scholarly journals Conservation unit and water quality: the influence of environmental integrity on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 442-450
Author(s):  
Jessé Renan Scapini Sobczak ◽  
Alice Teresa Valduga ◽  
Rozane Maria Restello ◽  
Rafael Imlau Cardoso
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrates ◽  
Habitat Diversity ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Conservation Unit ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Assemblages ◽  
Taxa Richness ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Shannon Diversity ◽  
Environmental Integrity

AIM: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a Conservation Unit (CU) in maintaining the quality of freshwater habitats and to evaluate the influence of environmental integrity on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. METHODS: The research was conducted at sampling sites located within and outside of the CU in the Alto Uruguai region, southern Brazil, and included two stages: (i) the collection of benthic macroinvertebrates and (ii) the application of a Rapid Assessment Protocol (RAP) to characterise the habitat quality. RESULTS: A total of 1,362 benthic macroinvertebrates were collected during the study, totalling 30 taxa. The densities within and outside the CU were significantly different (F= 160.08; p= 0.05), and the Shannon diversity and taxa richness followed the same pattern (F= 118.72, p= 0.05; and F= 176.33, p= 0.04, respectively). In contrast, the Pielou equitability did not differ within and outside the CU (F= 0.19, p= 0.74). The biotic index (Biological Monitoring Working Party) indicated that water quality was good or very good in the majority of cases. Most of the sampling sites were classified as ‘natural’ according to the RAP. The taxa richness was significantly related to habitat diversity (F= 7.24; p = 0.05), but no significant relationship was found between the habitat diversity and the Shannon diversity (F= 2.13, p = 0.22). CONCLUSION: The CU was effective for the conservation of water quality and the freshwater biodiversity of benthic macroinvertebrates. The results show that the environmental integrity was related to the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates, primarily to the taxa richness. More detailed investigations need to be developed to better understand these relationships and to take into account the temporal scale. An analysis of the most significant sources of stress on the aquatic life outside the area is recommended.

scholarly journals Community Analysis and Water Quality of Benthic Macroinvertebrates at Gwangseok stream in Korea

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-100
Author(s):  
Man Kyu Huh
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrates ◽  
Community Analysis ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Community ◽  
Biotic Index ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Biological Water ◽  
Evenness Indices ◽  
Biological Water Quality

The study was to investigate species composition and biological water quality of benthic macroinvertebrates among localities at Gwangseok stream, Jinhae city in Korea. The identified benthic macroinvertebrates were 781 individuals belonged to 19 species, 14 families, 8 orders, 5 classes and 3 phyla. The value of dominance index (DI) was varied from 0.184 (St. C) to 0.333 (St. A) with a mean of 0.235. DI was significantly different among the four regions. Beck-Tsuda's Biotic Index (BI) was varied from 7 (St. D) to 20 (St. C) with a mean of 14. Total ecological score of benthic macroinvertebrate community (TESB) was varied from 12 (St. D) to 38 (St. B) with a mean of 26.3. Average ecological score of benthic macroinvertebrate community (AESB) was varied from 1.714 (St. D) to 1.900 (St. B) with a mean of 1.821. Benthic macroinvertebrate index (BMI) ) was varied from 22.354 (St. A) to 26.474 (St. D) with a mean of 39.756. Shannon-Weaver index (H´) for mammals at the upper regions (St. A and St. B) was higher than those of low regions (St. C and St. D). Berger-Parker’s index (BPI) was varied from 0.218 (St.. C) to 0.346 (St. A). Richness (R1) was different from each other and R2 was not shown significant differences (p < 0.05). Evenness indices (E1-E5) for four stations were different from each other, however there were not shown significant differences (p < 0.05).

scholarly journals Horticulture affects macroinvertebrate assemblages in adjacent streams (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

2020 ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Arias ◽  
Ana Scalise ◽  
Marina Solis ◽  
Ariel Paracampo ◽  
Mercedes Indaco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Buenos Aires Province ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Assemblages ◽  
Taxa Richness ◽  
Higher Taxa ◽  
High Nutrient ◽  
Pampean Streams

