Although many avian species can be observed using wetlands from a distance, the taxa below the water's surface can be much harder to document. This includes the wide array of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and aquatic invertebrates. Knowing how best to monitoring these species assemblages to inform management decisions is limited. In the past, research typically has only focused on one taxonomic group like fish or just amphibians. These projects have looked at one taxonomic group or another in different parts of Missouri.
MDC’s Resource Science Division (RSD), Fisheries Division and others have been involved in collecting information on aquatic systems for over 60 years. Much of this information has been entered into electronic databases maintained by RSD staff. Recent advances in electronic database management and communication makes it practical to combine elements of these multiple databases into a single aquatic database. The advantage of accessing information through the RSD-IAD compared to past practices is that access will be instantaneous and the information will be the most current