Aquatic Biological and Ecological Assessment

An understanding of the biology and ecology of aquatic ecosystems is critical to the design and interpretation of studies intended to evaluate potential influences of a project on a species (population), community, or ecosystem of interest. Our Environmental Services team has biological and ecological expertise that ranges from algae and aquatic plants, to periphyton, plankton, and benthic invertebrates, to vertebrate species including amphibians, aquatic reptiles, aquatic and semi-aquatic birds, and of course, fish. We have expertise and experience with aquatic environmental assessment at different levels of biological organization, from genetic and biochemical to the community and ecosystem levels, all of which are critical to effective aquatic environmental assessment. This expertise benefits our clients by optimizing efficiencies for field study timing and sample collection, and by understanding the processes influencing organism distribution and abundance including interactions among species (density-dependence, competition, predator-prey dynamics) and the physical environment, interpreting whether a project has, or is likely to, affect species, communities, or ecosystems.

To support our clients, we perform studies including the following:

• Fish spawning, movement, and habitat usage surveys
• Fish population evaluation and monitoring
• Aquatic habitat offsetting, restoration, and relocation
• Amphibian spawning and habitat usage surveys
• Aquatic / semi-aquatic bird surveys
• Aquatic vegetation surveys
• Species-at-risk evaluations
• Biological and ecological research projects