AQUALIFE Software: A New Tool for a Standardized Ecological Assessment of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems

Abstract

We introduce a suite of software tools aimed at investigating multiple bio-ecological facets of aquatic Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs). The suite focuses on: (1) threats posed by pollutants to GDE invertebrates (Ecological Risk, ER); (2) threats posed by hydrological and hydromorphological alterations on the subsurface zone of lotic systems and groundwater-fed springs (Hydrological-Hydromorphological Risk, HHR); and (3) the conservation priority of GDE communities (Groundwater Biodiversity Concern index, GBC). The ER is assessed by comparing tolerance limits of invertebrate species to specific pollutants with the maximum observed concentration of the same pollutants at the target site(s). Comparison is based on an original, comprehensive dataset including the most updated information on tolerance to 116 pollutants for 474 freshwater invertebrate species. The HHR is assessed by accounting for the main direct and indirect effects on both the hyporheic zone of lotic systems and groundwater-fed springs, and by scoring each impact according to the potential effect on subsurface invertebrates. Finally, the GBC index is computed on the basis of the taxonomical composition of a target community, and allows the evaluation of its conservation priority in comparison to others.

Characteristics, Main Impacts, and Stewardship of Natural and Artificial Freshwater Environments: Consequences for Biodiversity Conservation

“…Given that the conservation of entire stygofaunal assemblages within aquifers is practically impossible and, in most cases, would be incompatible with socio-economic activities, identifying a network of priority sites is needed to understand long-term responses of GDEs and species to environmental changes [109]. The AQUALIFE project [110] proposed a new index for assessing priority sites of GDE biodiversity conservation based on the intrinsic conservation value of the species comprising the assemblages in each GDE site or cluster of sites. The Groundwater Biodiversity Concern (GBC) index is designed to assess the conservation value of GDE and SGDE assemblages within an aquifer by using a wide array of traits that represent different aspects of species conservation importance.…”

“…The main advantage of the GBC index is its flexibility: It can be applied at any spatial scale (from single sites to an entire aquifer) and to any GDE type (e.g., springs, the hyporheic zone of streams and rivers, aquifers). To facilitate the application of the protocol, it has been fully implemented in the free software AQUALIFE available on the project website [110].…”

Fundamental research questions in subterranean biology

“…Indices have been developed for site selection and conservation prioritization (e.g. Borges et al ., 2012; Rabelo, Souza‐Silva, & Ferreira, 2018; Strona et al ., 2019; Fattorini et al ., 2020), which are often based on complementarity, flexibility, and irreplaceability principles (Michel et al ., 2009). Yet, rigorous geospatial analysis is still rarely applied when the extents of protected areas are being determined.…”

How Do Indirect Effects of Contaminants Inform Ecotoxicology? A Review

“…Models are often intended to reduce unexpected outcomes (i.e., ecological surprises) when chemicals enter the environment, and they are often used to examine worst-case scenarios of chemical effects [11]. They will likely grow in prominence and frequency as methods and approaches are improved [90], and as models are developed for particular chemicals, habitats or taxa, e.g., [115,116].…”