The agrochemicals used on crops can reach watercourses, affecting water quality and biologic communities. The aim of this research was to study the effects of horticulture on the water quality and invertebrate assemblages of adjacent streams in Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Four streams draining horticultural basins were compared with another four considered less disturbed: two of the latter located in a Biosphere Reserve and the other two in extensive livestock-raising basins. Pesticides were detected in the horticulture-related streams, while nutrient concentrations were significantly higher than in the less-disturbed streams. The macroinvertebrate assemblages differed: the less-disturbed streams exhibited a significantly higher taxa richness and density. Hyalella sp. and Simocephalus vetulus were dominant, whereas Entomobryoidea, Dugessidae, and Glossiphoniidae were dominant in the horticulture-associated streams. Ephemeroptera (Caenis and Baetidae) were well represented in the less-disturbed streams and rare or absent in the horticulture-adjacent streams. Multivariate analysis indicated that the horticulture-impacted sites contained high nutrient concentrations and tolerant taxa, while the less-disturbed sites corresponded to lower nutrient concentrations and sensitive taxa. We propose Hyalella sp. and S. vetulus as water-quality indicators in pampean streams and conclude that intensive agrochemical applications in horticulture increase nutrient and pesticide loads affecting the macroinvertebrate assemblages of adjacent streams.

scholarly journals Assessment of disturbance at three spatial scales in two large tropical reservoirs

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letícia Morais ◽  
Bárbara De Oliveira Sanches ◽  
Gilmar B. Santos ◽  
Philip R. Kaufmann ◽  
Robert M. Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrates ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Sampling Station ◽  
Physical Habitat ◽  
Benthic Assemblages ◽  
Disturbance Index ◽  
Tropical Reservoirs

<p>Large reservoirs are an increasingly common feature across tropical landscapes because of their importance for water supply, flood control and hydropower, but their ecological conditions are infrequently evaluated. Our objective was to assess the range of disturbances for two large tropical reservoirs and their influences on benthic macroinvertebrates. We tested three hypotheses: i) a wide variation in the level of environmental disturbance can be observed among sites in the reservoirs; ii) the two reservoirs would exhibit a different degree of disturbance level; and iii) the magnitude of disturbance would influence the structure and composition of benthic assemblages. For each reservoir, we assessed land use (macroscale), physical habitat structure (mesoscale), and water quality (microscale). We sampled 40 sites in the littoral zones of both Três Marias and São Simão Reservoirs (Minas Gerais, Brazil). At the macroscale, we measured cover percentages of land use categories in buffer areas at each site, where each buffer was a circular arc of 250 m. At the mesoscale, we assessed the presence of human disturbances in the riparian and drawdown zones at the local (site) scale. At the microscale, we assessed water quality at each macroinvertebrate sampling station using the Micro Disturbance Index (MDI). To evaluate anthropogenic disturbance of each site, we calculated an integrated disturbance index (IDI) from a buffer disturbance index (BDI) and a local disturbance index (LDI). For each site, we calculated richness and abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates, Chironomidae genera richness, abundance and percent Chironomidae individuals, abundance and percent EPT individuals, richness and percent EPT taxa, abundance and percent resistant individuals, and abundance and percent non-native individuals. We also evaluated the influence of disturbance on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages at the entire-reservoir scale. The BDI, LDI and IDI had significantly greater average scores at São Simão than at Três Marias Reservoir. The significantly greater differences in IDI scores for São Simão Reservoir were reflected in 10 of the 13 Ekman-Birge dredge biotic metrics and in 5 of 13 of the kick-net biotic metrics. We also observed clear ranges of disturbances within both reservoirs at macro (BDI) and mesoscales (LDI) and in water quality, but an insignificant range in MDI results. However, we found no significant relationship between the benthic macroinvertebrate metrics and the BDI, LDI, and IDI among sites within a single reservoir. Hence, we believe that benthic macroinvertebrate distributions in those reservoirs were influenced by other factors or that reservoir macroinvertebrates (dominated by chironomids) were poor indicators of disturbance at the site scale.</p>

scholarly journals Effect of a Summer Flood on Benthic Macroinvertebrates in a Medium-Sized, Temperate, Lowland River

