SEDL / STP / STP528-EB / STP34722S

Rapid Biological Monitoring System for Determining Aquatic Community Structure in Receiving Systems

Cairns, J
Director, assistant director, and research associate, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversitySmithsonian Institute, BlacksburgWashington, D.C., Va.

Dickson, KL
Director, assistant director, and research associate, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversitySmithsonian Institute, BlacksburgWashington, D.C., Va.

Lanza, G
Director, assistant director, and research associate, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversitySmithsonian Institute, BlacksburgWashington, D.C., Va.

Pages: 16    Published: Jan 1973

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Abstract

Biological monitoring plays an important role in a pollution monitoring program providing information not available through conventional physical and chemical monitoring. The saprobic system and the use of structural and functional changes in aquatic communities are two approaches utilized in assessing the effects of pollutants on aquatic communities. The feedback of information from conventional instream biological monitoring has been too slow for the most effective management of an aquatic system. Two rapid biological monitoring systems (the Sequential Comparison Index, and an automated community structure analysis using laser holography) have been developed to increase the speed of data collection and data analysis.