PHYMED: An ecological classification system for the Water Framework Directive based on phytoplankton community composition

Abstract

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) has as its objective the establishment of a framework for the protection of continental, groundwater and surface, transitional, and coastal water. The phytoplankton is one of the biological quality elements established for determining the ecological status within the Directive. Phytoplankton biomass, composition and abundance, together with frequency of blooms, are the metrics to be assessed according to the WFD. To verify that this index responded well to the varying ranges in pressure, a statistically significant correlation was confirmed to exist between the index and the phosphorus values. 2The results obtained from this index were compared with those derived using chlorophyll a finding that the existing deviations presently arising from the use of chlorophyll a as an ecological status indicator can be corrected with the proposed multimetric index.

Changes in phytoplankton composition in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon in the Cullera Estany (Comunitat Valenciana, Spain)

“…Algal counts were made by an epifluorescence microscopy (Vargo ) with a Leica DM2500 microscope (Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany), using a 100 × oil‐immersion objective (Pachés et al . ). Using epifluorescence microscopy, phytoplankton cell shapes, flagella or other cell extensions can be observed, together with the size and shape of the chloroplasts and their red or orange autofluorescence, which provide the basis for identification (Havskum et al .…”

Optimising an outdoor membrane photobioreactor for tertiary sewage treatment

“…Cells were counted by epifluorescence microscopy on a Leica DM2500 using the 100x-oil immersion lens. A minimum of 100 cells of the most abundant genus were counted with an error of less than 20% (Pachés et al, 2012).…”

Coastal waters environmental monitoring supported by river basin pluviometry and offshore wave data

“…Currently, the research literature on the bioassessment of coastal waters focuses on phytoplankton (e.g. Bianchi et al, 2003;Sagert et al, 2005;Devlin et al, 2007;Pachés et al, 2011;Pereira Coutinho et al, 2012) and other WFD biological quality elements (e.g. Borja et al, 2003;Muniz et al, 2005;Rees et al, 2006;Dauvin, 2007;Blanchet et al, 2008;Pergent-Martini et al, 2005).…”