ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes information on the origin, current distributional pattern, characteristic macrohabitat, trophic guild, and tolerance to environmental stress for 150 fish species found in freshwaters in the northeastern United States. The Index of Biotic Integrity is based on the premise that biological communities (e.g., fish assemblages) respond to and are modified by human activities that may alter the physical, chemical, and biological processes of aquatic ecosystems. Fish distribution, ecology, and tolerance information includes data from New York, New Jersey, and the New England states. Fish occurrence patterns are not structured along political boundaries, hence, distribution information is presented on the basis of state-specific as well as biogeographic boundaries. The recognition of habitat-induced stress factors and the use of fish assemblages as indicators of environmental degradation play an integral role in the development of Indices of Biological Integrity.
