Evaluation of community and ecosystem monitoring parameters at a high‐elevation, rocky mountain study site

A multimedia systems approach was used to field test wilderness monitoring guidelines (U.S. Forest Service) at a high elevation site in western Wyoming. Five evaluation criteria having a primary emphasis on an ecosystem conceptual framework were applied to selected ecological parameters (terrestrial and aquatic) that were ranked on a relative scoring basis. The ecosystem conceptual criterion was based on the general attributes of the subalpine system, the nature of the potential environmental problem (acidic deposition), and ecological resources at risk. The other criteria were data variability, uncertainty, usability of methods, and cost‐effectiveness. Data on sulfate deposition and buffering capacity of soils and surface waters relative to an elevational gradient supported the notion of greater risk to ecological resources in the subalpine environment. Within this ecosystem perspective, litter decay and taxonomic richness of lotic macroinvertebrates had the highest rating, followed by lotic functional feeding groups and lignin‐to‐nitrogen ratios. A biotic index for stream macroinvertebrates received the lowest rating on an ecosystem conceptual basis and also scored low on the uncertainty and cost‐effectiveness criteria; however, suggestions were made for future improvement. Most parameters were similar in regard to variability and usability, except for functional groups, which exhibited greater data variability.