Identification of benthic invertebrate and diatom indicator taxa that distinguish different stream types as well as degraded from reference conditions in Luxembourg

2008 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Dohet ◽  
Henry-Michel Cauchie ◽  
Luc Ector ◽  
Lucien Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Invertebrates ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Benthic Invertebrate ◽  
Taxonomic Resolution ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
River Types ◽  
Quality Of Water ◽  
Species Being

AbstractThe main objective of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is to achieve good ecological status for surface waters in Europe by 2015. The ecological status has to be defined based on near-natural reference conditions. Benthic invertebrates and diatoms are among the key biological elements recommended by the Directive to assess ecological quality of water bodies. The purpose of this study is to identify species associations of these biological elements that are characteristic of the different stream types occurring in Luxembourg and that distinguish degraded from reference conditions. In general, the results reveal that diatoms and invertebrates can be considered as complementary indicators with more diatom species being characteristic of small size stream types and more benthic invertebrate species being associated with larger stream types. Among invertebrates, Trichoptera, Hydrachnidia, Ephemeroptera and Diptera show high affinities for most stream types. Plecoptera, Oligochaeta appear as useful indicators for some particular types. If only reference sites are selected (all river types considered), the number of indicator species drops from 55 to 24 for diatoms and from 81 to 48 for benthic invertebrates. Moreover, for the larger stream type, no reference site was found at all. This trend is likely to be a consequence of the multiple anthropogenic pressures that have affected large parts of European lowland rivers for decades. Our results suggest that Trichoptera, Hydrachnidia, Diptera, Ephemeroptera and Oligochaeta could be considered as best candidate groups for a tiered-taxonomic resolution approach where only taxa which have narrow and specific ecological requirements would be identified to finer levels. In Central Europe, however, since taxonomic soundness and easy recognition are required, only Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera are the groups to be recommended at the present time.

scholarly journals An environmental database for the status of freshwater in Greece

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Other Information ◽  
The Status ◽  
Freshwater Bodies ◽  
Status Data

An environmental database has been created, recording water bodies at a national level and assembling relevant data collected by various public services and institutions in charge of water resources management and research in Greece. Data consists of physico-chemical parameters, geomorphological descriptions, inventories of fauna and flora species, environmental pressures, vulnerability evaluation and other information useful for the assessment of current and future ecological status. Data gathering has proven to be a challenging task, due to the large number and the generally small size of the surface freshwater bodies as well as the numerous competent services and institutions and the multiple and sometimes conflicting responsibilities that therefore result. The latter is also partly the cause of lack of continuity of data, gaps or sometimes questionable reliability. Performing a global data overview, we note that (a) ecological status can be characterized as good for the majority of the sites, especially for small mountain streams, and (b) the general trend in most cases is degradation of current conditions, related either to anthropogenic pressures or to human activity combined with natural factors. This database, in a more completed and enriched form, could assist in the implementation of 2000/60/EC Directive in Greece and the establishment of reference conditions of surface freshwater systems.

Towards good ecological status of surface waters in Europe - interpretation and harmonisation of the concept

2004 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 169-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.-S. Heiskanen ◽  
W. van de Bund ◽  
A.C. Cardoso ◽  
P. Nõges
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
High Good

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a new legislative framework to manage, use, protect, and restore surface water and groundwater resources and coastal waters in the European Union (EU). The aim is to ensure sustainable water management and to reach good water quality by 2015. The assessment of the ecological status and setting of the practical management goals require several steps. The process has started with the characterisation of the river basins including identification of surface water bodies and types, and identification of significant anthropogenic pressures and impacts. The water bodies will be classified in five quality classes (high, good, moderate, poor, bad) based on the Ecological Quality Ratio, which is a ratio between reference conditions and measured status of the biological quality elements. The normative criteria for high, good and moderate ecological status described in the WFD need to be made operational because those will be used to set the practical quality targets for surface water management. National ecological assessment systems and classifications will be harmonised through the WFD intercalibration exercise in order to ensure an equal level of ambition in achieving good surface waters status all over Europe.

scholarly journals Improved freshwater macroinvertebrate detection from environmental DNA through minimized nontarget amplification

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy Sander ◽  
Arne Beermann ◽  
Dominik Buchner ◽  
Vasco Elbrecht ◽  
Peter Haase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Invertebrates ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Benthic Invertebrate ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Taxonomic Resolution ◽  
Universal Primers ◽  
Reference Database ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Degenerate Primers ◽  
Universal Primer

