Vital Sign Monitoring: Freshwater Animal Communities

Freshwater cascading from the mountains to the ocean at Kaluapapa National Historical Park provides a unique habitat for native fishes

Description & Rational
A diverse array of freshwater habitats are found in PACN parks, including streams, anchialine pools, man-made coastal fishponds, a saline lake, and sub-alpine ponds and bogs. Though several of these ecosystem types are mixohaline, the term “freshwater” is used to include all waters that are non-marine.

Freshwater ecosystems are internationally considered to be among the world’s most vulnerable, and several freshwater animals are listed as candidate endangered species or species of concern. In the Pacific Islands, there is a high level of endemicity in the small number of native freshwater species within each of these habitats. Pacific Island freshwater and brackish water bodies face a multitude of threats, as exotic species introductions and habitat destruction threaten native animal populations. The PACN parks are working to protect some of these last remaining habitats.

Brief Monitoring Questions & Objectives
Question: What are the long term trends in community composition, population distribution, and abundance of freshwater fish and invertebrates (including snails and crustaceans)?
Objectives: a.) Determine long-term trends in the composition and diversity of fish and invertebrates in selected freshwater communities. b.) Determine trends in the distribution and abundance of fish and invertebrate populations in selected stream habitats.

Question: How do park management activities (i.e., those that impact aquatic ecosystems) affect the community composition and abundance of freshwater fish and invertebrates (including snails, crustaceans, and water-associated insects)?
Objectives: Improve understanding of relationships between freshwater animal communities and their habitat by correlating physical and chemical habitat measures with changes in distribution and abundance of fish and invertebrates.

Vital Sign Monitoring Status & Trends
The Freshwater Animal Communities monitoring protocol is scheduled for peer review in October 2008.

Products and Related Links:

• Protocol Documents (in development)

Education and Outreach:

• Freshwater Animal Communities Monitoring Photo Gallery - Coming Soon!

Contact Information
Project Manager
Tahzay Jones, Aquatic Ecologist
Pacific Island Network, I&M Program
National Park Service
PO Box 52, Hawaii National Park, HI 96718
Tahzay_jones <at> nps.gov