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Souza NF, Leal JS, Tourinho L, Farjalla VF, Rocha DSB, Vale MM. Bioindicator aquatic insects at risk from climate change in a biodiversity hotspot. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 948:174824. [PMID: 39034001 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 06/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Climate change can affect biological assemblages by shifting their species' geographic range and changing species richness. Aquatic insects represent more than half of the freshwater animal species but have been neglected mainly in climate change assessments, particularly in tropical ecosystems. Among the aquatic insect taxa, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) are well-known bioindicators of environmental changes and encompass an essential metric for rivers and streams' biomonitoring. Here, we use ecological niche models to project the impact of climate change on the distribution range and richness of EPT in the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. We found EPT to be at high risk from future climate change, with Plecoptera as the order of greatest concern. We projected range contraction of ca. 90 % of the analyzed EPT genera, resulting in a reduction in the richness of EPT genera under future climatic conditions. We projected >50 % contraction in the distribution of 50 % of Plecoptera, ≈14 % of Trichoptera, and ≈7 % of Ephemeroptera genera. The remaining climatically suitable regions in the Atlantic Forest are concentrated in the high-altitude areas, which may act as climate refuges for EPT biodiversity in the future. The projected changes in EPT's distribution range and richness may impact biomonitoring programs conducted in tropical ecosystems. Restricting EPT's geographic distribution may undermine its potential as a bioindicator and influence the composition of EPT assemblages at reference sites, which may lead to shifting baseline conditions. We reinforce the importance of considering future climatic conditions when planning long-term biomonitoring and priority areas for conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natália F Souza
- Graduate Program in Ecology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Juliana S Leal
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution, The State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luara Tourinho
- Graduate Program in Ecology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Institute of Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Vinicius F Farjalla
- Graduate Program in Ecology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Department of Ecology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; International Institute for Sustainability, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Diogo S B Rocha
- International Institute for Sustainability, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mariana M Vale
- Graduate Program in Ecology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Department of Ecology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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2
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Esmaeili Ofogh AR, Ebrahimi Dorche E, Birk S, Fathi P, Zare Shahraki M, Bruder A. Improving the performance of macroinvertebrate based multi-metric indices by incorporating functional traits and an index performance-driven approach. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 931:172850. [PMID: 38688378 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Human-driven multiple pressures impact freshwater ecosystems worldwide, reducing biodiversity, and impacting ecosystem functioning and services provided to human societies. Multi-metric indices (MMIs) are suitable tools for tracking the effects of anthropogenic pressures on freshwater ecosystems because they incorporate various biological metrics responding to multiple pressures at different levels of biological organization. However, the performance and applicability of MMIs depend on their metrics' selection and their calibration against natural environmental gradients. In this study, we aimed to unravel i) how incorporating functional trait-based metrics affects the performance of MMIs, ii) how disentangling the natural environmental gradients from anthropogenic pressures effects affects the performance of MMIs, and iii) how the performance of MMIs developed using a metric performance-driven approach compares with MMIs developed using an index performance-driven approach. We carried out a field survey measuring abiotic and biotic variables at 53 sites in the Karun River basin (Iran) in 2018. For functional trait-based metrics, we used 15 macroinvertebrate traits and calculated community-weighted mean trait values and functional diversity indices. We used random forest modeling to account for the effect of natural environmental gradients on each metric. Based on our results, incorporating functional traits increased the MMI performance significantly and facilitated ecological interpretation of MMIs. Both taxonomic and functional components of macroinvertebrate assemblages co-varied strongly with natural environmental gradients, and accounting for these covariations improved the performance of MMIs. Finally, we found that index performance-driven MMIs performed better in terms of precision, bias, sensitivity, and responsiveness than metric performance-driven MMIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Reza Esmaeili Ofogh
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran; Institute of Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland
| | - Eisa Ebrahimi Dorche
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran
| | - Sebastian Birk
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Biology, Aquatic Ecology, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Pejman Fathi
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran; Institute of Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland
| | - Mojgan Zare Shahraki
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran; Institute of Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Bruder
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland.
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3
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Blackman RC, Carraro L, Keck F, Altermatt F. Measuring the state of aquatic environments using eDNA-upscaling spatial resolution of biotic indices. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230121. [PMID: 38705183 PMCID: PMC11070250 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Aquatic macroinvertebrates, including many aquatic insect orders, are a diverse and ecologically relevant organismal group yet they are strongly affected by anthropogenic activities. As many of these taxa are highly sensitive to environmental change, they offer a particularly good early warning system for human-induced change, thus leading to their intense monitoring. In aquatic ecosystems there is a plethora of biotic monitoring or biomonitoring approaches, with more than 300 assessment methods reported for freshwater taxa alone. Ultimately, monitoring of aquatic macroinvertebrates is used to calculate ecological indices describing the state of aquatic systems. Many of the methods and indices used are not only hard to compare, but especially difficult to scale in time and space. Novel DNA-based approaches to measure the state and change of aquatic environments now offer unprecedented opportunities, also for possible integration towards commonly applicable indices. Here, we first give a perspective on DNA-based approaches in the monitoring of aquatic organisms, with a focus on aquatic insects, and how to move beyond traditional point-based biotic indices. Second, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept for spatially upscaling ecological indices based on environmental DNA, demonstrating how integration of these novel molecular approaches with hydrological models allows an accurate evaluation at the catchment scale. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosetta C. Blackman
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Luca Carraro
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - François Keck
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
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4
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Pinna B, Laini A, Negro G, Burgazzi G, Viaroli P, Vezza P. Physical habitat modeling for river macroinvertebrate communities. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 358:120919. [PMID: 38663079 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Habitat models rarely consider macroinvertebrate communities as ecological targets in rivers. Available approaches mainly focus on single macroinvertebrate species, not addressing the ecological needs and functionality of the whole community. This research aimed at providing an approach to model the habitat of the macroinvertebrate communities. The study was carried out in three rivers, located in Italy and characterized by a braiding morphology, gravel riverbeds, and low flows during the summer period. The approach is based on the recently developed Flow-T index, together with a Random Forest (RF) regression, which is employed to apply the Flow-T index at the mesohabitat scale. Using different datasets gathered from field data collection and 2D hydrodynamic simulations, the model was calibrated in the Trebbia River (2019 field campaign) and validated in the Trebbia, Taro, and Enza rivers (2020 field campaign). The RF model selected 12 mesohabitat descriptors as important for the macroinvertebrate community. These descriptors belong to different frequency classes of water depth, flow velocity, substrate grain size, and connectivity to the main river channel. The cross-validation R2 coefficient (R2cv) of the training dataset was 0.71, whereas the R2 coefficient (R2test) for the validation dataset was 0.63. The agreement between the simulated results and the experimental data shows sufficient accuracy and reliability. The outcomes of the study reveal that the model can identify the ecological response of the macroinvertebrate community to possible flow regime alterations and river morphological modifications. Lastly, the proposed approach allowed to extend the MesoHABSIM methodology, widely used for the fish habitat assessment, to a different ecological target community. Further applications of the approach can be related to ecological flows design in both perennial and non-perennial rivers, including river reaches in which fish fauna is absent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Pinna
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
| | - Alex Laini
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Giovanni Negro
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Gemma Burgazzi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Viaroli
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Paolo Vezza
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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5
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Pimentão AR, Cuco AP, Pascoal C, Cássio F, Castro BB. Current trends and mismatches on fungicide use and assessment of the ecological effects in freshwater ecosystems. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 347:123678. [PMID: 38447649 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Despite increasing evidence of off-site ecological impacts of pesticides and policy efforts worldwide, pesticide use is still far from being ecologically sustainable. Fungicides are among the most sold classes of pesticides and are crucial to ensure global food supply and security. This study aimed to identify potential gaps of knowledge and mismatches between research and usage data of fungicides by: (i) systematizing the current trends in global sales of fungicides, focusing on the European context in particular (where they are proportionally important); (ii) reviewing the scientific literature on the impacts of synthetic fungicides on non-target freshwater organisms. Sales data revealed important global and regional asymmetries in the relative importance of fungicides and the preferred active ingredients. The literature review on the ecological effects of fungicides disclosed a mismatch between the most studied and the most sold substances, as well as a bias towards the use of single species assays with standard test organisms. To ensure a proper evaluation, risk scenarios should focus on a regional scale, and research agendas must highlight sensitive aquatic ecorreceptors and improve the crosstalk between analytical and sales data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rita Pimentão
- Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), Aquatic Research Network (ARNET), Department of Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability (IB-S), School of Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana Patrícia Cuco
- Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), Aquatic Research Network (ARNET), Department of Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability (IB-S), School of Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Pascoal
- Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), Aquatic Research Network (ARNET), Department of Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability (IB-S), School of Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Fernanda Cássio
- Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), Aquatic Research Network (ARNET), Department of Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability (IB-S), School of Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Bruno B Castro
- Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), Aquatic Research Network (ARNET), Department of Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability (IB-S), School of Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
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6
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Iwasaki Y, Suemori T, Kobayashi Y. Predicting macroinvertebrate average score per taxon (ASPT) at water quality monitoring sites in Japanese rivers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:28538-28548. [PMID: 38561531 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33053-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Biomonitoring with bioindicators such as river macroinvertebrates is fundamental for assessing the status of freshwater ecosystems. In Japan, water quality and biomonitoring surveys are conducted separately, leading to a lack of nationwide information on their relationships and the biological status of water quality monitoring (WQM) sites. To understand the biological status of WQM sites across Japan, we developed a multiple linear regression model to estimate the average score per taxon (ASPT) using river macroinvertebrate data surveyed at a total of 237 "aligned" sites based on the co-occurrence of biomonitoring and WQM sites. The resulting regression model with eight predictors, such as biological oxygen demand, the proportion of urban areas in the catchment, could predict ASPT with reasonable accuracy (e.g., an error of ±1 for 96% of the aligned data). Using this model, we estimated ASPT values at 2925 WQM sites in rivers nationwide, categorizing them into four levels of river environment quality: "very good" (29% of WQM sites), "good" (50%), "fairly good" (14%), and "not good" (8%). Furthermore, we observed statistically significant correlations (p < 0.05; 0.4 ≤ r ≤ 0.7) between ASPT and all eight macroinvertebrate metrics examined, such as mayfly and stonefly richness, providing ecological implications of changes in ASPT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichi Iwasaki
- Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8569, Japan.
