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Steps 1 & 2: Defining the case & listing candidate causes for the Truckee River case study. Detect or Suspect Biological Impairment. What biological effects are observed? Where & when are they occurring? Where are comparable reference sites?. Stressor Identification. Step 1: Define the Case.
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Steps 1 & 2: Defining the case & listing candidate causes for the Truckee River case study
Detect or Suspect Biological Impairment • What biological effects are observed? • Where & when are they occurring? • Where are comparable reference sites? Stressor Identification Step 1: Define the Case List Candidate Causes Decision-maker and Stakeholder Involvement As Necessary: Acquire Data and Iterate Process Evaluate Data from the Case Evaluate Data from Elsewhere Identify Probable Cause Identify and Apportion Sources Management Action: Eliminate or Control Sources, Monitor Results Biological Condition Restored or Protected
Defining the biological impairment • Identify subset of biological measures to focus & guide SI process • Choose wisely, & where possible, aim for specificity
Defining the case: what, where & when 1. What biological effects do you want to focus on? BUGS? FISH?
Defining the case: what, where & when 2. Where are your impaired & reference sites?
Defining the case: what, where & when Which biological variables? invertebrates fish Where does the biological variable change among your sites? Which are your impaired and reference sites? Which time scale?
Defining the case: what, where & when To Do: • Load relevant data files Siteinfo Metrics • Merge files • Make boxplots for each biological response variable
Detect or Suspect Biological Impairment Stressor Identification • Make a map • Gather information on potential sources, stressors, and exposures • Develop a conceptual model • Engage stakeholders • Develop “final” list Define the Case Step 2: List Candidate Causes Decision-maker and Stakeholder Involvement As Necessary: Acquire Data and Iterate Process Evaluate Data from the Case Evaluate Data from Elsewhere Identify Probable Cause Identify and Apportion Sources Management Action: Eliminate or Control Sources, Monitor Results Biological Condition Restored or Protected
Listing candidate causes • Hypothesized causes of impairment • Sufficiently credible to be analyzed • Focus on proximate stressor, or stressor directly inducing effect of concern • May include sources, mechanisms of action, or several causes acting together (causal scenarios) • Develop list using: • Data from site • Info on known or potential sources • Existing knowledge from site, region & elsewhere • Stakeholder input
Listing candidate causes: initial brainstorming • What sources are in watershed? • What stressors could be causing effects?
Combining stressors • Strategies • Combine if they share causal pathways, modes of action, sources & routes of exposure, or if they interact • Re-aggregate stressors that have been unnecessarily disaggregated • Identify independently acting stressors that cause the same effect • Define effects more specifically • Warnings • Avoid combining causes without an underlying model • Avoid broad candidate cause definitions • Don’t lose independent effects of individual causes
Based on our brainstorming, let’s start developing a conceptual model…
SOURCE STRESSOR BIOTIC RESPONSE Developing a conceptual model • What is it? • Diagram showing cause-effect linkages among sources, stressors, & biological effects • Used for: • Initial brainstorming • Analysis framework • Communication tool
Using the conceptual models in CADDIS • The stressor-specific diagrams are there to give you ideas, & get you thinking about what may be happening in your stream • Take the parts that make sense for your system & leave the rest • Pilfer & modify freely, to generate case-specific diagrams
Things to keep in mind in model development • Think about causal pathways • How do sources lead to stressors? • How do stressors lead to biological effects? • Be as specific as possible • You do not need data for every component in your diagram • Want to identify potential data sources & types of evidence • General vs. specific impairments • Be thorough & inclusive • You can always eliminate potential sources, pathways, etc. later on, but don’t limit your initial brainstorming
The “final” list of candidate causes • Fill in with final list…