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 885
Author(s):  
Somsubhra Chattopadhyay ◽  
Paweł Oglęcki ◽  
Agata Keller ◽  
Ignacy Kardel ◽  
Dorota Mirosław-Świątek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrates ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Ammonium Nitrogen ◽  
Flood Peak ◽  
Taxa Richness ◽  
Extreme Hydrological Events ◽  
Summer Flood

Floods are naturally occurring extreme hydrological events that affect stream habitats and biota at multiple extents. Benthic macroinvertebrates (BM) are widely used to assess ecological status in rivers, but their resistance and resilience to floods in medium-sized, temperate, lowland rivers in Europe have not been sufficiently studied. In this study, we quantified the effect of a moderate (5-year return period) yet long-lasting and unpredictable flood that occurred in summer 2020 on the BM community of the Jeziorka River in central Poland. To better understand the mechanisms by which the studied flood affected the BM community, we also evaluated the dynamics of hydrological, hydraulic, channel morphology, and water quality conditions across the studied 1300 m long reach. Continuous water level monitoring, stream depth surveying, and discharge measurements. As well, in-situ and lab-based water quality measurements were carried out between March and August 2020. BM communities were sampled three times at eight sites along the reach, once before and twice after the flood. High flow velocities during the flood resulted in stream bed instability leading to sand substrate movement that caused streambed aggradation by up to 0.2 m. Dissolved oxygen and ammonium-nitrogen were major drivers of BM community structure. Taxa richness, abundance, and the BMWP-PL index declined significantly, whereas Shannon evenness and Simpson diversity indices showed no significant change in the first post-flood sampling, as indicated by Kruskal–Wallis and Tukey tests. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis showed that community composition was also significantly affected by the flood. Seven weeks after the flood peak (August 2020 sampling), BM communities had fully recovered from the disturbance. The results can serve as a first approximation of the resistance and resilience of BM communities for relevant applications in other medium-sized, low-gradient, temperate rivers.

scholarly journals Suggested Sampling Methodology for Lake Benthic Macroinvertebrates under the Requirements of the European Water Framework Directive

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1353
Author(s):  
Chrysoula Ntislidou ◽  
Dimitra Bobori ◽  
Maria Lazaridou
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Macroinvertebrates ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Sampling Design ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Taxa Richness ◽  
Natural Lakes ◽  
European Water ◽  
Precision Level

The estimation of the number of samples required for reliably monitoring lakes’ benthic macroinvertebrates is difficult due to the natural variability and cost and time constraints. To determine a statistically robust and effective sampling design, we collected benthic macroinvertebrate samples from 15 Greek natural lakes. We compared the spatial and temporal variability of the benthic macroinvertebrate community composition to identify differences among lakes, between lake zones (sublittoral and profundal) and sampling periods. Furthermore, we examined the sampling precision and determined the number of required samples to attain maximum taxa richness. The diminution of the sampling effort was estimated and the desired precision level, considering different benthic macroinvertebrate abundances, was modelled. No temporal or spatial variation between lake zones was observed in communities’ compositions. The precision of our sampling design was adequate, and rarefaction curves revealed an adequate taxa richness (>70%). The developed model could be applied to assess the required sampling effort in lakes within the Mediterranean ecoregion with similar benthic macroinvertebrate abundances.

scholarly journals Structure of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Rivers of Western Himalaya, Nepal

Geosciences ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Ram Devi Tachamo Shah ◽  
Subodh Sharma ◽  
Deep Narayan Shah ◽  
Deepak Rijal
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrates ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
River Systems ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
River Types

