Application of AQUATOX, a Process-Based Model for Ecological Assessment, to Contentnea Creek in North Carolina

ABSTRACT

The aquatic ecosystem simulation model AQUATOX was parameterized and applied to Contentnea Creek in the coastal plain of North Carolina to determine the response of fish to moderate levels of physical and chemical habitat alterations. Biomass of four fish groups was most sensitive to changes in temperature and detritus, but showed little sensitivity to changes in nutrients, sediment, pH, or dissolved oxygen. The model appears useful for assessment of stream ecosystem response to certain types of stressors; its utility should be determined further by model applications in other study areas and ecoregions.