A predictive multimetric index based on macroinvetebrates for Atlantic Forest wadeable streams assessment

Abstract

Multimetric Indices (MMIs) have been widely applied for ecological assessment in freshwater ecosystems. Most MMIs face difficulties when scaling up from small spatial scales because larger scales usually encompass great environmental variability. Covariance of anthropogenic pressures with natural environmental gradients can be a confounding factor in assessing biologic responses to anthropogenic pressures. This study presents the development and validation of a predictive multimetric index to assess the ecological condition of Atlantic Forest wadeable streams using benthic macroinvertebrates. To do so, we sampled 158 sites for the index development. We adjusted each biological metric to natural variation through multiple regression analyses (stepwise-forward) and considered that the residual distribution describes the metric variation in the absence of natural environmental influence. For metric selection we considered normal distribution, variation explained by the models, redundancy between metrics and sensitivity to differentiate reference from impaired sites. We selected five metrics to the final index: total richness, %MOLD, %Coleoptera, EPT richness and Chironomidae abundance. The residuals were transformed into probabilities and the final index was obtained through the mean of these probabilities. This index performed well in discriminating the impairment gradient and it showed a high correlation (r = 0.85, p <0.001) with a specific index developed for a particular basin indicating a similar sensitivity. This index can be used to assess wadeable streams ecological condition in Atlantic Forest biome, so we believe that this type of approach represents an important step towards the application of biomonitoring tools in Brazil.

Developing and applying a macroinvertebrate‐based multimetric index for urban rivers in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

“…The inadequacies of physicochemical monitoring alone have necessitated the complementary use of biological monitoring (i.e., biomonitoring) tools and approaches (Arimoro, Ikomi, Nwadukwe, Eruotor, & Edegbene, ; Bonada et al, ; Serra, Graca, Doledec, & Feio, ). Biomonitoring tools/approaches widely used include single biotic indices (e.g., South African Scoring System version 5, Dickens & Graham, ) functional feeding group (FFG; e.g., Akamagwuna, Mensah, Nnadozie, & Oghenekaro, ; Baptista et al, ; Lakew & Moog, ; Ntislidou, Lazaridou, Tsiaoussi, & Bobori, ), multivariate approaches (e.g., Chowdhury, Gallardo, & Aldridge, ; Gieswein et al, ; Oliveira, Mugnai, Pereira, Souza, & Baptista, ), and multimetric indices (e.g., Bonada et al, ; Edegbene et al, ; Mereta et al, ; Monaghan & Soares, ). Of these approaches, the multimetric indices have been shown to perform extremely well particularly because they integrate information and data from multiple dimension of aquatic biota and the ecosystem as a whole (Bonada et al, ).…”

“…African Scoring System version 5, Dickens & Graham, 2002) functional feeding group (FFG; e.g., Akamagwuna, Mensah, Nnadozie, & Oghenekaro, 2019;Baptista et al, 2013;Lakew & Moog, 2015;Ntislidou, Lazaridou, Tsiaoussi, & Bobori, 2018), multivariate approaches (e.g., Chowdhury, Gallardo, & Aldridge, 2016;Gieswein et al, 2019;Oliveira, Mugnai, Pereira, Souza, & Baptista, 2019), and multimetric indices (e.g., Bonada et al, 2006;Edegbene et al, 2019;Mereta et al, 2013;Monaghan & Soares, 2012). Of these approaches, the multimetric indices have been shown to perform extremely well particularly because they integrate information and data from multiple dimension of aquatic biota and the ecosystem as a whole (Bonada et al, 2006).…”

The Influence of Riparian Corridor Land Use on the Pesquería River’s Macroinvertebrate Community (N.E. Mexico)

“…The biological metrics used in this study present similarities with the metrics used to develop multimetric indexes around the world [20,21,36,[59][60][61][62]. We found that 28 of the 42 metrics tested responded significantly to land use disturbances and therefore can be potentially used as bioindicators.…”

“…We considered 42 candidate metrics generally used in studies of macroinvertebrate responses to anthropogenic pressures in Mexico and elsewhere ( [20,21,36,[59][60][61][62], see Table 1). These metrics represented a range of structural and functional macroinvertebrate community characteristics, including diversity, species composition, and trophic structure.…”

“…Table 1. Biological metrics categories and their expected response to anthropogenic pressures [20,21,[59][60][61][62].…”