize the replies, Hannaea arcus seems to prefer circumneutral fresh waters, and mountain streams and large cold lakes in northern latitudes, including Himalayan streams and Lakes Superior and Baikal. It has also been reported from high southern latitudes (Antarctica and South Georgia Island) . One researcher reported the taxon to be sensitive to pollution from sewage. The abundance of Hannaea arcus in Bear Creek probably reflects the abundance of a preferred host alga (Hydrurus) and suitable water quality. Some nutrient enrichment may also be implied by the dominance of Hannaea arcus at this site. Although it contributed only about 5% of the cells, Gomphoneis minuta likely contributed a much larger share of the biovolume at this site because of its relatively large size. Gomphoneis minuta is found predominantly in the lower reaches of rivers and inland lakes, from British Columbia south to Arizona, and east to the Atlantic coast in North America, and in Chile in South America; it appears to grow in situations receiving organic inputs (Kociolek and Stoermer 1988) . The other two major diatom species in Bear Creek- -Fragi I aria vaucheriae and Synedra ulna- -are somewhat tolerant of organic pollution and nutrient enrichment (Lange-Bertalot 1979) . Altogether, the major diatom species of Bear Creek indicate cool, flowing, and circumneutral waters with moderate concentrations of dissolved salts and algal nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) . With one exception, the diatom metrics of Bear Creek indicated good to excellent water quality and full support of aquatic life uses (Table 4) . Because of the large percent abundance of Hannaea arcus (50.85%), the percent dominant species metric slightly exceeded the threshold for moderate impairment. Since Hannaea arcus may occasionally be found in large numbers in relatively pristine waters (unpublished data) , its dominance in Bear Creek may not be due entirely to cultural enrichment. The Shannon species diversity index was also a bit low in Bear Creek (Table 4), owing in large part to dominance by Hannaea arcus. The low diversity index indicated minor impairment but still full support of aquatic life uses. Two teratological cells of Hannaea arcus were observed during the diatom proportional count, indicating minor impairment of aquatic life uses (Table 4) . Although diatoms in this family (Fragilariaceae) are prone to deformities, these two abnormal cells may nevertheless indicate chronic toxicity from heavy- metals in Bear Creek. LITERATURE CITED APHA. 1998. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. 20th Edition. American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C. Bahls, L.L. 1974. A State Water Plant? Montana Outdoors, May/ June, pages 40-42. Bahls, L.L. 1979. Benthic diatom diversity as a measure of water quality. Proc . Mont. Acad. Sci . 38:1-6. Bahls, L.L. 1993. Periphyton Bioassessment Methods for Montana Streams (Revised) . Montana Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Helena. Bahls, L.L., Bob Bukantis, and Steve Tralles. 1992. Benchmark Biology of Montana Reference Streams. Montana Depe^j-tment of Health and Environmental Sciences, Helena. Barbour, M.T., J. Gerritsen, B.D. Snyder, and J.B. Stribling. 