Use and Development of the Wetland Macrophyte Index to Detect Water Quality Impairment in Fish Habitat of Great Lakes Coastal Marshes

Indices have been developed with invertebrates, fish, and water quality parameters to detect the impact of human disturbance on coastal wetlands, but a macrophyte index of fish habitat for the Great Lakes does not currently exist. Because wetland macrophytes are directly influenced by water quality, any impairment in wetland quality should be reflected by taxonomic composition of the aquatic plant community. We developed a wetland macrophyte …