Table 2. Stressors affecting Tier 2 Essential Ecosystem Characteristics (EEC) identified in the application of the conceptual model to case studies in the Canadian River (1), Colorado River (2), Columbia River (3), and Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers (4).
| Tier 2 EEC (habitat) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stressor | Spawning | Overwintering | Juvenile fish | Larval fish | Invertebrate |
| Altered riparian community | 1 | ||||
| Channel stability | 2, 3 | ||||
| Contaminants | 1, 3, 4 | 4 | |||
| Discharge | 1 | ||||
| Dissolved oxygen | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Habitat fragmentation | 1, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 3 | 2, 3 | ||
| Sediment deposition | 3, 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1, 2, 3 |
| Turbidity | 2 | ||||
| Water Depth | 4 | 4 | |||
| Water temperature | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 4 | 4 | 1, 3 | |
| Water velocity | 3, 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
Tier 2 EECs are broadly described as physical, chemical, or biological components of “habitat” that are hypothesized to have overall fitness consequences.