|
That concludes our discussion of performing an ecological response
analysis. Now we will look at the second step in characterization
of ecological effects-writing a stressor-response profile.
The stressor-response profile is the final product of the ecological
effects characterization. The profile covers several points.
| Affected entities |
Affected entities described may include
single species, populations, general trophic levels, communities,
ecosystems, or landscapes. |
| Nature and intensity
of effects |
The nature of the effect(s) should be relevant to the assessment
endpoint(s). So: ·
- if a single species is affected, the effects should represent
parameters (e.g., mortality, growth, and reproduction) appropriate
for that level of organization.
- at the community level, effects may be summarized in
terms of structure or function.
- at the landscape level, there may be a suite of assessment
endpoints, and each should be addressed separately.
|
| Recovery |
Explain, where appropriate the time
scale for recovery. |
| Causality |
Explain what causal information links
the stressor with any observed effects. |
| Relation to assessment endpoints |
Explain how changes in measures of
effects relate to changes in assessment endpoints. Ideally,
the stressor-response profile should express effects in terms
of the assessment endpoint. If this is not possible, qualitative
extrapolations made between the endpoints and measures of effect
should be well documented. |
| Uncertainty |
How is uncertainty addressed? All
uncertainties should be well documented, including information
about extrapolations, major assumptions, and default values
used in the models |
Relevant
guidelines section(s): 4.3.2
|
Prepare
a Stressor-Response Profile (Text Version)