Historical Alpena FWCO Early Detection and Monitoring Invertebrate Database

Benthic invertebrate surveys conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office from 2013 to 2024. The data supports an Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection and Monitoring program targeting Amphipoda, Bivalvia, and Gastropoda taxa in Lake Huron and Lake Erie habitats. Samples were collected using colonizers and sweep nets, preserved in ethanol, and sorted for a specific watch list of invasive species.

Use Cases

• Modeling invasive species establishment risk based on habitat and sampling gear data mentioned in the description
• Analyzing temporal trends in benthic invertebrate communities from 2013 to 2024
• Training geospatial classifiers to predict high-risk locations for invasive species using the described harbor, river, and stream sampling sites
• Studying the effectiveness of different sampling strategies (e.g., colonizers, sweep nets) for capturing species richness

Strengths

• Surveys span 11 years from 2013 to 2024, providing a multi-year time series
• Targets three specific taxonomic groups (Amphipoda, Bivalvia, Gastropoda) with a defined watch list of over 25 invasive species
• Sampling covers diverse habitats in Lake Huron and Lake Erie using a risk-based prioritization framework

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Not all locations are sampled on a similar temporal scale, particularly those on the fringes of the program's range

Provenance

Source

Department of the Interior

Collection Method

Benthic invertebrate surveys using colonizers (rock bags, Hester-Dendy samplers) and sweep nets, with samples preserved in 95% ethanol and sorted in-house or by external contractors.

Time Range

2013 to 2024

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-14 16:43:45.960392; freshness should be verified

Geography

Harbors, rivers, and streams of Lake Huron and Lake Erie