Numerous surveys of macroinvertebrate communities are conducted annually in Pennsylvania for a variety of purposes, but little work has been done to centralize diverse datasets or evaluate the effectiveness of survey data in classifying aquatic communities. In addition, little work has been done to statistically define macroinvertebrate communities, evaluate the effectiveness of predictive community models, or assess the condition of the macroinvertebrates within Pennsylvania. In an effort to improve our understanding of aquatic communities for their ultimate conservation, the Pennsylvania Aquatic Community Classification Project was initiated. One of the first steps of the project is to gather as much existing macroinvertebrate community data on Pennsylvania?s streams as possible for use in the classification of the communities. In this presentation, preliminary results from several statistical analyses will investigate the role of macroinvertebrate communities in the development of an aquatic community classification. Ultimately, this study will provide a framework for macroinvertebrate assessment in Pennsylvania, improve our predictive capabilities, help prioritize waterway restoration, define reference conditions and assist the conservation and regulatory communities in making planning, restoration, and conservation decisions.
Keywords: aquatic community classification, macroinvertebrates
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