Efficacy of single and multi-metric fish-based indices in tracking anthropogenic pressures in estuaries: An 8-year case study

Martinho, Filipe; Nyitrai, Daniel; Crespo, Daniel; Pardal, Miguel Ângelo

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.11.004

Cited by 23 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Several multi‐metric approaches that combine a variety of fish community measures or metrics into an overall index have been developed, and this multi‐metric approach has been widely applied in a variety of countries (Souza & Vianna, 2020). In addition, Martinho et al., (2015) assessed several univariate measures (species number, Shannon–Wiener H’, Pielou J’) and a multi‐metric fish index (Estuarine Fish Assessment Index, EFAI) in relation to anthropogenic pressure and found that single indices were highly variable and did not exhibit any relationship with anthropogenic pressure while a significant relationship was observed between the multi‐metric index and anthropogenic pressure. This highlighted the value of multi‐metric indices in ecological quality assessment, when compared with univariate measures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global assessment of fish estuary associations: A numerical approach to assessing estuary‐associated fish functional guilds

Harrison¹,

Whitfield

2021

Fish and Fisheries

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A novel fish estuary‐association scoring (FEAS) system that numerically expresses the relative position or level of estuarine‐association for each species has been developed. A dataset numerically describing the degree or level of estuarine‐association for some 6,000 fish species has been established based on an extensive review of the scientific literature on coastal and freshwater fishes. The FEAS reflects both globally recognized fish estuary‐association functional guilds as well as the continuum of fish estuarine use and dependence. The application of FEAS to numerically analyse and functionally compare estuarine fish communities using a range of statistical and analytical methods is demonstrated by examples from a variety of studies around the world; its use as a potential environmental monitoring and assessment tool is also presented.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global assessment of fish estuary associations: A numerical approach to assessing estuary‐associated fish functional guilds

Harrison¹,

Whitfield

2021

Fish and Fisheries

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“…Previous studies indicated low to moderate levels of metals (Coelho et al, 2006), PCBs (Baptista et al, 2013) and dioxin like PCDD/Fs (Nunes et al, 2011) in the watersediment fraction of Mondego estuary. In the same instance, Martinho et al (2015) observed a decreasing trend in total anthropogenic pressure between 2005 and 2012, reflecting mainly a decline in agriculture occupied area, number of industries and population density in the watershed over the last decade, pointing a constant increase in ecological quality of the estuarine ecosystem, assessed by fish component.…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 91%

Brain as a target organ of climate events: Environmental induced biochemical changes in three marine fish species

Vieira

Marques

Neto

et al. 2018

Ecological Indicators

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The present study aims to examine physiological and biochemical response of three commercial fish species (Dicentrarchus labrax; Platichthys flesus and Solea solea), over contrasting environmental dynamics: an extremely dry (2012) and flood (2014) years, in a shallow temperate southern European estuary, the Mondego Estuary (Portugal). Physiological and biochemical biomarkers were evaluated by a principal component analysis (PCA), which allowed to conclude that severe climatic events affected the set of fish species analyzed, revealing two distinct annual brain antioxidant responses. The drought episode affected the physiological state of the organisms, as well as increased brain antioxidant potential, strongly associated with fluctuations in environmental drivers (salinity and dissolved oxygen), however, ROS have not been effectively neutralized by antioxidant defence system causing lipid peroxidation. During flood episode was stated a general depletion of the antioxidant potential in the analyzed fish species, affected by interactions with chemical compounds, increased by a combination of high precipitation and associated runoff, probably, increasing nutrient and contaminant load at the Mondego estuary. Nevertheless, lipid peroxidation remained low, related to the action of non-enzymatic antioxidants, since that the studied fish species had optimal physiological status and high nutritive reserves. According to the present work we consider that brain enzymatic depletion may be organ-specific, looking to the greater vulnerability of brain's proteins to degradation compared to lipids. The role of enzymatic mobilization on fish brains is not extensively yet known, but our results suggest that brain seems to be metabolic sensitive to salinity and dissolved oxygen fluctuations. This is the first approach made to evaluate the physiological and biochemical responses of the brain of aquatic organisms' to extreme climatic events and to establish reference values to determine the effects of extreme climate events to aquatic species.

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“…The FCI is a multimetric biotic index, namely a composite indicator of ecological condition that integrates information from a suite of biological variables (“metrics”), each of which quantifies an aspect of the structure or function of the biotic community and responds to a range of stressors affecting the ecosystem (Martinho et al ; Hallett, Valesini, Clarke et al ). In focusing on fish communities, the FCI provides a means to assess a key biological component of the system that integrates (and thus reflects) many aspects of estuarine condition from benthic to pelagic zones and is also highly valued by society.…”

Section: Fish Community Index Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Fish Community Index: A Practical Management Tool for Monitoring and Reporting Estuarine Ecological Condition

Hallett

Trayler²,

Valesini

2019

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Indicators of ecological health based on biological communities, including numerous multimetric indices, are used worldwide to assess and report the condition of aquatic ecosystems such as estuaries. Yet, these tools have rarely been applied to support estuary management in Australia. We present a case study of one such multimetric indicator, the Fish Community Index (FCI), which was developed and applied to quantify the ecological condition of estuaries in southwestern Australia (SWA). We outline the rationale, development, and implementation of the FCI for annual monitoring and reporting of the ecological condition of a highly urbanized estuary, highlighting the key research and management outcomes that it has delivered, and evaluating its potential future applications to support estuary management more broadly, both across Australia and internationally. The FCI is founded upon a conceptually simple and scientifically robust rationale and is sensitive to the ecological stressors that affect many estuaries across the region (e.g., hypoxia, algal blooms). Together with an accompanying annual fish monitoring regime, the FCI provides managers with a consistent, robust basis for quantifying and reporting spatiotemporal changes in estuary condition, with easily comprehensible outputs that facilitate communication with stakeholders, ranging from politicians to the general public. We attribute the successful implementation of this management tool to several characteristics, namely 1) support from a long‐term, collaborative partnership between managers and researchers; 2) comprehensive testing and validation of the index prior to implementation; 3) a robust, standardized monitoring regime; and 4) sustained resourcing from managers to implement the index as part of a reporting framework. The FCI has also been applied to other SWA estuaries and could provide a platform for more coordinated assessment and reporting of estuarine condition at the bioregional scale, thereby helping to improve the gap in reporting on the biotic integrity of Australian estuaries. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:726–738. © 2019 SETAC.

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Efficacy of single and multi-metric fish-based indices in tracking anthropogenic pressures in estuaries: An 8-year case study

Cited by 23 publications

References 46 publications

A global assessment of fish estuary associations: A numerical approach to assessing estuary‐associated fish functional guilds

A global assessment of fish estuary associations: A numerical approach to assessing estuary‐associated fish functional guilds

Brain as a target organ of climate events: Environmental induced biochemical changes in three marine fish species

The Fish Community Index: A Practical Management Tool for Monitoring and Reporting Estuarine Ecological Condition

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