ABSTRACT
This chapter develops potential Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) metrics to evaluate the Lake Agassiz Plain ecoregion (formerly the Red River Valley ecoregion) within the Red River Basin. It expands on the conceptual framework laid out by Goldstein et al. by developing an IBI for the rivers and streams of the Lake Agassiz Plain ecoregion of Minnesota and North Dakota. The list of tolerant species for the Lake Agassiz Plain is based on Ohio Environmental Protection Agency data and on expert consensus opinion between Minnesota and North Dakota ichthyologists. Historical fish community data exist for the Red River and some of its larger tributaries, but the smaller streams have generally been neglected. The use of minnows to evaluate pools in the Lake Agassiz Plain is suggested because in this ecoregion minnows, rather than sunfish, are the dominant inhabitants of stream pool habitats.
