Comparative study of ecological indices for assessing human-induced disturbance in coastal wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes

Several ecological indices have been developed to evaluate the wetland quality in the Laurentian Great Lakes. One index, the water quality index (WQI) can be widely applied to wetlands and produces accurate measurements of wetland condition. The WQI measures the degree of water quality degradation as a result of nutrient enrichment and road runoff. The wetland fish index (WFI), wetland zooplankton index (WZI), and the wetland macrophyte index …