Assessing the Health of a Stream in East Texas: An Approach Using Aquatic Invertebrates and Fish as Bioindicators

Erin Shepta^1,2, Country Plummer¹, and Carmen G. Montaña^1,*

¹Department of Biology, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX 75962. ²Current address - Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 24, Issue 1 (2025): 1–23

First published early online: 8 February 2025

Abstract
Aquatic biota have been identified as excellent indicators of stream health because they respond rapidly to environmental changes. We surveyed aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages in 2 stream sites differing in land-cover (agriculture and urban centers) within their riparian corridor along La Nana Creek (East Texas) to examine the health of this ecosystem. Biotic indices on macroinvertebrate taxa suggest that the stream is healthy and contained pollution-sensitive taxa. Fish assemblages showed spatiotemporal variation; however, both sites received relatively poor health scores for fish communities, indicating potential land-cover effects throughout this watershed. Our results highlight the importance of using a combination of biological indicators to get a more holistic glance at potential local-scale anthropogenic stressors when assessing stream health. Continued monitoring of streams in East Texas is essential to provide better management for restoration and conservation.

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