Services

Ecological Services

For ecological services contact:

• Jeff Park

Description

The range of ecological services we provide is broad, and includes study design and hypothesis testing, through sophisticated data analyses, to the ultimate solution of the problems addressed. Work completed by our staff has been well received by clients and regulatory agencies alike, and is known for being complete, accurate, and technically sound. General project areas include:

• Ecological Impact Assessments
• Ecological Risk Assessment
• Wetland Ecology
• Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species
• Habitat Monitoring
  
  

Individual studies have addressed a diverse group of taxa including plants; fishes; amphibians; benthic macroinvertebrates; phytoplankton; zooplankton; and macroalgae. Ecological studies have quantitatively assessed: (1) spatial and temporal patterns in abundance and species composition; (2) abiotic interactions e.g., sediment type; water physicochemical properties; and (3) risk to ecological receptors associated with chemicals.

In addition to applying fundamental ecological principles, OTO has extensive experience with formal biostatistical analyses; experimental design; and hypothesis testing. Quantitative analyses have included, among others, rarefaction analysis and similarity/dissimilarity indices, while biostatistical analyses encompass everything from data transformations and goodness-of-fit tests to sophisticated multivariate methods. OTO also has familiarity with a wide range of biostatistical software programs, many of which are approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

OTO has applied these sophisticated techniques to solve problems both small and large; simple and multi-faceted. Furthermore, they are cost-effective and have proven to be particularly useful when disentangling project–related impacts from natural variability. Ecological services such as those described above have been provided for federal agencies; solid waste management; private developers; private engineering firms; and power generators.