According to River Continuum Concept (RCC), channel morphology, including sediment loads and channel width, river habitat, flow regimes and water quality, differs from the tributary to the downstream river’s mainstem, allowing shifts in faunal composition from dominance of shredders to collectors downstream, respectively. Tributaries are responsible for contributing organic carbons, nutrients and water. However, such knowledge is still limited in the monsoon-dominated river systems of the Himalaya. The study was conducted in the river’s mainstem and tributaries of the Karnali River Basin, which are glacier and spring-fed river systems, respectively, in the western Himalaya, Nepal. A total of 38 river stretches in the river’s mainstem and tributaries were sampled during post-monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons in the years 2018 and 2019. Water quality parameters, such as pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity and hardness, and the benthic macroinvertebrates were studied. Ten subsamples of benthic macroinvertebrates were collected following the multi-habitat sampling approach at each site. High taxa richness was recorded in tributaries compared to the river’s mainstem while abundance was similar between river types. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) formed two distinct groups, reflecting high similarities in benthic macroinvertebrate composition within the tributaries and river’s mainstem rather than between river types. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated water temperature and pH as major environmental predictors for benthic macroinvertebrate variability between river types. Therefore, river type-based conservation efforts that account for upstream–downstream linkages of aquatic biota and resources in freshwater ecosystems can ensure the ecological integrity of the whole river basin.

scholarly journals Diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates and water quality of Karasu Stream (Black Sea)

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-477
Author(s):  
Eylem Aydemir Çil ◽  
Murat Özbek ◽  
Öztekin Yardım ◽  
Seray Yıldız ◽  
Ayşe Taşdemir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrates ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Black Sea Region

The study was conducted in Karasu Stream (Sinop Province, Black Sea Region of Turkey). The purpose of this study is, to determine the benthic macroinvertebrate composition of the stream, together with some of its environmental characteristics (water temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen) to evaluate the trophic level of the stream. Samplings of benthic macroinvertebrates and environmental variables were performed monthly at ten stations between February 2013 and January 2014. As a result, 18260 specimens were investigated and 175 taxa were determined. Chironomidae and Oligochaeta were the higher groups in terms of species richness with 48 and 38 taxa, respectively. The BMWP and ASPT indices indicate that all the stations belong to “slightly polluted (Class II)” or “unpolluted (Class I)” water quality levels.

scholarly journals Habitat formed by the invasive macroalga Caulerpa filiformis (Suhr) Hering (Caulerpales, Chlorophyta) alters benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in Peru

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Aguilar ◽  
Pippa J. Moore ◽  
Roberto A. Uribe
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrates ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Soft Sediment ◽  
Taxonomic Richness ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Assemblages ◽  
Peruvian Coast ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The green macroalga Caulerpa filiformis has been spreading on shallow soft sediment habitats along the Peruvian coast, colonizing previously unvegetated sediments to create monospecific meadows. We examined the nature of the impact of C. filiformis meadows on the density, taxonomic richness and assemblage structure of epifaunal and infaunal benthic macroinvertebrates. Specifically, we tested whether the spread of C. filiformis has resulted in different macroinvertebrate assemblages than those formed by the dominant native macroalgae (i.e., Rhodymenia spp.) and unvegetated sediments. Surveys were undertaken in two bays in each of two locations, in central and southern Peru, during winter 2017 and summer 2018. In general, our results show that macroinvertebrate assemblages were similar across all three habitats, although there were some differences, related to location and season, but with no clear patterns observed. Taxonomic richness and density was generally higher in the vegetated habitats than the unvegetated habitat, and where there were differences between the two vegetated habitats there was no consistent pattern of which habitat supported the highest richness or density. Given invading C. filiformis is primarily colonizing unvegetated habitats it would appear that this species is creating a new niche which supports similar assemblages, but higher taxonomic richness and density than unvegetated habitats. While our study suggests that C. filiformis is having a limited ecological impact we recommend that actions be put in place to limit the spread of this invasive species at the same time as increasing monitoring of the ecological impacts of this species as lags in the ecological impacts of invasive species are common.

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