| | - Tomomi Suemori
- Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8569, Japan
| | - Yuta Kobayashi
- Field Science Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-tyo, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
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7
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Simaika JP, Stribling J, Lento J, Bruder A, Poikane S, Moretti MS, Rivers-Moore N, Meissner K, Macadam CR. Towards harmonized standards for freshwater biodiversity monitoring and biological assessment using benthic macroinvertebrates. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 918:170360. [PMID: 38311088 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Monitoring programs at sub-national and national scales lack coordination, harmonization, and systematic review and analysis at continental and global scales, and thus fail to adequately assess and evaluate drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation and loss at large spatial scales. Here we review the state of the art, gaps and challenges in the freshwater assessment programs for both the biological condition (bioassessment) and biodiversity monitoring of freshwater ecosystems using the benthic macroinvertebrate community. To assess the existence of nationally- and regionally- (sub-nationally-) accepted freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate protocols that are put in practice/used in each country, we conducted a survey from November 2022 to May 2023. Responses from 110 respondents based in 67 countries were received. Although the responses varied in their consistency, the responses clearly demonstrated a lack of biodiversity monitoring being done at both national and sub-national levels for lakes, rivers and artificial waterbodies. Programs for bioassessment were more widespread, and in some cases even harmonized among several countries. We identified 20 gaps and challenges, which we classed into five major categories, these being (a) field sampling, (b) sample processing and identification, (c) metrics and indices, (d) assessment, and (e) other gaps and challenges. Above all, we identify the lack of harmonization as one of the most important gaps, hindering efficient collaboration and communication. We identify the IUCN SSC Global Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Sampling Protocols Task Force (GLOSAM) as a means to address the lack of globally-harmonized biodiversity monitoring and biological assessment protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Simaika
- Department of Water Resources and Ecosystems, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, the Netherlands.
| | - James Stribling
- Tetra Tech, Inc., Center for Ecological Sciences, Owings Mills, MD, USA
| | - Jennifer Lento
- Canadian Rivers Institute and Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Andreas Bruder
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland. Mendrisio, Switzerland
| | | | - Marcelo S Moretti
- Laboratory of Aquatic Insect Ecology, University of Vila Velha, Vila Velha, Espirito Santo, Brazil
| | - Nick Rivers-Moore
- Centre for Water Resources Research, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | | | - Craig R Macadam
- Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, United Kingdom
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8
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Davis NG, Mathers KL, Hodson R, Matthaei CD. Monthly sampling reveals seasonal fine sediment fluctuations and riverine invertebrate community responses. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 911:168750. [PMID: 37996031 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Managing the impacts of anthropogenically enhanced deposited fine sediment levels in lotic ecosystems requires understanding of how catchment land-use changes have altered the natural sediment regime (erosion, transport, deposition) of rivers. Unfortunately, no existing studies have employed an appropriate sampling frequency over a period encompassing the full range of seasonal flow conditions expected to influence in-stream sediment dynamics. We determined the short-term (monthly) dynamics of deposited fine sediment and invertebrate communities over 12-months in 15 fourth- and fifth-order rivers draining catchments of low, medium and high land-use intensity in Southland, New Zealand to determine when and where fine sediment threatens stream health. We compared the Quorer resuspension method (suspendable inorganic sediment, SIS) and the in-stream visual sediment cover assessment method, and evaluated the effectiveness of four commonly-used invertebrate stream health metrics against their newly developed sediment-specific counterparts. Monthly variability in SIS was substantial across all land-use categories, but became more pronounced as land-use intensity increased. All 15 sites experienced a prolonged period of relatively stable flow which coincided with the largest short-term increase in SIS at 14 of the 15 sites. However, variability in SIS was not mirrored in macroinvertebrate metrics. These findings suggest that controlling inputs of fine sediment to rivers and streams will be most effective when targeted at periods of prolonged stable flow, particularly within high land-use intensity catchments. The resuspension method consistently outperformed visual estimates when considering its relationship with macroinvertebrate metrics, while sediment-specific metrics demonstrated a stronger association with fine sediment than commonly employed metrics e.g. (%EPT). We conclude that restoration/mitigation practices cannot be based solely on short-term, or even long-term, reductions in fine sediment, or on physical measures alone, but should be based on long-term recoveries of sediment-impacted invertebrate communities using concurrent measurements of both biotic and abiotic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah G Davis
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
| | - Kate L Mathers
- Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
| | - Roger Hodson
- Environment Southland, Invercargill, New Zealand
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Muluye T, Mengistou S, Fetahi T. Assessing the ecological health of the upper and middle Awash River, Ethiopia, using benthic macroinvertebrates community structure and selected environmental variables. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 196:45. [PMID: 38102459 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12230-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Research on the Awash River focused on the upper section, while the middle and lower regions received little attention. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic activities on the upper and middle Awash River. The study took place in nine sampling locations in dry and wet seasons from September 2021 to April 2022 using a multi-habitat sampling approach. We used macroinvertebrate metrics, environmental variables, and multivariate analysis to evaluate ecological health. The highest concentrations of NO3, soluble reactive phosphorus, and total phosphorus (0.50-0.93 mg L-1) were recorded at the river-mouth of the upper Awash, while the locations below Metehara had the lowest levels of dissolved oxygen (1.81-2.33 mg L-1). Redundancy analysis indicated that dissolved oxygen, NH3, temperature, NO2, pH, TSS, NO3, and TDS influenced macroinvertebrate distribution. The presence of the sensitive groups Caenidae, Hydropsychidae, Heptageniidae, and Aeshnidae at upstream sites indicated better ecological conditions. The middle and downstream sites supported moderately tolerant and tolerant taxa demonstrating water quality impairment. The lowest Ethiopian biotic score was recorded at the river-mouth of the upper Awash. The study sites below Metehara demonstrated severe ecological impairment since highly tolerant taxa were abundant and had strong correlations with temperature, TSS, and TDS levels. Pollutants from agricultural farms and domestic and industrial wastes from Addis Ababa, Metehara, and Merti towns most likely affect the impaired sites. This study demonstrated that the middle Awash experienced substantial ecological deterioration, indicating the need for restoration works to fit the water for socio-economic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tesfaye Muluye
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Water Management, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Seyoum Mengistou
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tadesse Fetahi
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Yeardley R, Duffy B, Kimbrough K, Lazorchak J, Mills MA, Johnson E. A Comparison of Two Macroinvertebrate Multi-Plate Sampling Methods to Inform Great Lakes Monitoring and Remediation Efforts. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 2023; 14:933-953. [PMID: 38263955 PMCID: PMC10802910 DOI: 10.4236/jep.2023.1412052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Hester-Dendy (HD) multi-plate samplers have been widely used by state and federal government agencies for bioassessment of water quality through use of macroinvertebrate community data. To help guide remediation and restoration efforts at the Niagara River Great Lakes Area of Concern site, a multi-agency study was conducted in 2014 to assess the contribution of seven major urban tributaries on the US side of the river toward the impairment of the Niagara River. As part of this study, macroinvertebrate communities were sampled using two co-located versions of HD samplers: one version used by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and another by the US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development. Samplers were deployed in tributaries in highly developed watersheds with high percent impervious surface. The two sampling methods varied in terms of number and size of plates, between-plate spacing, and deployment method. Comparison of the similarity/grouping of communities with multivariate ordination techniques, Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling and Multi-Response Permutation Procedure, showed that both methods were able to detect differences in communities at stations, despite some grouping by month and method. The indices and metrics derived from the two HD methods were found to give comparable but not identical assessments of water quality. Despite their differences, the methods were robust with respect to water quality categories derived from indices used nationally (HBI) and by NY state (BAP). For the common richness metrics, total taxa and EPT richness, there was no statistical difference between means from 3 samplings. Some metrics, especially percent tolerant collector-gatherer individuals, did show significant differences at certain stations. Indicator Species Analysis showed some taxa associated with each method. The observed community differences were thought mostly due to the difference in sampler deployment position.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Yeardley
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, USA
| | - Brian Duffy
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, USA
| | - Kimani Kimbrough
- National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, USA
| | - Jim Lazorchak
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, USA
| | - Marc A. Mills
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, USA
| | - Ed Johnson
- National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, USA
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11
