ABSTRACT
Various bioassessment methods are available to resource managers and investigators to gauge biological integrity of lotic systems, in addition to the multimetric approach used in the Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (RBP). Although the RBP and its associated multimetric approach are widely used in the United States, other protocols to evaluate biotic heath are preferred elsewhere (Diamond et al. 1996). Predictive models to assess biological health and ecological integrity (also know as multivariate or River Invertebrate Prediction and Classification System [RIVPACS] type models) are commonly used in Europe, Australia, parts of the United States, and Canada. In addition to these two approaches, many other methods of assessing water quality using benthic macroinvertebrates exist (see Merritt et al. 2008, for a listing). However, none of these methods are as widespread in their use as the predictive model and multimetric approaches, and we therefore will limit our discussion to only these two approaches.
