Spatial and temporal characteristics of fish assemblages in Luxapallila Creek, with emphasis on developing monitoring tools (Mississippi)

I sought to develop an index of biotic integrity (IBI) for the Luxapallila Creek, assess the properties of the index, and identify if and how index values in an undisturbed section differed from values in three disturbed sections. Secondly, fish collections were analyzed to identify the fish sampling gear most suitable to monitor future changes in fish assemblages in the Luxapallila Creek.; Overall, the IBI appeared to measure more than just a single attribute or dimension of the fish assemblage, seasonal rankings of the IBI were very consistent, and IBI rankings in the altered and unaltered sites exhibited similar variability in their rankings over time. Species richness variables had a greater influence on IBI scores, suggesting heterogeneity of physical habitats contributed greatly to the IBI rankings. The IBI scores followed predictable patterns relative to existing physical habitat differences between altered and unaltered sections, but was not able to differentiate between the three altered sections.; This study identified electrofishing or seining as the most sensitive methods, and hoopnetting as the least sensitive, to detect differences in fish assemblages according to environmental gradients in the Luxapallila Creek. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...