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Adhurya S, Lee DY, Lee DS, Park YS. Functional trait dataset of benthic macroinvertebrates in South Korean streams. Sci Data 2023; 10:838. [PMID: 38017016 PMCID: PMC10684509 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02678-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional traits are the result of evolution and adaptation, providing important ecological insights into how organisms interact with their environment. Benthic macroinvertebrates, in particular, have garnered attention as biomonitoring indicators for freshwater ecosystems. This study presents a functional trait dataset for benthic macroinvertebrates, comprising 447 taxa (393 at genus level, 53 at family level and one at class level) from five phyla (Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca, Nematomorpha, and Platyhelmenthes), categorized into nine traits related to life history, morphology, and habit. To account for variation in available trait information, we assigned confidence levels to each taxon and functional trait based on the level of evidence using fuzzy coding. Our dataset provides an important resource for understanding the ecology of benthic macroinvertebrates in South Korea, serving as a valuable baseline dataset for studying their biodiversity, conservation, and biomonitoring in freshwater ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagar Adhurya
- Ecology and Ecological Informatics Laboratory, Department of Biology, College of Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Da-Yeong Lee
- Ecology and Ecological Informatics Laboratory, Department of Biology, College of Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae-Seong Lee
- Ecology and Ecological Informatics Laboratory, Department of Biology, College of Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Seuk Park
- Ecology and Ecological Informatics Laboratory, Department of Biology, College of Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
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Cabrera-García S, Goethals PLM, Lock K, Domínguez-Granda L, Villacís M, Galárraga-Sánchez R, Van der heyden C, Eurie Forio MA. Taxonomic and Feeding Trait-Based Analysis of Macroinvertebrates in the Antisana River Basin (Ecuadorian Andean Region). BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1386. [PMID: 37997985 PMCID: PMC10669017 DOI: 10.3390/biology12111386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
High-elevation tropical streams are under increasing threat from human activities and climate change. Specifically, Ecuadorian Andean streams require priority actions such as bioassessment (e.g., biodiversity and functional ecology of macroinvertebrates) in order to generate adequate environmental management policies. Therefore, we investigated the distribution and composition of the macroinvertebrate taxa and their functional feeding groups in relation to the environmental variables in the Antisana river basin (Andean-Ecuadorian Region). We sampled macroinvertebrates from 15 locations to assess ecological conditions (ECs), expressed as the Biological Monitoring Working Party Colombia (BMWP-Col) classes, the Andean Biotic Index (ABI) and the Andean-Amazon Biotic Index (AAMBI). Results indicate that dissolved oxygen saturation, elevation, nutrient concentration and conductivity contributed significantly to the composition of the taxa and functional feeding groups (FFGs). Taxa diversity and FFGs were more abundant in the best EC sites. Shredders (SH) were, overall, dominant and abundant at sites with medium-high ECs. Scrapers constituted the second most prevalent assemblage, exerting dominance at moderate ecological conditions (high altitude and high oxygen saturation). Collector-gathers (CGs) are less sensitive to contamination than the previous two groups but were equally abundant at medium-high EC sites. Collector-filterers (CFs) and parasites (PAs) were less abundant, although the presence of the former was slightly related to better environmental conditions. Predators (PRs) were almost absent throughout the study, but they were collected from poor EC sites. CGs, PAs and PRs showed more tolerance to the presence of human disturbances (e.g., hydraulic constructions or slope erosion). The BMWP-Col index seems to be the best fit for this ecosystem, showing a significant difference in FFG between the index classes, compared to the other indices evaluated. The results of this investigation may be regarded as a fundamental starting point and used in future bioassessment work in other similar ecosystems, particularly high-altitude tropical Ecuadorian streams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Cabrera-García
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Block F, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (P.L.M.G.); (K.L.); (M.A.E.F.)
- Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias Agropecuarias y Ambientales, Universidad Técnica del Norte, Av. 17 de Julio 5-21 y Gral. José María Córdova, Ibarra 100105, Ecuador
| | - Peter L. M. Goethals
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Block F, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (P.L.M.G.); (K.L.); (M.A.E.F.)
| | - Koen Lock
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Block F, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (P.L.M.G.); (K.L.); (M.A.E.F.)
| | - Luis Domínguez-Granda
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil 090150, Ecuador;
| | - Marcos Villacís
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Avenida Ladrón de Guevara E11-253, Quito 170525, Ecuador; (M.V.); (R.G.-S.)
| | - Remigio Galárraga-Sánchez
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Avenida Ladrón de Guevara E11-253, Quito 170525, Ecuador; (M.V.); (R.G.-S.)
| | - Christine Van der heyden
- Health and Water Technology Research Centre, Hogeschool Gent—University of Applied Science and Arts, Valentin Vaerwyckweg 1, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Marie Anne Eurie Forio
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Block F, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (P.L.M.G.); (K.L.); (M.A.E.F.)
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13
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Bae MJ, Hwang Y, Ham SN, Kim SY, Kim EJ. Community recovery of benthic macroinvertebrates in a stream influenced by mining activity: Importance of microhabitat monitoring. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 234:116499. [PMID: 37429394 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
The decrease in freshwater biodiversity owing to anthropogenic disturbances such as mining activity is a global challenge; hence, there is an urgent need for systematic approaches to continuously monitor such disturbances and/or the recovery of biodiversity in freshwater habitats. The Hwangjicheon Stream is the source of South Korea's longest river and has been subjected to runoff from coal mining. We investigated changes in the diversity of the benthic macroinvertebrate community in various microhabitats, including riffle, run, and pool, to monitor the recovery of biodiversity in the stream following the improvement of a mining water treatment plant in 2019. The dataset comprised 111 samples obtained from four types of microhabitats (riffle, run, pool, and riparian) over a four-year period from 2018 to 2021. The mining-affected sites had lower macroinvertebrate community complexities according to a network analysis, and grouped into the same cluster based on self-organizing map (SOM) analysis. Moreover, 51 taxa selected as indicator species represented each cluster obtained through the SOM analysis. Among them, only Limnodrilus gotoi and Radix auricularia were included as indicator species at the mining-affected sites. However, after 2020, the benthic macroinvertebrate community complexity increased, and some of the microhabitats at the mining-affected sites were included in the same cluster as the reference sites in the SOM analysis, indicating that the recovery of benthic macroinvertebrate communities had initiated in certain microhabitats (e.g., riparian). Further analysis confirmed that the macroinvertebrate community clearly differed according to the survey year, even in different microhabitats at the same sites. This suggests that more acute microhabitat monitoring may be necessary to quickly confirm biodiversity restoration when assessing the degree of the recovery in river biodiversity from anthropogenic disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi-Jung Bae
- Freshwater Biodiversity Research Bureau, Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources (NNIBR), Sangju, 37242, South Korea.
| | - Yong Hwang
- Freshwater Biodiversity Research Bureau, Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources (NNIBR), Sangju, 37242, South Korea
| | - Seong-Nam Ham
- Freshwater Biodiversity Research Bureau, Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources (NNIBR), Sangju, 37242, South Korea
| | - Sun-Yu Kim
- Freshwater Biodiversity Research Bureau, Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources (NNIBR), Sangju, 37242, South Korea
| | - Eui-Jin Kim
- Freshwater Biodiversity Research Bureau, Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources (NNIBR), Sangju, 37242, South Korea.
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14
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Hu W, Wu Z, Mu Y, Liu Z, Chen W. Evaluation of the upper lakes of the Erhai watershed in China based on water quality, land cover, and macrobenthic invertebrates. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:104169-104180. [PMID: 37698793 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-29773-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
In this study, three lakes, Cibi Hu, Haixi Hai, and Xi Hu, in the upper reaches of the main inflow rivers in the northern part of Erhai Lake were selected as the research objects. Based on the water environment monitoring indicators, land cover data, and lake macrobenthic community observation data, the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test, spatial analysis and community structure analysis were used to quantitatively assess the water environment and ecological status of the lakes. Using the Pollution Tolerance Index (PTI), the potential utility of macroinvertebrate communities as indicators of water ecological quality was investigated. The results showed that Cibi Hu and Haixi Hai have similar characteristics on water environmental quality. The physical and chemical indexes of water quality, the land cover of the lake catchment area, and the PTI index of the benthic community showed that Xi Hu was the most affected by human disturbance; the water ecological condition was the worst; and the environmental protection pressure was the greatest. In general, PTI analysis based on benthic fauna is convenient and can reflect the basic conditions of the aquatic benthic environment keenly, which is worthy of promotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxian Hu
- Erhai Watershed Ecological Environment Quality Testing Engineering Research Center of Yunnan Provincial Universities, Erhai Research Institute, West Yunnan University of Applied Sciences, Dali, China
| | - Zhangbing Wu
- College of resources and environment, Baoshan University, Baoshan, China
- Yunnan Wenbai Consulting Co., Ltd., Kunming, China
| | - Yuan Mu
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Zhoujiang Liu
- Erhai Watershed Ecological Environment Quality Testing Engineering Research Center of Yunnan Provincial Universities, Erhai Research Institute, West Yunnan University of Applied Sciences, Dali, China
| | - Wenhua Chen
- College of resources and environment, Baoshan University, Baoshan, China.