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a new, promising, and non-invasive method to detect biodiversity in aquatic environments. So far, it has mainly been used to screen for fish and amphibian diversity and rarely to detect macroinvertebrates. Typically, DNA metabarcoding relies on PCR amplification of a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene with degenerate primers. In comparison to other genes like 16S, COI has a greater taxonomic resolution and availability of an extensive reference database. Benthic stream invertebrates are of critical importance for regulatory biomonitoring, but when using universal primers on eDNA isolated from water, the number of reads and OTUs is “watered down”. This means the target taxa, macroinvertebrates, are underrepresented in comparison to other nontarget taxa, e. g. algae, bacteria, and fungi. The aim of the project was to design an insect-specific primer, which minimizes nontarget amplification. Therefore, data from a time series of 15 months at the Kinzig (Hesse), a silica-rich low-mountain-range stream, which is part of the Rhine‑Main‑Observatory (LTER site) was generated using the universal primers BF2/BR2. With this data we identified the most abundant nontarget taxa and designed a new reverse primer (EPTDr2n) with 3’ ‐ specificity toward benthic invertebrate taxa. Primer specificity was validated in silico together with universal forward primer fwhF2 using available data from GenBank and BOLD. 20 eDNA samples from the Kinzig River and its tributaries were then used to test the new primer in situ together with primer fwhF2. The new primer combination showed a much higher amplification of benthic invertebrates, insects in particular, than two other universal primer pairs for both, number of target reads (fwhF2/EPTDr2n: 99.6% versus BF2/BR2: 25.89% and fwhF2/fwhR2n: 39.04%; Fig. 1) and number of target species (fwhF2/EPTDr2n: 305 versus BF2/BR2: 113 and fwhF2/fwhR2n: 185). Additionally, the number of benthic invertebrate species exceeded even the number of 153 species identified by expert taxonomists at nearby sites across two decades of sampling. While several taxa reported, like a few trichopteran genera, flatworms, and some crustaceans, were not found, the primer shows greatly improved results for eDNA metabarcoding of benthic invertebrates(Leese et al. 2021).

Response of macroinvertebrate communities to anthropogenic pressures in Tajan River (Iran)

Biologia ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Milad Shokri ◽  
Bruno Rossaro ◽  
Hosein Rahmani
Keyword(s):  
Regression Line ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Predictor Variable ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Taxonomic Resolution ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Anthropogenic Stressors ◽  
Tajan River ◽  
Source Distance

AbstractThe Tajan River was investigated for one year in seven stations, analyzing the relationships between physical properties, water chemistry and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Biotic and diversity indices were compared with canonical unconstrained (CA) and constrained (CCA) ordination to test different methods able to estimate river ecology status. An upstream-downstream gradient was emphasized, in presence of anthropogenic stressors, coming from trout farms, paper factory, agriculture, urbanization, river regulation; the first CCA axis emphasized a natural gradient, bound to altitude, source distance, water temperature, the second CCA axis a pollution gradient. Biotic and diversity indices detected three polluted stations: S3, downstream the Korcha tributary, S6 downstream a paper factory and S7 situated after the Sari town. S4 showed high macroinvertebrates densities, which were attributed to the presence of a dam. Both multimetric and multivariate methods emphasized the need to separate the influence of natural variables from anthropogenic stressors in the Tajan River. To separate the influence of longitudinal gradient from the influence of pollution, it was suggested to evaluate the anthropogenic impact as deviation from a regression line, considering a multimetric index as dependent variable and source distance as predictor variable. The definition of reference sites was problematic in this poorly investigated area and a progress in taxonomic resolution is in any case recommended to better define the ecological status of these waters.

scholarly journals Land-use and agriculture in Denmark around year 1900 and the quest for EU Water Framework Directive reference conditions in coastal waters

AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bent T. Christensen ◽  
Birger F. Pedersen ◽  
Jørgen E. Olesen ◽  
Jørgen Eriksen
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Water Framework Directive ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Agricultural Activity ◽  
Eu Water Framework Directive ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
The Eu

AbstractThe EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to protect the ecological status of coastal waters. To establish acceptable boundaries between good and moderate ecological status, the WFD calls for reference conditions practically undisturbed by human impact. For Denmark, the nitrogen (N) concentrations present around year 1900 have been suggested to represent reference conditions. As the N load of coastal waters relates closely to runoff from land, any reduction in load links to agricultural activity. We challenge the current use of historical N balances to establish WFD reference conditions and initiate an alternative approach based on parish-level land-use statistics collected 1896/1900 and N concentrations in root zone percolates from experiments with year 1900-relevant management. This approach may be more widely applicable for landscapes with detailed historic information on agricultural activity. Using this approach, we find an average N concentration in root zone percolates that is close to that of current agriculture. Thus, considering Danish coastal waters to be practically unaffected by human activity around year 1900 remains futile as 75% of the land area was subject to agricultural activity with a substantial potential for N loss to the environment. It appears unlikely that the ecological state of coastal waters around year 1900 may serve as WFD reference condition.

