A nutrient biotic index (NBI) for use with benthic macroinvertebrate communities

Hwang

Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim.

et al. 2011

-This paper provides an overview of the development and application of the National Aquatic Ecological Monitoring Program (NAEMP) in Korea, which uses biological and habitat-riparian criteria for river/stream and watershed management. Development of NAEMP began in 2003, with recognition by the Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE) of the limitations of applying chemical parameters (e.g., biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)) as the principal targets of water environment management. Ecosystem health criteria under NAEMP were developed from 2003 to 2006. Candidate sites for monitoring were also screened and established across the country. NAEMP was implemented in 2007, and since then a standard protocol of nationwide monitoring based on multi-criteria has been implemented to assess the ecological condition of rivers and streams. The monitoring results indicate that many Korean rivers and streams are severely degraded, with biological conditions that are much worse than their water chemistry suggests. In 2009, 24% of rivers and streams were in classes C (Fair) and D (Poor) for BOD, but more than 71, 53, and 27% were categorized as Fair to Poor according to fish, diatom, and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages, respectively. NAEMP is promising in that the results have already had great impacts on policy making and scientific research relevant to lotic water environment and watershed management in Korea. In the future, NAEMP results will be used to develop more aggressive regulations for the preservation and restoration of rivers/ streams, riparian buffer areas and watersheds. Another future aim of the NAEMP is to develop aquatic ecological modeling based on the monitoring results.

Section: Relationships Among Naemp Criteria and Their Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview and application of the National Aquatic Ecological Monitoring Program (NAEMP) in Korea

Hwang

Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim.

et al. 2011

Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim.

“…Moreover, macroinvertebrates reflect stream conditions and integrate human and natural stressors over a long period of time, thus giving a good representation of the quality of their surroundings (Cairns and Pratt, 1993). Therefore, macroinvertebrates have been used for freshwater monitoring and assessment for several decades (Smith et al, 2007). The information about the ecological sensitivities of each macroinvertebrate taxon has been used to develop biological indices (e.g., biological monitoring working party (BMWP) (Armitage et al, 1983)) for the assessment of water quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water quality related macroinvertebrate community responses to environmental gradients in the Portoviejo River (Ecuador)

Nguyen

Boets

Lock

et al. 2017

-The Portoviejo River, located in the central western part of Ecuador, has been heavily impacted by damming, intensive agriculture and untreated wastewater discharge. Unfortunately, detailed information on the water quality and the ecological status of the Portoviejo River is not available, inhibiting decisionmaking and the development of water management plans. Therefore, the aims of this study were (1) to assess the ecological water quality, (2) to investigate the point along the environmental gradient where the most significant change in macroinvertebrate community occurs and (3) to find potential macroinvertebrate taxa that significantly change in abundance and frequency of occurrence along the Portoviejo River. To this end, macroinvertebrate and physico-chemical data were collected and hydro-morphological conditions were recorded at 31 locations during the dry season of 2015. The results showed that the ecological water quality of the sampling sites ranged from good to bad. In addition, the Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis was used to examine changes in macroinvertebrate communities and revealed significant community change points for sensitive taxa declining at a conductivity value of 930 (mS.cm x1 ) and nitrate-nitrogen concentrations of 0.6 mg.L x1 . In addition, the thresholds estimated for tolerant taxa were set at a conductivity value of 1430 mS.cm x1 and nitrate-nitrogen concentration of 2.3 mg.L. Atyidae, Corbiculidae, Thiaridae, Acari, Baetidae and Leptohyphidae can be considered indicator taxa, showing shifts in the community. This study suggests that values of conductivity and nitrate-nitrogen concentrations should not exceed the threshold levels in order to protect macroinvertebrate biodiversity in the Portoviejo River.

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

“…As an example, phosphorus enrichment may push the aquatic ecosystem over an apparent edge and may cause a shift to Several attempts have been made to assess ecological impairment quantitatively. As examples, Smith et al (2007) established a nutrient biotic index in order to score thresholds and corresponding nutrient concentrations, above which invertebrate communities show impairment due to increased stream water nutrient concentrations. Solheim and Gulati (2008) Many studies of this kind however, have a short reach of application within the wide diversity of aquatic ecosystems, due to focus on a limited range of water bodies, for example shallow or oligotrophic lakes with specific characteristics (Leuven et al 1987;Leuven, 1988), or water systems that are under heavy anthropogenic pressure like ditches and streams in agricultural areas (Chambers, et al 2008) and urban drainage systems (Vermonden et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field sensitivity distribution of macroinvertebrates for phosphorus in inland waters

Struijs

Zwart

Posthuma

et al. 2010

The magnitude of ecological damage caused by elevated phosphorus concentrations in Dutch inland waters was evaluated and expressed as the fraction of disappeared genera. We used national abundance data stored in the Limnodata Neerlandica from 1980 until 2005. We derived the presence or absence in the concentration range between 0.001 and 40 mg/l total phosphorus for 867 macro-invertebrate genera. At concentrations above 0.1 mg/l, which is considered a signal of nutrient enrichment of freshwater, the fraction of disappeared macroinvertebrate genera (DF) can be written as a logistic function of the phosphorus concentration (CP), i.e. DF = 1/(1 + 4.07-CP-111). This implies that half of the macro-invertebrate genera that potentially occur in freshwater in the Netherlands would disappear at a phosphorus concentration of 3.5 mg/l. This field-based impact expression resembles the cumulative sensitivity distribution function for a toxic substance, based on the Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD) concept and artificial exposure test data. While the SSD for a compound relies on laboratory sensitivity data for a small number of species, the fraction of disappeared macro-invertebrate genera is here derived from field observations of many macroinvertebrate genera at numerous phosphorus concentration intervals. By applying the new damage function to measured phosphorus concentrations over the period in the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt, we found that the observed change in phosphorus concentrations would imply a loss of macro-invertebrates of 20-30 % initially to 5-10 % in 2005. The cumulative sensitivity distribution function for phosphorus from national freshwater monitoring data can be applied in various environmental screening systems such as multi-stress impact assessment of surface waters and in life cycle impact assessment of products.