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15
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Ndatimana G, Nantege D, Arimoro FO. A review of the application of the macroinvertebrate-based multimetric indices (MMIs) for water quality monitoring in lakes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-27559-0. [PMID: 37202638 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27559-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The increasing stress on lake ecosystems is affecting their functioning such as providing goods and services to inhabiting organisms and riparian communities. Monitoring of water quality is important for sustainable management and restoration of lake ecosystems. However, the costs associated with traditional approaches have become prohibitive, while not giving reliable early warning signals on resource conditions. Thus, the current shift in the use of bioindicators and multimetric indices (MMIs) in the monitoring of water quality is currently gaining global recognition with more emphasis on its application in lotic ecosystems. Therefore, this paper provides an elaborated insight into the application of macroinvertebrate-based MMIs in lentic ecosystems and the successes achieved so far. The various metrics and indices, the development strategies, application challenges, the use of macroinvertebrates as bioindicators, and the future projection of enhancing MMI usage in lentic environment monitoring, particularly in developing countries, are extensively covered. The use of MMI as a rapid lake biomonitoring tool needs to be adopted for sustainable applications in lake ecosystem management and as an integrated approach to monitoring human-induced stress especially in developing countries where there is a paucity of information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilbert Ndatimana
- Applied Hydrobiology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Federal University of Technology, PMB 65, Minna, Nigeria.
| | - Diana Nantege
- Applied Hydrobiology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Federal University of Technology, PMB 65, Minna, Nigeria
| | - Francis O Arimoro
- Applied Hydrobiology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Federal University of Technology, PMB 65, Minna, Nigeria
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Gleason JE, Hanner RH, Cottenie K. Hidden diversity: DNA metabarcoding reveals hyper-diverse benthic invertebrate communities. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:19. [PMID: 37198575 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02118-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Freshwater ecosystems, such as streams, are facing increasing pressures from agricultural land use and recent literature stresses the importance of robust biomonitoring to detect trends in insect decline globally. Aquatic insects and other macroinvertebrates are often used as indicators of ecological condition in freshwater biomonitoring programs; however, these diverse groups can present challenges to morphological identification and coarse-level taxonomic resolution can mask patterns in community composition. Here, we incorporate molecular identification (DNA metabarcoding) into a stream biomonitoring sampling design to explore the diversity and variability of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities at small spatial scales. While individual stream reaches can be very heterogenous, most community ecology studies focus on larger, landscape-level patterns of community composition. A high degree of community variability at the local scale has important implications for both biomonitoring and ecological research, and the incorporation of DNA metabarcoding into local biodiversity assessments will inform future sampling protocols. RESULTS We sampled twenty streams in southern Ontario, Canada, for aquatic macroinvertebrates across multiple time points and assessed local community variability by comparing field replicates taken ten meters apart within the same stream. Using bulk-tissue DNA metabarcoding, we revealed that aquatic macroinvertebrate communities are highly diverse at small spatial scales with unprecedented levels of local taxonomic turnover. We detected over 1600 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) from 149 families, and a single insect family, the Chironomidae, contained over one third of the total number of OTUs detected in our study. Benthic communities were largely comprised of rare taxa detected only once per stream despite multiple biological replicates (24-94% rare taxa per site). In addition to numerous rare taxa, our species pool estimates indicated that there was a large proportion of taxa that remained undetected by our sampling regime (14-94% per site). Our sites were located across a gradient of agricultural activity, and while we predicted that increased land use would homogenize benthic communities, this was not supported as within-stream dissimilarity was unrelated to land use. Within-stream dissimilarity estimates were consistently high for all levels of taxonomic resolution (invertebrate families, invertebrate OTUs, chironomid OTUs), indicating stream communities are very dissimilar at small spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Erin Gleason
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - Robert H Hanner
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Karl Cottenie
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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17
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Aunins AA, Mueller SJ, Fike JA, Cornman RS. Assessing arthropod diversity metrics derived from stream environmental DNA: spatiotemporal variation and paired comparisons with manual sampling. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15163. [PMID: 37020852 PMCID: PMC10069422 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
Benthic invertebrate (BI) surveys have been widely used to characterize freshwater environmental quality but can be challenging to implement at desired spatial scales and frequency. Environmental DNA (eDNA) allows an alternative BI survey approach, one that can potentially be implemented more rapidly and cheaply than traditional methods.
Methods
We evaluated eDNA analogs of BI metrics in the Potomac River watershed of the eastern United States. We first compared arthropod diversity detected with primers targeting mitochondrial 16S (mt16S) and cytochrome c oxidase 1 (cox1 or COI) loci to that detected by manual surveys conducted in parallel. We then evaluated spatial and temporal variation in arthropod diversity metrics with repeated sampling in three focal parks. We also investigated technical factors such as filter type used to capture eDNA and PCR inhibition treatment.
Results
Our results indicate that genus-level assessment of eDNA compositions is achievable at both loci with modest technical noise, although database gaps remain substantial at mt16S for regional taxa. While the specific taxa identified by eDNA did not strongly overlap with paired manual surveys, some metrics derived from eDNA compositions were rank-correlated with previously derived biological indices of environmental quality. Repeated sampling revealed statistical differences between high- and low-quality sites based on taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, and tolerance scores weighted by taxon proportions in transformed counts. We conclude that eDNA compositions are efficient and informative of stream condition. Further development and validation of scoring schemes analogous to commonly used biological indices should allow increased application of the approach to management needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron A. Aunins
- Eastern Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Kearneysville, West Virginia, United States
| | - Sara J. Mueller
- Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Program, The Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Jennifer A. Fike
- Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - Robert S. Cornman
- Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
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Braccia A, Lau J, Robinson J, Croasdaile M, Park J, Parola A. Macroinvertebrate assemblages from a stream-wetland complex: a case study with implications for assessing restored hydrologic functions. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:394. [PMID: 36780093 PMCID: PMC9925594 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-10983-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Legacies of past land use persist today in the form of incised, single-threaded stream channels with dramatically different hydrologic functions of pre-colonial stream valleys. Restoration practices that aim to return lost hydrologic functions by re-establishing floodplain and groundwater connections should result in stream habitat and biological assemblages that differ from modern, single-threaded channels. The aim of this case study was to identify attributes of macroinvertebrate assemblages that might serve as biological indicators of improved hydrologic functions following the restoration of a stream-wetland complex, similar to a Stage 0 restoration, of a headwater valley in the Western Allegheny region of the USA. We monitored hydrologic functions and macroinvertebrate assemblages from stream reaches of a restored and unrestored site over multiple years during the early years following restoration. Reduced bed mobility and increased flow duration indicated improved hydrologic functions from the restored site. Aggregate metrics that capture functional attributes of macroinvertebrate assemblage (i.e., density and biomass) were consistently greater from the restored site. EPT biomass from restored pools was 3-4 × greater than amounts from the unrestored site as a result of consistently greater mayfly abundance. Restored pools also supported a subassemblage of taxa with life history attributes that are aligned with habitat conditions created from improved hydrologic functions. Results from this case study demonstrate the importance of habitat-specific sampling designs that report the absolute abundance of potential biological indicators. Findings from this case study should help guide the development of rapid biological indicators of improved hydrologic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Braccia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, 40475, USA.
| | - Jamie Lau
- Department of Biology, Radford University, Radford, VA, 24142, USA
| | - Jesse Robinson
- J.B. Speed School of Engineering, Stream Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Michael Croasdaile
- J.B. Speed School of Engineering, Stream Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Jeong Park
- J.B. Speed School of Engineering, Stream Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Art Parola
- J.B. Speed School of Engineering, Stream Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
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Feio MJ, Hughes RM, Serra SRQ, Nichols SJ, Kefford BJ, Lintermans M, Robinson W, Odume ON, Callisto M, Macedo DR, Harding JS, Yates AG, Monk W, Nakamura K, Mori T, Sueyoshi M, Mercado‐Silva N, Chen K, Baek MJ, Bae YJ, Tachamo‐Shah RD, Shah DN, Campbell I, Moya N, Arimoro FO, Keke UN, Martins RT, Alves CBM, Pompeu PS, Sharma S. Fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages reveal extensive degradation of the world's rivers. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:355-374. [PMID: 36131677 PMCID: PMC10091732 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Rivers suffer from multiple stressors acting simultaneously on their biota, but the consequences are poorly quantified at the global scale. We evaluated the biological condition of rivers globally, including the largest proportion of countries from the Global South published to date. We gathered macroinvertebrate- and fish-based assessments from 72,275 and 37,676 sites, respectively, from 64 study regions across six continents and 45 nations. Because assessments were based on differing methods, different systems were consolidated into a 3-class system: Good, Impaired, or Severely Impaired, following common guidelines. The proportion of sites in each class by study area was calculated and each region was assigned a Köppen-Geiger climate type, Human Footprint score (addressing landscape alterations), Human Development Index (HDI) score (addressing social welfare), % rivers with good ambient water quality, % protected freshwater key biodiversity areas; and % of forest area net change rate. We found that 50% of macroinvertebrate sites and 42% of fish sites were in Good condition, whereas 21% and 29% were Severely Impaired, respectively. The poorest biological conditions occurred in Arid and Equatorial climates and the best conditions occurred in Snow climates. Severely Impaired conditions were associated (Pearson correlation coefficient) with higher HDI scores, poorer physico-chemical water quality, and lower proportions of protected freshwater areas. Good biological conditions were associated with good water quality and increased forested areas. It is essential to implement statutory bioassessment programs in Asian, African, and South American countries, and continue them in Oceania, Europe, and North America. There is a need to invest in assessments based on fish, as there is less information globally and fish were strong indicators of degradation. Our study highlights a need to increase the extent and number of protected river catchments, preserve and restore natural forested areas in the catchments, treat wastewater discharges, and improve river connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria João Feio
- Department of Life Sciences, Marine and Environmental Sciences CentreARNET, University of CoimbraCoimbraPortugal
| | - Robert M. Hughes
- Amnis Opes InstituteCorvallisOregonUSA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation SciencesOregon State UniversityCorvallisOregonUSA
| | - Sónia R. Q. Serra
- Department of Life Sciences, Marine and Environmental Sciences CentreARNET, University of CoimbraCoimbraPortugal
| | - Susan J. Nichols
- Centre for Applied Water ScienceInstitute for Applied Ecology, University of CanberraCanberraAustralia
| | - Ben J. Kefford
- Centre for Applied Water ScienceInstitute for Applied Ecology, University of CanberraCanberraAustralia
| | - Mark Lintermans
- Centre for Applied Water ScienceInstitute for Applied Ecology, University of CanberraCanberraAustralia
| | | | - Oghenekaro N. Odume
- Unilever Centre for Environmental Water QualityInstitute for Water Research, Rhodes UniversityMakhandaSouth Africa
| | - Marcos Callisto
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e EvoluçãoInstituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisBelo HorizonteBrazil
| | - Diego R. Macedo
- Departamento de GeografiaUniversidade Federal de Minas GeraisBelo HorizonteBrazil
| | - Jon S. Harding
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Adam G. Yates
- Department of BiologyUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Wendy Monk
- Environment and Climate Change Canada and Canadian Rivers Institute, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental ManagementUniversity of New BrunswickFrederictonCanada
| | | | - Terutaka Mori
- Aqua Restoration Research CenterPublic Works Research InstituteKakamigaharaGifuJapan
| | - Masanao Sueyoshi
- Aqua Restoration Research CenterPublic Works Research InstituteKakamigaharaGifuJapan
| | - Norman Mercado‐Silva
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y ConservaciónUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de MorelosCuernavacaMorelosMexico