1999. Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Wadeable Rivers: Periphyton, Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish. Second Edition. EPA/841-B-99-002 . U.S. EPA, Office of Water, Washington, D.C. Dillard, G.E. 1999. Common Freshwater Algae of the United States. J. Cramer, Berlin. Johansen, J.R. 1999. Diatoms of Aerial Habitats. Chapter 12 in Stoermer, E.F., and J. P. Smol (eds.). The Diatoms, Cambridge University Press, New York. Karr, J.R., and D.R. Dudley. 1981. Ecological perspectives on water quality goals. Environmental Management 5:55-69. Kociolek, J. P., and E.F. Stoermer. 1988. Taxonomy, ultrastructure and distribution of Gowphoneis herculeana, G. eriense and closely related species (Naviculales: Gomphonemataceae) . Proceedings of The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 140 (2) : 24-97 . Krammer, K., and H. Lange-Bertalot . 1986. Bacillariophyceae, Part 2, Volume 1: Naviculaceae . In Ettl, H., J. Gerloff, H. Heynig, and D. Mollenhauer (eds.), Freshwater Flora of Middle Europe. Gustav Fischer Publisher, New York. Krammer, K., and H. Lange-Bertalot. 1988. Bacillariophyceae, Part 2, Volume 2: Bacillariaceae, Epithemiaceae, Surirellaceae. In Ettl, H., J. Gerloff, H. Heynig, and D. Mollenhauer (eds.). Freshwater Flora of Middle Europe. Gustav Fischer Publisher, New York. Krammer, K., and H. Lange-Bertalot . 1991a. Bacillariophyceae, Part 2, Volume 3: Centrales, Fragilariaceae, Eunotiaceae. In Ettl, H., J. Gerloff, H. Heynig, and D. Mollenhauer (eds.), Freshwater Flora of Middle Europe. Gustav Fischer Publisher, Stuttgart. Krammer, K., and H. Lange-Bertalot. 1991b. Bacillariophyceae, Part 2, Volume 4: Achnanthaceae, Critical Supplement to Navicula (Lineolatae) and Gomphonema, Complete List of Literature for Volumes 1-4. In Ettl, H., G. Gartner, J. Gerloff, H. Heynig, and D. Mollenhauer (eds.), Freshwater Flora of Middle Europe. Gustav Fischer Publisher, Stuttgart. Lange-Bertalot, Horst . 1979. Pollution tolerance of diatoms as a criterion for water quality estimation. Nova Hedwigia 64:285-304. Lowe, R.L. 1974. Environmental Requirements and Pollution Tolerance of Freshwater Diatoms. EPA-670/4-74-005 . McFarland, B.H., B.H. Hill, andW.T. Willingham. 1997. Abnormal Fragilaria spp . (Bacillariophyceae) in streams impacted by mine drainage. Jour, of Freshwater Ecology 12 (1) : 141-149 . Palmer, CM. 1977. Algae and Water Pollution: An Illustrated Manual on the Identification, Significance, and Control of Algae in Water Supplies and in Polluted Water. EPA-600/9-77-036. Patrick, Ruth, and C.W. Reimer. 1966. The Diatoms of The United States Exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii. Volume 1: Fragilariaceae, Eunotiaceae, Achnanthaceae, Naviculaceae . Monograph Number 13, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Patrick, Ruth, and C.W. Reimer. 1975. The Diatoms of The United States Exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii. Volume 2, Part 1: Entomoneidaceae, Cymbellaceae, Gomphonemaceae, Epithemiaceae . Nonograph Number 13, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Plafkin, J.L., M.T. Barbour, K.D. Porter, S.K. Gross, and R.M. Hughes. 1989. Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Rivers and Streams: Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish. EPA 440-4-89-001. Prescott, G.W. 1978. How to Know the Freshwater Algae. Third Edition. Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers, Dubuque, Iowa. Renfro, H.B., and D.E. Feray. 1972. Geological Highway Map of the Northern Rocky Mountain Region. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, Oklahoma. 10 ^ Smith, G.M. 1950. the Fresh-Water Algae of The United States. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. Stevenson, R.J., and L.L. Bahls. 1999. Periphyton Protocols. Chapter 6 in Barbour, M.T., J. Gerritsen, B.D. Snyder, and J.B. Stribling. Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Wadeable Rivers: Periphyton, Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish. Second Edition. EPA/841-B-99- 002. U.S. EPA, Office of Water, Washington, D.C. Stevenson, R.J., and Y. Pan. 1999. Assessing Environmental Conditions in Rivers and Streams with Diatoms. Chapter 2 in Stoermer, E.F., and J. P. Smol (eds.), The Diatoms: Applications for the Environmental and Earth Sciences. Cambridge University Press, New York. USDA. 1976. Climax Vegetation of Montana (map) . U. S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Cartographic Unit, Portland. Whitford, L.A., and G.J. Schumacher. 1984. A Manual of Fresh- Water Algae (Revised) . Sparks Press, Raleigh, North Carolina. Whittaker, R.H. 1952. A study of summer foliage insect communities in the Great Smoky Mountains. Ecological Monographs 22:1-44. Woods, A.J., Omernik, J.M., Nesser, J. A., Shelden, J., and Azevedo, S.H. 1999. Ecoregions of Montana (color poster with map), U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. 11 M •' .5' i/< 'i S ' ,' X' -' • -^^ ^- f M (U -l o Cm3 0 a c 4-) m o C •H -H ^ 4-) w m rH e X3 fO res j-i u 0) 3 •H J-i ij Cn 4-) j-i 0 CO OJ >H a o (C -rH a u X^ m -rH jj C x: (U CD 4J (U r; o 3 n3 -U .H n3 Cn T) > a OJ •H w H-l cn 1:1 o m 0) w 0) Sh u Cn u •H a d S-l re -H 4J ^H (U o e OJ ij c u OJ O d cn ■H 0) a jj ^ 0 m QJ a ■H 4-1 CO u 0 0) o S-l !-i M CO u fO -H CQ >^ e g 4J o m 0) 4-) 0 g tC M •H 4-) 14-1 Q cn O H (0 cn o cn (D ct; 'O OJ 4J u (D X w tn OJ m > 4-1 o (U cn a fO (U u c 0) S-t 0) 14H (U u •H 4J 0) 2 OJ tn m u Q + o o Ln I o o C^^ C^ cn cn rH Xi PQ 4J -H n > -H Q ta 0) -H o 0) w d o 0 0 0 cn cn cn fC3 m m 0 0 0 M j-i )H u u u 0 a c Q M M o o o o X (U X) a H a o -H 4J :3 o + o o CTl o o X (1) •0 a H d o •H JJ n) 4J iH ■H O o o o a\ cr\ cr> rH M fC m ro ■U CTl CTl QJ CTl CTl H H ^ d cn cn O i-H rH ^ ^ x^ S-l (C m m PQ PQ PQ H fO U 2 D) 0 cn (0 0 iH u 0 Q + o o 00 LP ■U CTl QJ H 0 4J 4J •H X 0) a jj ■H 10 rH •H 6 •H 0 cn fO 0 iH CJ 0 Q •f o o 00 CTl cry CTl (-8 a o cn 0 > 0 4J C/D 0) 0] 0) o nt -H § jJ •H Qi H 4J a o 0) 04 0 cn fc3 0 iH u o o CTl CTl CTl 0 tn o CQ 0) l-t ■H Xi Q< O < JJ a 0) o u 0) Oi ^H O o t 4J c 0 -rH iH 4_) :3 a >i rH H iH ■ :3 4J c 0 4J 4:; 0 o cn 0 cn m 0 -H o cn 0 cn m 0 iH u -H fO tn cn 0 Cn •rl o cn 0 -H u 0 T3 -i 0 iH 4J cn -H cn iH 0 > -H -^ 8 CO "^^ 4J O ■u 0 4J tn iH iH 0 0 PQ 1 0 cn Cn 0 -H i-q ^H >i 4J X! a Ti 0 a cn -H tn cn nj cn 0 u m iH 0 .H o 4J o -H 4J o a, 0 Xi 4-1 o cn 0 -H o 0 tn fO tn tn dJ 'r^ X 0 o i o o o •H iH 0 o 4J -^ u -d ■H o tn N ■u >, u u 4-) 1 1 0 m 1 0 •H ^ CTi 0 cr\ 0 (y\ 0 s CO JJ rH 0 JJ 0 Cn C -H g • aJ 4-1 (C OJ cr> 0 cr\ 0 en 0 0 -H c d g 0 0 C O 4J nH Tl in ■5}< in rsi m fN MCO0U-H^lO-HCDCn 0) W ■H a A V ■^■H4:50!:;-Hgco d g W 0) g M rr)X:Jja00'CJ II fO ^ H cn > x: >, SH ft g S -H -H nj o C/3 ^ jj iH JJ 0 Sh o\o u m 0) ^ rH ^ m ^ 0 > 0 en ^ ■ U JJ HH -H > ■ Sh a ^ JJ m 6 jj 0) c g 1 1 fligcomcojj CT>o •H W 43 • QJ ft CO o 0 0 0 en en n fO d 0 -H fO II n -n -^0 0 o\o rH 1 (0 H 01 U O rH • • • iH C -tJ ^ a rH o 0 H rH en en s, Sh -H M JJ 0 0 o\o 0 g ?r(JJJJO::i>x)SHen • m -H -H QJ J3 QJ pj , JJ 0ucnjJcox;in m g 3 0 T3 JJ !:; tfl rx,gO0-rlfC5JJ A •- U a 0 -H 13 G m QJ 1 1 [;;fOcodS0 00 O S oJ iJ QJ C -H o 0 a\ 0 en en -.CnCnrH rH0 UlrH i-i rO w U -H U • • I. mm- cn •■ c MH •H 0) -H W E- QJ in in cTi 0 ^ 'I' 0 >gjjmcnm > I-I U (U Q) o a (N CN ^ in r- C^ i,x:g mm304::iH d £1 o ^ Oj Q CO V A m JJ 0 0 0 cnjj u m (u m CO 4J ^ JJ U in 0 -H rH 75c!majJ>ocniH-ri l^o-nmcnmjj og 0) w -Xi (^ u ^ CO -O >i m o 0 QJ 0 M Ti T3 xi >, C -H OJ S g M-l XI 4H -H JJ 1 1 .H 0 C 0 Tl -O -H CO -H O sou a (T\ 0 en 0 CTl 0 _2jJd;:ig>i03gcn $-H0XimrHcnjj -H c:cn0mcorHdcn -xl ^^ C JJ C71 ;3 Q) 3 CO CNJ (N H H rH tj)-H m c s a o A V (U -rH -H CO u S m CO 4J 4-) X3 J-1 K. rH JJjJ0iH0JJm>. ^'o0i::430Xl!:;^HH .hShxi0jjc; 000 C S-i re QJ •H O U J-i u a-H c [JJJ U 0OUrH> rH ax: r-\ m >,^ccncomMH (0 ::1 iJ iH X! QJ O 0 CTl 0 CTl en J^ 0 JJ 0 0 rH -r-i II o w a m u n • • • .7] "-> •'^ a rH m T) Sh •H (D i-l 3 fl in in CTl 0 ^ ^ 3 Sh cn rH m m o\o .5gmO0-rl>, rHO Cn QJ XI 0) JJ M (N CM "^ in r- t^ O CO > CO V A rnmrHSrHSmC-rl • 0-HjJi|H g0gO M ;3 M O •H 0 o Q .J-lg 4H- 0-HfN jvjj-h 0-h coco S cn v •H (U 4-1 (1) XI 4-1 x: .t^COCOXlSHdUJJ -H CO 4-) a Commun: ired up ristic er of t jacent urbatio 93) . P curs be omewhat change ; 4-1 M U o 1 1 O -H CO •rH X o 0 CTl 0 en en U ^ -H JJ QJ . • . . CO -H 4J m 73 o 0 en 0 en en rH JJ QJ U JJ G (N fN n -^ in in 0 n3 S -H rH M V A > Hi M •H jjmOrH'dJJcnuco ■^ arH rH <: Sh rH 0 0 m g ^ m 0 II JJ ^ -H g a CO JJ m QJ tr"a u CO rH n3 0) (D J-) g C CDTJ U O 1 1 U C IJH CO • rH m oVo ^ a d >ing Sh en >, •-{ M A V 0 Sh CO 0 Sh 1 ^ 0 (j)^ g a 0 0 - CO Ct) C o ^ QJ c m cu Index ite t he de sum 0 both viron commo recov ; 40. loras O i-l -H it-l 4J CO S-l >, — CO Id o JJ c 1 1 (0 M-i ■H X o cr\ 0 en 0 CTl 0 ■H iH fO to QJ C en 0 en 0 en 0 CO JJ 0 C 0 MH Sh n3 c Cn Sh -O C . • • • . 0 JJ 0 C Sh Cn r^>,CO.E; -HOCllH QJ s-l fO a QJ c m (N (N (N H H rH J-J d 4-1 -H > H ji: A V Llaril stud asure is t ommon es or oras ment 0 cha imila •H OJ Sli JJ ■H CO 0 vh m o fc! Q — 4J OJ u a s >H U ca 0 rH -^ 4J rH 0 u 0 u ^H JJ (T3 >i C rO CO JJ rH 0 a 0 0 u rim0'Ou-HrH>Ht:;to 5 g C Sh >4H -H CO • U JJ 0 V^ D C rH c a n > 0 (N •H -H g ;3\ JJ 0 :3 JJ ■H m 0 rH JJ 0 a rn 0 m CO m m --H "•■^u •Hjjgaco'd tTl Sh P JJ CO >H rH fe iH S CO 2 m u CO a QJ o Cn-H (0 CO 0 rH\ O ■H 0 \ :i (,, m -H CO :ii 0 g m ^ aSH 0JJX1JJ-H VHJJ Egjjjjm-nm om ■^ 0 0-rl^ lH-HlWrH4:i rH rH 0 m S 0 Dl 00a -0 r-l U JJ a U CO XI o u a ^ Q oca 0 r-H •H sh a 0 a (C3 ■H a g Sh JJ d X 0 :^ 0 ;3 (0 m p 0 0 Eh CQ M M 0 CO CO W S CO 0 fc fo CU CO o^ iz; ^ UgCOjJJJTiOiwS Table 3. Relative abundance of cells and rank by biovolume of diatoms and genera of non-diatom algae in a