scholarly journals The Influence of Flow Regime on Ecological Quality, Bird Diversity, and Shellfish Fisheries in a Lowland Mediterranean River and Its Coastal Area

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Belmar ◽  
Carles Ibáñez ◽  
Ana Forner ◽  
Nuno Caiola
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Ecological Quality ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Discharge Data ◽  
Mantis Shrimp

Designing environmental flows in lowland river sections and estuaries is a challenge for researchers and managers, given their complexity and their importance, both for nature conservation and economy. The Ebro River and its delta belong to a Mediterranean area with marked anthropogenic pressures. This study presents an assessment of the relationships between mean flows (discharges) computed at different time scales and (i) ecological quality based on fish populations in the lower Ebro, (ii) bird populations, and (iii) two shellfish fishery species of socioeconomic importance (prawn, or Penaeus kerathurus, and mantis shrimp, or Squilla mantis). Daily discharge data from 2000 to 2015 were used for analyses. Mean annual discharge was able to explain the variation in fish-based ecological quality, and model performance increased when aquatic vegetation was incorporated. Our results indicate that a good ecological status cannot be reached only through changes on discharge, and that habitat characteristics, such as the coverage of macrophytes, must be taken into account. In addition, among the different bird groups identified in our study area, predators were related to river discharge. This was likely due to its influence on available resources. Finally, prawn and mantis shrimp productivity were influenced up to a certain degree by discharge and physicochemical variables, as inputs from rivers constitute major sources of nutrients in oligotrophic environments such as the Mediterranean Sea. Such outcomes allowed revisiting the environmental flow regimes designed for the study area, which provides information for water management in this or in other similar Mediterranean zones.

scholarly journals Monitoring Skeletal Anomalies in Big-Scale Sand Smelt, Atherina boyeri, as a Potential Complementary Tool for Early Detection of Effects of Anthropic Pressure in Coastal Lagoons

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Chiara Leone ◽  
Francesca De Luca ◽  
Eleonora Ciccotti ◽  
Arianna Martini ◽  
Clara Boglione
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Coastal Lagoons ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Morphological Examination ◽  
Skeletal Anomalies

Mediterranean coastal lagoons are increasingly affected by several threats, all concurrently leading to habitat degradation and loss. Methods based on fish for the assessment of the ecological status are under implementation for the Water Framework Directive requirements, to assess the overall quality of coastal lagoons. Complementary tools based on the use of single fish species as biological indicators could be useful as early detection methods of anthropogenic impacts. The analysis of skeletal anomalies in the big-scale sand smelt, Atherina boyeri, from nine Mediterranean coastal lagoons in Italy was carried out. Along with the morphological examination of fish, the environmental status of the nine lagoons was evaluated using a method based on expert judgement, by selecting and quantifying several environmental descriptors of direct and indirect human pressures acting on lagoon ecosystems. The average individual anomaly load and the frequency of individuals with severe anomalies allow to discriminate big-scale sand smelt samples on the basis of the site and of its quality status. Furthermore, a relationship between skeletal anomalies and the environmental quality of specific lagoons, driven by the anthropogenic pressures acting on them, was found. These findings support the potentiality of skeletal anomalies monitoring in big-scale sand smelt as a tool for early detection of anthropogenic impacts in coastal lagoons of the Mediterranean region.

scholarly journals The Use of Biological Indices for the Assessment of the River Quality (Ruda River, Poland)

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneta Spyra ◽  
Justyna Kubicka ◽  
Małgorzata Strzelec
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Benthic Invertebrates ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Dam Reservoir ◽  
River Quality ◽  
Water Field ◽  
Study Sites

AbstractRecognition of the deteriorating conditions of rivers worldwide has called for increased efforts to improve the ecological quality of impacted river systems. This is particularly important in areas that have suffered from a significant impact of human pressure on the ecological status of water. Field studies were conducted in the Ruda River in an area that had undergone anthropogenic disturbances. The objectives of our survey were to test the biological metrics based on benthic macroinvertebrates at four study sites. Spring and autumn surveys of benthic invertebrates indicated that based on the BMWP and BMWP(PL) indices, water quality was higher in comparison with the value of Multimetric index at all of the sites that were studied. Our results revealed that the water quality was higher at the study sites that are located above the dam reservoir based on both the chemical and biological parameters. This study also indicated that both spring and autumn constitute appropriate periods for carrying out monitoring studies. The values of multimeric index indicated the same water quality (except for site 1) in both sampling periods. Anthropogenic transformations of a riverbed influence the flora and fauna and affect the ecological status of rivers.

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