| | - Kai Chen
- Department of EntomologyNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingPeople's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China SeaHainan UniversityHaikouPeople's Republic of China
| | - Min Jeong Baek
- National Institute of Biological Resources, Ministry of EnvironmentIncheonRepublic of Korea
| | - Yeon Jae Bae
- Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life SciencesKorea UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Ram Devi Tachamo‐Shah
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Science, Aquatic Ecology CentreKathmandu UniversityDhulikhelNepal
| | - Deep Narayan Shah
- Central Department of Environmental ScienceTribhuvan UniversityKathmanduNepal
| | | | - Nabor Moya
- Instituto Experimental de BiologiaUniversidad Mayor Real y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de ChuquisacaSucreBolivia
| | - Francis O. Arimoro
- Applied Hydrobiology Unit, Department of Animal BiologyFederal University of TechnologyMinnaNigeria
| | - Unique N. Keke
- Applied Hydrobiology Unit, Department of Animal BiologyFederal University of TechnologyMinnaNigeria
| | - Renato T. Martins
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Curso de pós‐graduação em EntomologiaInstituto Nacional de Pesquisas da AmazôniaManausBrazil
| | - Carlos B. M. Alves
- Laboratório Nuvelhas, Projeto ManuelzãoUniversidade Federal de Minas GeraisBelo HorizonteBrazil
| | - Paulo S. Pompeu
- Departamento de Ecologia e ConservaçãoUniversidade Federal de LavrasLavrasBrazil
| | - Subodh Sharma
- Aquatic Ecology Centre, School of ScienceKathmandu UniversityDhulikhelNepal
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20
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A Bibliometric Analysis of the Global Research in Odonata: Trends and Gaps. DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/d14121074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Insects of the order Odonata have been used as indicators of environmental quality in different aquatic systems around the world. In this context, we conducted a bibliometric analysis to understand the general patterns of research on Odonata published in the past decade (2012–2021). We extracted literature from the Web of Science (WoS) in the advanced search option and used search terms related to Odonata plus search strings for each term. A total of 2764 Odonata publications were identified. The journals with the most published articles on Odonata were Zootaxa, International Journal of Odonatology and Odonatologica. The countries with the most Odonata publications were the USA, Brazil and China. Most studies were conducted on streams, ponds and rivers. Ecology, taxonomy and behavior were the main study topics. Of the total articles on Odonata, 982 involved Zygoptera and 946 Anisoptera. Another 756 studies were focused on both suborders. The increase in ecological and taxonomic studies of Odonata reflects the dynamic characteristics of this order, and its relatively well-defined systematics, especially in the case of adults. Despite the recent increase in the number of publications, there are still many gaps related to topics such as biogeography, parasitism, competition within and between species, evolutionary and phylogenetic relationships, as well as studies of the eggs (e.g., their development) and larval exuviae (e.g., their morphological features).
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21
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Cheney C, Pothier M, Thomas PJ, Sarma SN, Poulain AJ, Blais JM. Paleoecotoxicology: Developing methods to assess the toxicity of lake sediment records influenced by legacy gold mining. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2022; 250:106248. [PMID: 35905632 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2022.106248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The contamination of lakes by industrial emissions is an issue of international concern. Traditional paleolimnology examines sedimentary micro-fossils to infer the biological response to natural and anthropogenic stressors over time. Here, we calculate a theoretical biological effect for historic sediment sections using Probable Effect Concentration Quotient (PEC-Q) and arsenic specific quotient methods and develop novel time-constrained sediment toxicity test methods using a cultured Daphnia sp. combined with a whole cell microbial biosensor to assess the toxicity of past industrial contamination with modern testing methods. These methods were developed using sediments collected from Pocket Lake (Northwest Territories, Canada), a lake known to have exhibited a significant ecological shift following input from nearby gold smelter emissions during the mid 20th century. We then applied these methods to near-, mid-, and far-field sites to assess the response of Daphnia sp. to varying contaminant load. Daphnia sp. mortality exposed to dated sediments indicated a strong concordance with the timing of mining activities, and a strong concordance with PEC-Q and arsenic specific toxicity quotients. In contrast, a decrease in Daphnia mortality was observed during pre-, and post-mining periods when the contaminant burden was lower. Initial assessments of bioavailability using a microbial biosensor indicated that arsenic in porewater is 72-96% bioavailable, and limited evidence that oxidative stress may contribute to the Daphnia sp. toxic response. These results indicate that lake sediment archives can be used to infer missing biomonitoring data in sites of legacy anthropogenic influence, which will be useful for those seeking to conduct cost-effective and efficient preliminary environmental risk assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Cheney
- University of Ottawa, Department of Biology, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Martin Pothier
- University of Ottawa, Department of Biology, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Philippe J Thomas
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Sailendra Nath Sarma
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Alexandre J Poulain
- University of Ottawa, Department of Biology, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Jules M Blais
- University of Ottawa, Department of Biology, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
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22
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Brown CJM, Curry RA, Gray MA, Lento J, MacLatchy DL, Monk WA, Pavey SA, St-Hilaire A, Wegscheider B, Munkittrick KR. Considering Fish as Recipients of Ecosystem Services Provides a Framework to Formally Link Baseline, Development, and Post-operational Monitoring Programs and Improve Aquatic Impact Assessments for Large Scale Developments. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 70:350-367. [PMID: 35596789 PMCID: PMC9252955 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01665-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In most countries, major development projects must satisfy an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process that considers positive and negative aspects to determine if it meets environmental standards and appropriately mitigates or offsets negative impacts on the values being considered. The benefits of before-after-control-impact monitoring designs have been widely known for more than 30 years, but most development assessments fail to effectively link pre- and post-development monitoring in a meaningful way. Fish are a common component of EIA evaluation for both socioeconomic and scientific reasons. The Ecosystem Services (ES) concept was developed to describe the ecosystem attributes that benefit humans, and it offers the opportunity to develop a framework for EIA that is centred around the needs of and benefits from fish. Focusing an environmental monitoring framework on the critical needs of fish could serve to better align risk, development, and monitoring assessment processes. We define the ES that fish provide in the context of two common ES frameworks. To allow for linkages between environmental assessment and the ES concept, we describe critical ecosystem functions from a fish perspective to highlight potential monitoring targets that relate to fish abundance, diversity, health, and habitat. Finally, we suggest how this framing of a monitoring process can be used to better align aquatic monitoring programs across pre-development, development, and post-operational monitoring programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn J M Brown
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - R Allen Curry
- Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Michelle A Gray
- Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Jennifer Lento
- Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Deborah L MacLatchy
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Wendy A Monk
- Environment and Climate Change Canada @ Canadian Rivers Institute, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Scott A Pavey
- Department of Biological Sciences and Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, NB, Canada
| | - André St-Hilaire
- Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Bernhard Wegscheider
- Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution and the Wyss Academy for Nature at the University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Swiss Federal Institute of Science and Technology (EAWAG), Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Kelly R Munkittrick
- Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
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23
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Laini A, Burgazzi G, Chadd R, England J, Tziortzis I, Ventrucci M, Vezza P, Wood PJ, Viaroli P, Guareschi S. Using invertebrate functional traits to improve flow variability assessment within European rivers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 832:155047. [PMID: 35395295 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Rivers are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide and are experiencing rapid biodiversity loss. Flow alteration due to climate change, water abstraction and augmentation is a severe stressor on many aquatic communities. Macroinvertebrates are widely used for biomonitoring river ecosystems although current taxonomic approaches used to characterise ecological responses to flow have limitations in terms of generalisation across biogeographical regions. A new macroinvertebrate trait-based index, Flow-T, derived from ecological functional information (flow velocity preferences) currently available for almost 500 invertebrate taxa at the European scale is presented. The index was tested using data from rivers spanning different biogeographic and hydro-climatic regions from the UK, Cyprus and Italy. The performance of Flow-T at different spatial scales and its relationship with an established UK flow assessment tool, the Lotic-invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation (LIFE), was assessed to determine the transferability of the approach internationally. Flow-T was strongly correlated with the LIFE index using both presence-absence and abundance weighted data from all study areas (r varying from 0.46 to 0.96). When applied at the river reach scale, Flow-T was effective in identifying communities associated with distinct mesohabitats characterised by their hydraulic characteristics (e.g., pools, riffles, glides). Flow-T can be derived using both presence/absence and abundance data and can be easily adapted to varying taxonomic resolutions. The trait-based approach facilitates research using the entire European invertebrate fauna and can potentially be applied in regions where information on taxa-specific flow velocity preferences is not currently available. The inter-regional and continental scale transferability of Flow-T may help water resource managers gauge the effects of changes in flow regime on instream communities at varying spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Laini
- University of Parma, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Parma, Italy; Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
| | - Gemma Burgazzi
- University of Parma, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Parma, Italy; Institute for Environmental Sciences, Quantitative Landscape Ecology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Richard Chadd
- Environment Agency of England, Stepping Stone Walk, Winfrey Avenue, Spalding, Lincolnshire, UK
| | - Judy England
- Environment Agency, Red Kite House, Howbery Park, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, UK
| | - Iakovos Tziortzis
- Water Development Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Massimo Ventrucci
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Paolo Vezza
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Paul J Wood
- Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - Pierluigi Viaroli
- University of Parma, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Parma, Italy
| | - Simone Guareschi
- Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK; Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
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24
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Frantz MW, Wood PB, Latta SC. Spatial stream modeling of Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) foraging substrate and aquatic prey in a watershed undergoing shale gas development. FOOD WEBS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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25
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Milošević D, Medeiros AS, Cvijanović D, Jenačković Gocić D, Đurđević A, Čerba D, Stojković Piperac M. Implications of local niche- and dispersal-based factors that may influence chironomid assemblages in bioassessment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:51951-51963. [PMID: 35257340 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19302-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Local environmental factors and dispersal-based processes can both influence the structure of metacommunities in freshwater ecosystems. Describing these patterns is especially important for biomonitoring approaches that are based on inferences made from benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. Here, we examine the metacommunity structure of chironomid assemblages collected from 28 sampling stations along the Southern Morava River, Serbia. We examined the extent of dispersal-based processes along a temporal scale. We obtained 8 models for the different sampling seasons that determined the spatial variables that best explained variability in chironomid assemblages. Spatial processes were found to be a significant predictor of variation for chironomids during the late winter/spring (March and May) and autumn (October and November), concordant with the known phenology of common taxa. Species sorting and mass effects were found to be significant processes that structured the chironomid metacommunity. In addition, biological interactions, inferred from fish biomass, and habitat traits, demonstrated by macrophyte and riparian vegetation, were found to influence species sorting. A high variability of chironomid metacommunity structure across sampling seasons suggests that monitoring programs that include macroinvertebrates in bioassessment should avoid months with pronounced spatial processes, and consequently maximize a correlation between community structure and local environmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Djuradj Milošević
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia.
