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Multi-scaled Ecological Assessment Methods:
Prototype Development within the Interior Columbia Basin
Project Summary
This proposal outlines a research plan to use extensive databases compiled for the terrestrial and aquatic systems of the interior Columbia River Basin to investigate relationships among multi-scaled biophysical variables and biological features of terrestrial and aquatic systems of critical value in the use of ecological assessment data. Five generic issues common to ecological assessments and of interest to EPA are addressed by this proposal: determination of the appropriate ecological units for analysis at various scales; characterization of the sustainability of ecological systems; definition of the types of ecological issues and functions that must be addressed at each spatial scale; the problem of dealing with limited data; and extrapolation of knowledge from one place to another and from one time frame to another.To provide results addressing these five issues, the proposed research will be conducted along three major lines of work. Terrestrial and aquatic systems are studied together because (1) the procedures tested are similar for the two systems, and (2) the condition and resilience of aquatic systems are a function of the terrestrial systems within which they are embedded. The first research area involves the quantification of the effects of ecological map generalizations the interpretation of multi-scaled regional/national ecological assessments. The second research area consists of development of methods to reduce variability and uncertainty in ecological mapping used in regional/national ecological assessments. The third research area is concerned with the prediction of biotic distributions at regional/national scales by explicitly ordering ecological information within hierarchical ecological classifications/maps representing the relationships between successive levels of spatial resolution and ecological organization.
The proposed work includes six specific objectives: (1) Link biophysical and biological patterns associated with terrestrial and aquatic systems at different scales. (2) Quantify the scaled relations of linked biophysical and biological systems. (3) Develop methods for predicting broad and fine scale patterns over areas of varying sizes. (4) Classify landscapes at different scales based on biophysical and biological characteristics and define probabilities of response of biotic components of landscapes. (5) Verify the effectiveness of classifications based on indirect variables (e.g., elevation, lithology, landforms) for predicting bioenvironments (groups of direct variables, e.g., climatic variables) and biological characteristics of areas of varying sizes for evaluating alternative land management strategies and conservation. (6) Prototype multi-scaled representativeness assessments for evaluating alternative land management strategies using products from objectives 1-5 with a regional conservation example.
The various characterization and analysis protocols proposed in this study will benefit the users of the interior Columbia River Basin assessment products as well as all participants in multi-scale ecological assessments conducted in the U.S. and elsewhere. Results from this study will provide a "how to" framework for various user groups, primarily for regulatory and land managing agencies, but also including private land managers and land use planners, including conservation planning and stewardship. The proposed research is required if future assessments are to be reasonably consistent, efficient, and amenable to inter-assessment integration and comparison.
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