periphyton sample collected from the mouth of Bear Creek near Gardiner, Montana on July 13, 2000. Taxa Relative Abundance Rank Chlorophyta (green algae) Ulothrix abundant^ Chrysophyta (golden algae) Bacillariophyceae (diatoms] Hydrurus foetidus dominant abundant 1 2 Cyanophyta (cyanobacteria) ^ Calothrix Oscillatoria Phorrni di urn occasional common frequent 6 5 4 ^ Only small patches of filamentous green algae were present in Bear Creek. The amount of filamentous green algae in the sample probably overestimates the amount in Bear Creek relative to other algae (Patrick Newby, MDEQ, personal communication) . Formerly known as blue-green algae. Table 4. Percent abundance of major diatom species^ and values of selected diatom association metrics for a periphyton sample collected from the mouth of Bear Creek near Gardiner, Montana on July 13, 2000. Species/Metric Percent Abundance/Metric Value^ (Pollution Tolerance Class) ^ Fragilaria vaucheriae (2) 15.69 Gomphoneis winuta (3) 5.11 Hannaea arcus (3) 50.85 Synedra ulna (2) 5.4 7 Cells Counted 411 Total Species 32 Species Counted 30 Species Diversity 2 . 82 Percent Dominant Species 50.85 Disturbance Index 0.73 Pollution Index 2.74 Siltation Index 2.18 Percent Abnormal Cells 0 .24 Percent Epithemiaceae 0.24 ^ A major diatom species is here considered to be one that accounts for 5% or more of the cells in one or more samples of a sample set . ^ Underlined values indicate good biological integrity, minor impairment, and full support of aquatic life uses; bold values indicate fair biological integrity, moderate impairment, and partial support of aquatic life uses,- all other values indicate excellent biological integrity, no impairment, and full support of aquatic life uses. 3 3 = sensitive to pollution; 2 = tolerant of pollution; 1 = most tolerant of pollution (no class 1 diatoms were major species in this sample) . APPENDIX A: DIATOM PROPORTIONAL COUNT Bear Creek at mouth (07/13/00) 8/31/00 ^^^^^ >»i^g^g^ :. xSainfilc : : . f ■■■ ■ :\9«niu»KV|iMPVHt«f w«*(««»]F::ii%$;^^ ^^^l^lw?U0All: :>>:*-:%-:: 078705Achnanthes lanceolata 2 9 1.09 078705 Achnanthidium minutissimum 3 6 0.73 078705 Cocconeis placentula 3 5 0.61 078705 Cymbella cymbiformis 3 1 0.12 078705 Diatoma mesodon 3 19 2.31 078705 Epithemia turgida 3 2 0.24 078705 Fragilaria brevistriata 3 14 1.70 078705 Fragilaria construens 3 4 0.49 078705 Fragilaria leptostauron 3 5 0.61 078705 Fragilaria pinnata 3 2 0.24 078705 Fragilaria vaucheriae 2 129 15.69 078705 Gomphoneis eriense 3 24 2.92 078705 Gomphoneis minuta 3 42 5.11 078705 Gomphonema angustatum 2 5 0.61 078705 Gomphonema mexicanum 2 2 0.24 078705 Gomphonema minutum 3 8 0.97 078705 Gomphonema olivaceoides 3 13 1.58 078705 Gomphonema olivaceum 3 9 1.09 078705 Gomphonema pumilum 3 8 0.97 078705 Hannaea arcus 3 418 50.85 078705 Meridion circulare 3 4 0.49 078705 Navicula absoluta 2 0 0.00 078705 Navicula minima 1 2 0.24 078705 Nitzschia dissipata 3 8 0.97 078705 Nitzschia palea 1 0 0.00 078705 Nitzschia paleacea 2 3 0.36 078705 Nitzschia perminuta 3 4 0.49 078705 Reimeria sinuata 3 1 0.12 078705 Rhoicosphenia curvata 3 16 1.95 078705 Stephanodiscus hantzschii 2 1 0.12 078705 Stephanodiscus medius 2 13 1.58 078705 Synedra ulna 2 45 5.47 Page 1