- School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
| | - Andrew S Medeiros
- School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Dušanka Cvijanović
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Dragana Jenačković Gocić
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
| | - Aca Đurđević
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
| | - Dubravka Čerba
- Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
| | - Milica Stojković Piperac
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
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26
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Odountan OH, Sidi O. I. Massara N, Janssens de Bisthoven L, Bird MS, Abou Y. Comparison of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities of Lake Ahémé (Benin, West Africa) across the short and long wet seasons. Afr J Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.13006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Olaniran Hamed Odountan
- Laboratory of Ecology and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems Department of Zoology Faculty of Sciences and Technics University of Abomey‐Calavi Abomey‐Calavi Republic of Benin
- Cercle d’Action pour la Protection de l’Environnement et de la Biodiversité (CAPE BIO‐ONG) Cotonou, Abomey‐Calavi Republic of Benin
| | - Nadjib Sidi O. I. Massara
- Laboratory of Ecology and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems Department of Zoology Faculty of Sciences and Technics University of Abomey‐Calavi Abomey‐Calavi Republic of Benin
| | - Luc Janssens de Bisthoven
- Capacities for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (CEBioS) OD Nature, Royal, Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences Brussels Belgium
| | - Matthew S. Bird
- Department of Zoology University of Johannesburg Auckland Park South Africa
| | - Youssouf Abou
- Laboratory of Ecology and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems Department of Zoology Faculty of Sciences and Technics University of Abomey‐Calavi Abomey‐Calavi Republic of Benin
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27
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Garg A, Yadav BK, Das DB, Wood PJ. Improving the assessment of polluted sites using an integrated bio-physico-chemical monitoring framework. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 290:133344. [PMID: 34922961 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Soil - water pollution resulting from anthropogenic activities is a growing concern internationally. Effective monitoring techniques play a crucial role in the detection, prevention, and remediation of polluted sites. Current pollution monitoring practices in many geographical locations are primarily based on physico-chemical assessments which do not always reflect the potential toxicity of contaminant 'cocktails' and harmful chemicals not screened for routinely. Biomonitoring provides a range of sensitive techniques to characterise the eco-toxicological effects of chemical contamination. The bioavailability of contaminants, in addition to their effects on organisms at the molecular, cellular, individual, and community level allows the characterisation of the overall health status of polluted sites and ecosystems. Quantifying bioaccumulation, changes to community structure, faunal morphology, behavioural, and biochemical responses are standard procedures employed in biomonitoring studies in many High-Income Countries (HICs). This review highlights the need to integrate biomonitoring tools alongside physico-chemical monitoring techniques by using 'effect-based' tools to provide more holistic information on the ecological impairment of soil-water systems. This paper considers the wider implementation of biomonitoring methods in Low to Middle Income Countries (LMICs) and their significance in pollution investigations and proposes an integrated monitoring framework that can identify toxicity drivers by utilising 'effect-based' and 'risk-based' monitoring approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Garg
- Department of Hydrology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Brijesh K Yadav
- Department of Hydrology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India.
| | - Diganta B Das
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, UK.
| | - Paul J Wood
- Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, UK
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28
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Getachew M, Mulat WL, Mereta ST, Gebrie GS, Kelly-Quinn M. Refining benthic macroinvertebrate kick sampling protocol for wadeable rivers and streams in Ethiopia. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:196. [PMID: 35175462 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09594-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Streams and rivers cover a larger proportion of the Earth's surface but are highly affected by human pressures. Conversely, bioassessment methods are in their infancy in developing countries such as Ethiopia. In this study, we compared 2- and 3-min macroinvertebrate kick samples at multiple locations for both riffle habitat (RH) and multihabitat (MH) approaches. The performance of each method was evaluated statistically using benthic macroinvertebrate metrics and diversity indices. Results of the Kruskal-Wallis analysis in this study showed no significant differences among methods tested in minimally impacted streams in Ethiopia and generally performed equally irrespective of the methods employed except for total abundances and Ephemeroptera abundances. Furthermore, multivariate analysis of the relative abundances of macroinvertebrate communities using analysis of similarity (ANOSIM), RELATE, non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS), and classification strength-sampling method comparability (CS-SMC) indicated a high similarity in the macroinvertebrate communities recorded among all methods employed in this study area. However, the index of multivariate dispersion (IMD) test showed variations in relative abundances of macroinvertebrate communities among the methods. In summary, if the focus is not on rare taxa and the required information is not dependent on additional evidence provided by the use of lower taxonomic levels of identification (genus and species), the results of the present study support the use of the shorter 2-min RH kick sampling method for the bioassessment of wadeable rivers and streams in Ethiopia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melaku Getachew
- Ethiopian Institute of Water Resources, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Department of Environmental Health, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia.
| | | | - Seid Tiku Mereta
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Technology, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Geremew Sahilu Gebrie
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Mary Kelly-Quinn
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, UCD Earth Institute, Dublin, Ireland
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29
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Iñiguez-Armijos C, Tapia-Armijos MF, Wilhelm F, Breuer L. Urbanisation process generates more independently-acting stressors and ecosystem functioning impairment in tropical Andean streams. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 304:114211. [PMID: 34864418 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The tropical Andes are experiencing rapid population growth and urbanisation has become a major driver impairing stream ecosystems. However, knowledge about multiple-stressors effects on urbanised Andean streams is lacking. In southern Ecuador, we assessed how multiple stressors determine the structural (aquatic invertebrate metrics) and functional (organic matter breakdown and delta N of primary consumers) attributes of streams in a densely populated watershed without wastewater treatment and with contrasting land uses. We found that urbanised streams exhibited individual-stressor effects and that stressor interactions were rare. While structural and function attributes responded negatively to urbanisation, ecosystem functioning metrics were influenced most. Stream ecosystem functions were influenced by water-chemistry stressors, whereas aquatic invertebrate metrics were influenced by physical-habitat stressors. We suggest that managers of urbanised streams in the Andes immediately focus on the most important stressors by reducing inputs of inorganic N and P, re-establishing stream flow and substrate heterogeneity, and restoring riparian vegetation instead of attempting to elucidate intricate interactions among stressors. Our result also demonstrate that stream biomonitoring programs would benefit from a combination of structural and functional indicators to assess anthropogenic effects in a multiple-stressors scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Iñiguez-Armijos
- Laboratorio de Ecología Tropical y Servicios Ecosistémicos (EcoSs-Lab), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto S/n, 1101608, Loja, Ecuador.
