Recommendations for the Next Generation of Global Freshwater Biological Monitoring Tools

Abstract

SummaryBiological monitoring has a long history in freshwaters, where much of the pioneering work in this field was developed over a hundred years ago -but few of the traditional monitoring tools provide the global perspective on biodiversity loss and its consequences for ecosystem functioning that are now needed. Rather than forcing existing monitoring paradigms to respond to questions they were never originally designed to address, we need to take a step back and assess the prospects for novel approaches that could be developed and adopted in the future. To resolve some of the issues with indicators currently used to inform policymakers, we highlight new biological monitoring tools that are being used, or could be developed in the near future, which (1) consider less-studied taxonomic groups; (2) are standardised across regions to allow global comparisons, and (3) measure change over multiple time points. The new tools we suggest make use of some of the key technological and logistical advances seen in recent years -including remote sensing, molecular tools, and local-to-global citizen science networks. We recommend that these new indicators should be considered in future assessments of freshwater ecosystem health and contribute to the evidence base for global to regional (and national) assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services: for example, within the emerging framework of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

Using alpha, beta, and zeta diversity in describing the health of stream‐based benthic macroinvertebrate communities

“…, Jackson et al. ) the need arises for a more generalized framework with which to construct measures of single and multi‐community health that could incorporate information on the composition of full communities (e.g. bacteria, algae, etc.)…”

“…As the monitoring of the health of ecological communities transitions from methods utilizing taxonomic diversity of particular groups of indicator taxa, or other forms of diversity such as the functional feeding group memberships utilized in this study, to broader community profiles enabled by metagenomic approaches (Baird and Hajibabaei 2012, Bohmann et al 2014, Deiner et al 2016, Jackson et al 2016) the need arises for a more generalized framework with which to construct measures of single and multi-community health that could incorporate information on the composition of full communities (e.g. bacteria, algae, etc.)…”

Environmental DNA improves Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) detection over conventional sampling methods

“…The ability to more accurately detect aquatic organisms has been bolstered by recent advances in molecular-based approaches such as environmental DNA (eDNA) (Jackson et al, 2016). eDNA methods involve capturing and detecting DNA shed from organisms into aquatic environments using various field sampling, DNA extraction, and amplification methods to indirectly determine the presence/ absence of a species (Deiner, Walser, Mächler, & Altermatt, 2015;Ficetola, Miaud, Pompanon, & Taberlet, 2008;Jerde, Mahon, Chadderton, & Lodge, 2011).…”

Using environmental DNA and occupancy modelling to identify drivers of eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) extirpation

“…Monitoring the unprecedented population declines and extirpations of freshwater species has become a major focus of freshwater ecology and conservation (Jackson et al, 2016;Strayer & Dudgeon, 2010). Freshwater species, among them amphibians, rank as some of the most threatened taxa (Collen et al, 2014;Dudgeon et al, 2006;Houlahan, Findlay, Schmidt, Meyer, & Kuzmin, 2000;Poff et al, 1997;Sala et al, 2000).…”