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URBAN ICHTHYOLOGY: CHANGES IN THE FISH
COMMUNITY ALONG AN URBAN-RURAL CREEK IN INDIANA
Christopher M. Ritzi, Brianne L. Everson, B. Jagger Foster, Jeremy J. Sheets and
Dale W. Sparks: Department of Life Sciences, Indiana State University, Terre
Haute, Indiana 47809 USA

ABSTRACT. We collected 39 species of fish from 10 sites along the East Fork of White Lick Creek in Marion and Hendricks counties, Indiana from May through August 2002 in order to quantify stream quality prior to the start of construction on Interstate Highway 70. These included 10 families, with 1 species each of Lepisosteidae, Clupeidae, Poeciliidae, Atherinidae, Cottidae; 2 species of Ictaluridae; 4 species of Percidae; 6 species of Catostomidae; 9 species of Centrarchidae; and 13 species of Cyprinidae. The most abundant species we encountered were: spotfin shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera), silverjaw minnow (Notropis buccatus), sand shiner (N. stramineus), bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus), striped shiner
(Luxilus chrysocephalus), central stoneroller {Campostoma anomalum), largemouth bass {Micropterus salmoides), creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus), johnny darter (Etheostoma nigrum), fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), rainbow darter {Etheostoma caeruleum), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), and the orangethroat darter (Etheostoma spectabile). We documented eight new county records for Hendricks County and one new county record for Marion County. Species richness, abundance of fish, and a modified Index of Biological Integrity for the seining sites were all positively correlated with distance downstream from Indianapolis. A trend toward greater fish abundance was also recorded with increasing distance from Interstate Highway 70. Results suggest that urbanization of Hendricks and Marion counties has had a negative impact on the quality of the East Fork of White Lick Creek.

Keywords: Fish, fish distribution, Indianapolis International Airport, Index of Biological Integrity, urbanization, urban ecology

Link to .pdf download from: Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science

Click Here for a list of other informative articles by Jeremy Sheets

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Tessa M. Aby-Kruger

Botanist

Tessa is a geologist, botanist and vegetation ecologist with over 10 years of experience managing and conducting projects, specializing in ecological and floristic inventories, rare plant surveys, and vegetation monitoring. She also performs wetland evaluations and is a guided hike leader.

Jeremy Sheets

Senior Wildlife Biologist, Vice President

Jeremy is a founding member of Orbis and directs its ecological and wildlife surveys, assessment and planning services, and brings over 20 years’ experience conducting various wildlife surveys with a focus on bat ecology and urban wildlife management.


Jeremy has managed wildlife projects for private firms and the public sector including for wind facilities, pipelines, roadways, military bases, and airports. Jeremy is proficient in wildlife management/control techniques, wildlife identification, threatened and endangered species, and surveying and analysis techniques for mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects. Jeremy is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Qualified Airport Wildlife Biologists who develop Wildlife Hazard Assessments (WHA) and Wildlife Hazard Management Plans (WHMP) for airports. Jeremy is qualified to inspect erosion, sediment and stormwater plans, and their implementation. Furthermore, Jeremy is federally permitted to conduct endangered bat surveys in USFWS Regions 3, 4, 5, and 6 and includes acoustic surveys, mist-netting, and radio telemetry.

J Ryan Duddleson​

Senior Archaeologist, Principal

Ryan is a founding member of Orbis and directs its cultural resource management services, and brings over 20 years’ experience helping clients assess and minimize the risk of impacting places with cultural value.


Ryan works with public sector clients including federal, state, and municipal government, as well as private firms in energy, transportation, industrial, and development sectors. He also coordinates with agencies and consulting parties involved with the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and other related cultural resource laws and regulations. He performs archival research, analysis, and excavation. Ryan also has experience in artifact and archival curation. He has applied innovative techniques to traditional artifact analysis, such as examining organic residues from prehistoric pottery to determine prior contents. Ryan also has experience with human remains in archaeological settings. Ryan meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 48 FR. 44716 and is a Qualified Professional Archaeologist in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.