| | - María Fernanda Tapia-Armijos
- Laboratorio de Ecología Tropical y Servicios Ecosistémicos (EcoSs-Lab), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto S/n, 1101608, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Frank Wilhelm
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences. University of Idaho, 83843, Moscow, ID, USA
| | - Lutz Breuer
- Institute for Landscape Ecology and Resources Management (ILR), Research Centre for Biosystems, Land Use and Nutrition (iFZ), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich Buff-Ring 26, 35392, Giessen, Germany; Centre for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Senckenbergstrasse 3, 35390, Giessen, Germany
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30
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Fierro P, Hughes RM, Valdovinos C. Temporal Variability of Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in a Mediterranean Coastal Stream: Implications for Bioassessment. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 50:873-885. [PMID: 34462896 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-021-00900-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Macroinvertebrates from a small forest stream in central-south Chile were sampled monthly from September 2017 to August 2018 to assess temporal variability in the assemblage and the effects of that variability on ecological indicators. Higher precipitation and flows occurred in winter months, and water quality varied among months. We collected 59 macroinvertebrate taxa, finding higher taxa richness and abundances in summer months than in winter months. Four taxa demonstrated marked seasonality, being abundant in some months and then decreasing in following months (Limnoperla jaffueli (Navás), Nousia maculata (Demoulin), Smicridea sp. (McLachlan), Chironomidae spp.). The scores of the family Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI), Hilsenhoff Species-level Biotic Index (HSBI), Multimetric Macroinvertebrate Index (MMI), and Chilean Biological Monitoring Working Party (ChBMWP) index varied throughout the year reflecting natural variability. However, only HBI and HSBI scores were significantly different among seasons, ranging across three water quality classes (excellent, very good, and good), showing the lowest water classes in spring, coinciding with higher abundances of tolerant species. The MMI and ChBMWP indicated good and very good site conditions throughout the year, respectively. Shannon-Weaver diversity ranged between 2.59 (April) and 1.78 (February); however, Pielou evenness had high values throughout the year (> 0.62), except in February. Changes in macroinvertebrates composition throughout the year were explained primarily by discharge, water temperature, and conductivity. Our findings indicate that natural monthly variability in macroinvertebrate assemblages influences the scores of biological indices throughout the year. Therefore, we recommend that natural stream variability be accounted for in biomonitoring programs. We also emphasize the need to use caution when interpreting biological index scores to avoid misinterpretations in stream quality classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Fierro
- Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.
| | - Robert M Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute, Oregon, USA
- Dept of Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation, Oregon State University, Oregon, USA
| | - Claudio Valdovinos
- Depto de Sistemas Acuáticos, Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Concepción, y Centro de Ciencias Ambientales EULA, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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31
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Wang L, Zhang R, Yang J, Chen Q, He M, Wang J. A method to determine water quality categories based on biotic index of macroinvertebrates in the Yangtze River Delta. ECOL INFORM 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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32
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Calapez AR, Serra SRQ, Rivaes R, Aguiar FC, Feio MJ. Influence of river regulation and instream habitat on invertebrate assemblage' structure and function. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 794:148696. [PMID: 34217076 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Dams modify geomorphology, water quantity, quality and timing of stream flows affecting ecosystem functioning and aquatic biota. In this study, we addressed the structural and functional macroinvertebrate community alterations in different instream mesohabitats of two Portuguese rivers impaired by dams. We sampled macroinvertebrates in riffles, runs and pools of river sites downstream of the dams (i.e. regulated; n = 24) and in sites without the influence of the dams (i.e. unregulated; n = 7), assessing a total of 64 mesohabitats, following late spring-early summer regular flows. We found a distinct taxonomic structure and trait composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages between regulated and unregulated flow sites, and also between mesohabitats in which the differences were more evident. When analysing each mesohabitat individually, the effect of flow regulation was detected only in run-type mesohabitats for both taxonomic and trait composition, leading us to infer that a selective macroinvertebrate assessment on run mesohabitats would be a valuable contribution to detect regulated flow effects on ecosystems impaired by dams. Additionally, there is evidence that respiration and locomotion traits could be effective tools to identify damming flow alterations. This study supports that the quality assessments of rivers impacted by dams could benefit from a sampling approach focused on run mesohabitats and the detection of some key traits, which would improve assessment accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Raquel Calapez
- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Sónia R Q Serra
- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Rui Rivaes
- Forest Research Centre (CEF), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Francisca C Aguiar
- Forest Research Centre (CEF), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria João Feio
- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
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33
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Shahady TD, Cleary WC. Influence of a low-head dam on water quality of an urban river system. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 297:113334. [PMID: 34311250 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Dam removal in the United States is becoming a common practice for stream restoration as these structures age, climate driven precipitation patterns change, and ecological uplift becomes desirable. Yet in highly urbanized watersheds, these dams may operate as retention basins removing pollutants and mitigating hydrological change. While elimination may be ecologically and economically advantageous, sediment and pollutant removal processes may be better protective of water quality and damaging flooding. In Central Virginia, we compared a watershed split between an urbanized subwatershed (>20% impervious surface encompassing 37.8% of the total watershed land surface) flowing through a 18 Ha reservoir with a rural subwatershed (<5% impervious encompassing 63.2% of the total watershed land surface) located in the James River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. This reservoir is scheduled for removal in the near future. Comparisons of data suggest that while portions of the urbanized watershed are degraded, this condition is not reflected at the confluence where water quality more closely resembles the rural and minimally impervious subwatershed. This conclusion was further strengthened from data collected following an unexpected dam overtopping in August 2018 where the reservoir was temporarily drained because of safety concerns. After the draining, water quality reversed with the confluence resembling the urbanized rather than the rural subwatershed. Most significantly, water quality flowing into the James River quickly and significantly shifted from a good to a degraded condition. This case study suggests reservoirs in highly urbanized watersheds may serve as critical water quality improvement structures and removal as part of a stream restoration strategy must be carefully considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Shahady
- Environmental Science, University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, VA, USA.
| | - Wrenn C Cleary
- Environmental Science, University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, VA, USA
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Guareschi S, Laini A, England J, Barrett J, Wood PJ. Multiple co-occurrent alien invaders constrain aquatic biodiversity in rivers. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 31:e02385. [PMID: 34128287 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A greater understanding and effective management of biological invasions is a priority for biodiversity conservation globally. Many freshwater ecosystems are experiencing the colonization and spread of multiple co-occurrent alien species. Here the implications of both the relative abundance and richness of alien invaders on aquatic macroinvertebrate taxonomic and functional richness, ecosystem quality, and functional redundancy are assessed using long-term data from rivers in England. Based on the most common aquatic invaders, results indicated that their richness, rather than abundance, was the most important factor negatively affecting aquatic macroinvertebrate biodiversity. However, the response of functional redundancy was negatively affected by invader abundance at the river basin scale. The response of communities varied as the number of invading taxa increased, with the most marked reductions following the colonization of the first few invaders. Results indicate that different facets of multiple biological invasions influence distinct aspects of aquatic biodiversity. Preventing the establishment of new invaders and limiting invader taxa richness within a community should therefore be a conservation priority. These findings will assist river scientists in understanding mechanisms driving changes in biodiversity and facilitate the testing of ecological theories while also ensuring environmental managers and regulators can prioritize conservation / management opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Guareschi
- Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
| | - Alex Laini
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, Parma, 43124, Italy
| | - Judy England
- Environment Agency, Red Kite House, Howbery Park, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, OX10 8BD, United Kingdom
| | - Jon Barrett
- Environment Agency, Red Kite House, Howbery Park, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, OX10 8BD, United Kingdom
| | - Paul J Wood
- Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
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Medeiros AS, Williams A, Milošević D. Assessment of ecological impairment of Arctic streams: Challenges and future directions. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9715-9727. [PMID: 34306657 PMCID: PMC8293736 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
As increased growth and development put pressure on freshwater systems in Arctic environments, there is a need to maintain a meaningful and feasible framework for monitoring water quality. A useful tool for monitoring the ecological health of aquatic systems is by means of the analysis and inferences made from benthic invertebrates in a biomonitoring approach. Biomonitoring of rivers and streams within the Arctic has been under-represented in research efforts. Here, we investigate an approach for monitoring biological impairment in Arctic streams from anthropogenic land use at two streams with different exposure to urban development in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Arctic Canada. Sites upstream of development, at midpoint locations, and at the mouth of each waterbody were sampled during 6 campaigns (2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019) to address spatial and temporal variability of the macroinvertebrate community. The influence of taxonomic resolution scaling was also examined in order to understand the sensitivity of macroinvertebrates as indicators in Arctic aquatic systems. We demonstrate that standard biological metrics were effective in indicating biological impairment downstream of sources of point-source pollutants. A mixed-design ANOVA for repeated measures also found strong interannual variability; however, we did not detect intra-annual variation from seasonal factors. When examining metrics at the highest taxonomic resolution possible, the sensitivity of metrics increased. Likewise, when trait-based metrics (α functional diversity) were applied to indicators identified at high taxonomic resolution, a significant difference was found between reference and impacted sites. Our results show that even though Arctic systems have lower diversity and constrained life-history characteristics compared to temperate ecosystems, biomonitoring is not only possible, but also equally effective in detecting trends from anthropogenic activities. Thus, biomonitoring approaches in Arctic environments are likely a useful means for providing rapid and cost-effective means of assessing future environmental impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. S. Medeiros
- School for Resource and Environmental StudiesFaculty of ManagementDalhousie UniversityHalifaxCanada
| | - A. Williams
- Department of BiologyFaculty of ScienceTrent UniversityPeterboroughCanada
| | - D. Milošević
- School for Resource and Environmental StudiesFaculty of ManagementDalhousie UniversityHalifaxCanada
- Department of Biology and EcologyFaculty of Sciences and MathematicsUniversity of NišNišSerbia
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Combining DNA and people power for healthy rivers: Implementing the STREAM community-based approach for global freshwater monitoring. Perspect Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2021.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Wang Y, Chen K, Gao J, Wang M, Dong J, Xie Y, Giesy JP, Jin X, Wang B. Environmental DNA of preservative ethanol performed better than water samples in detecting macroinvertebrate diversity using metabarcoding. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- Department of Entomology Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China
| | - Kai Chen
- Department of Entomology Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China
| | - Jin Gao
- Department of Entomology Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China
| | - Meng Wang
- Department of Entomology Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China
| | - Jie Dong
- Department of Entomology Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China
| | - Yuwei Xie
- Toxicology Centre University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada
| | - John P. Giesy
- Toxicology Centre University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada
- Department of Environmental Sciences Baylor University Waco Texas USA
| | - Xiaowei Jin
- China National Environmental Monitoring Centre Beijing China
| | - Beixin Wang
- Department of Entomology Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China
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Shupryt MP, Studinski JM. Spatial correlation of macroinvertebrate assemblages in streams and the implications for bioassessment programs. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:322. [PMID: 33945027 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09101-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Stream bioassessment using benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages is widely implemented by regulatory agencies, yet a critical question regarding spatial autocorrelation and sample independence remains: How much of a stream network does a point sample represent? Macroinvertebrate assemblages vary along a longitudinal gradient, likely due to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors that alter water physiochemistry and habitat. A better understanding of how these gradients affect macroinvertebrate assemblage variance could prevent spatial over- and under-sampling within bioassessment efforts. This project investigated longitudinal patterns (10 s of km) of macroinvertebrate assemblages in 14 Wisconsin streams. Spatial autocorrelation was assessed using Moran's I and other multivariate methods with an emphasis on estimating the distance at which assemblages no longer display spatial correlation. Within most streams, there was a linear, direct relationship between assemblage dissimilarity and longitudinal distance, with distance to independence (DTI) ranging from 1.7-13.5 km. DTI was most strongly affected by conductivity, which is often a surrogate for a suite of anthropogenic effects. With increasing conductivity, DTI increases, suggesting more homogenous assemblages in disturbed streams. Natural factors like watershed size, channel gradient, and riparian slope also affected DTI. Considering spatial correlation in monitoring designs could improve the efficiency and application of regulatory bioassessment programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Shupryt
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 101 South Webster Street, Madison, WI, 53707, USA.
| | - Jered M Studinski
- College of Natural Resources, Trainer Natural Resources Building, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, 800 Reserve Street, Stevens Point, WI, 54481-3897, USA
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Monitoring of Neotropical Streams Using Macroinvertebrate Communities: Evidence from Honduras. ENVIRONMENTS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/environments8040027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Assessing the water quality by using biological indicators is a reliable and economically feasible way to promote environmental conservation in developing tropical countries. Here, we report one of the few examples of river biomonitoring in Honduras. In June 2005, benthic macroinvertebrates were collected from six sites in the Río Cangrejal basin. An adapted version of the Biological Monitoring Working Party index (BMWP) was used to assess the water quality because it is simple, consolidated, relatively easy to use, and needs a family-level identification. Moreover, two other community metrics were calculated, namely the total taxon richness and local contribution to beta diversity (LCBD). Differences in the biomonitoring and diversity metrics among sites and their correlations were statistically tested. Thirty-nine macroinvertebrate taxa were collected and, despite significant differences in the BMWP score, all sampling sites were classified in the high environmental quality class. A very strong and positive correlation between the BMPW and taxon richness was found, while LCBD did not vary significantly and did not correlate with the other metrics. Our results suggest that taxon richness could be used as a surrogate indicator to assess the water quality when consolidate biomonitoring methods are not available.
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Batista JD, Ferreira VRS, Cabette HSR, de Castro LA, De Marco P, Juen L. Sampling efficiency of a protocol to measure Odonata diversity in tropical streams. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248216. [PMID: 33690692 PMCID: PMC7942985 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Odonata can be sampled following different types of protocols. In Brazil, the most used protocol is the scanning in fixed areas method, where a 100-meter transect is delimited in one of the stream margins, subdivided into 20 segments measuring 5 meters. Despite being universally used, the methodological efficiency or limitations of this protocol for Odonata has never been tested. In this scenario, our objective was to assess the efficiency of the sampling protocol to measure the richness and composition of Odonata in three fundamental aspects: the time of sampling and sampling effort over time and space. We show that the best sampling efficiency was achieved in collections performed at noon, in transects measuring 100 meters, requiring at least two samplings in the same location, supporting the procedures traditionally adopted by many studies with the group. While comparing species composition, we did not see any implication between the different treatments on the capture of the local species pool. However, we highlight and discuss some possible methodological flaws when using this protocol to sample specific Odonata groups. We believe the results obtained are fundamental in the inventory of species and to conduct future studies, as well as to aid conservative measures that use the order Odonata as a tool for environmental monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Darc Batista
- Entomology Laboratory of Nova Xavantina, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Nova Xavantina, Brazil
| | - Victor Rennan Santos Ferreira
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation, Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Pará and Goeldi Museum, Belém, Brazil
| | | | | | - Paulo De Marco
- Laboratory of Theory, Metacommunity & Landscape Ecology, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Leandro Juen
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation, Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Pará and Goeldi Museum, Belém, Brazil
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Albuquerque LG, de Oliveira Roque F, Valente-Neto F, Koroiva R, Buss DF, Baptista DF, Hepp LU, Kuhlmann ML, Sundar S, Covich AP, Pinto JOP. Large-scale prediction of tropical stream water quality using Rough Sets Theory. ECOL INFORM 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Feio MJ, Hughes RM, Callisto M, Nichols SJ, Odume ON, Quintella BR, Kuemmerlen M, Aguiar FC, Almeida SF, Alonso-EguíaLis P, Arimoro FO, Dyer FJ, Harding JS, Jang S, Kaufmann PR, Lee S, Li J, Macedo DR, Mendes A, Mercado-Silva N, Monk W, Nakamura K, Ndiritu GG, Ogden R, Peat M, Reynoldson TB, Rios-Touma B, Segurado P, Yates AG. The Biological Assessment and Rehabilitation of the World's Rivers: An Overview. WATER 2021; 13:371. [PMID: 33868721 PMCID: PMC8048141 DOI: 10.3390/w13030371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The biological assessment of rivers i.e., their assessment through use of aquatic assemblages, integrates the effects of multiple-stressors on these systems over time and is essential to evaluate ecosystem condition and establish recovery measures. It has been undertaken in many countries since the 1990s, but not globally. And where national or multi-national monitoring networks have gathered large amounts of data, the poor water body classifications have not necessarily resulted in the rehabilitation of rivers. Thus, here we aimed to identify major gaps in the biological assessment and rehabilitation of rivers worldwide by focusing on the best examples in Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North, Central, and South America. Our study showed that it is not possible so far to draw a world map of the ecological quality of rivers. Biological assessment of rivers and streams is only implemented officially nation-wide and regularly in the European Union, Japan, Republic of Korea, South Africa, and the USA. In Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, and Singapore it has been implemented officially at the state/province level (in some cases using common protocols) or in major catchments or even only once at the national level to define reference conditions (Australia). In other cases, biological monitoring is driven by a specific problem, impact assessments, water licenses, or the need to rehabilitate a river or a river section (as in Brazil, South Korea, China, Canada, Japan, Australia). In some countries monitoring programs have only been explored by research teams mostly at the catchment or local level (e.g., Brazil, Mexico, Chile, China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam) or implemented by citizen science groups (e.g., Southern Africa, Gambia, East Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada). The existing large-extent assessments show a striking loss of biodiversity in the last 2-3 decades in Japanese and New Zealand rivers (e.g., 42% and 70% of fish species threatened or endangered, respectively). A poor condition (below Good condition) exists in 25% of South Korean rivers, half of the European water bodies, and 44% of USA rivers, while in Australia 30% of the reaches sampled were significantly impaired in 2006. Regarding river rehabilitation, the greatest implementation has occurred in North America, Australia, Northern Europe, Japan, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea. Most rehabilitation measures have been related to improving water quality and river connectivity for fish or the improvement of riparian vegetation. The limited extent of most rehabilitation measures (i.e., not considering the entire catchment) often constrains the improvement of biological condition. Yet, many rehabilitation projects also lack pre-and/or post-monitoring of ecological condition, which prevents assessing the success and shortcomings of the recovery measures. Economic constraints are the most cited limitation for implementing monitoring programs and rehabilitation actions, followed by technical limitations, limited knowledge of the fauna and flora and their life-history traits (especially in Africa, South America and Mexico), and poor awareness by decision-makers. On the other hand, citizen involvement is recognized as key to the success and sustainability of rehabilitation projects. Thus, establishing rehabilitation needs, defining clear goals, tracking progress towards achieving them, and involving local populations and stakeholders are key recommendations for rehabilitation projects (Table 1). Large-extent and long-term monitoring programs are also essential to provide a realistic overview of the condition of rivers worldwide. Soon, the use of DNA biological samples and eDNA to investigate aquatic diversity could contribute to reducing costs and thus increase monitoring efforts and a more complete assessment of biodiversity. Finally, we propose developing transcontinental teams to elaborate and improve technical guidelines for implementing biological monitoring programs and river rehabilitation and establishing common financial and technical frameworks for managing international catchments. We also recommend providing such expert teams through the United Nations Environment Program to aid the extension of biomonitoring, bioassessment, and river rehabilitation knowledge globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria João Feio
- Department of Life Sciences, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Robert M. Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
- Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Marcos Callisto
- Laboratory of Ecology of Benthos, Department of Genetic, Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Susan J. Nichols
- Centre for Applied Water Science, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | - Oghenekaro N. Odume
- Unilever Centre for Environmental Water Quality, Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
| | - Bernardo R. Quintella
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Évora, 7000-812 Évora, Portugal
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mathias Kuemmerlen
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity Centre for the Environment, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Francisca C. Aguiar
- Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Salomé F.P. Almeida
- Department of Biology and GeoBioTec—GeoBioSciences, GeoTechnologies and GeoEngineering Research Centre, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Perla Alonso-EguíaLis
- Mexican Institute of Water Technology, Bioindicators Laboratory, Jiutepec Morelos 62550, Mexico
| | - Francis O. Arimoro
- Department of Animal and Environmental Biology (Applied Hydrobiology Unit), Federal University of Technology, P.M.B. 65 Minna, Nigeria
| | - Fiona J. Dyer
- Centre for Applied Water Science, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | - Jon S. Harding
- School of Biologcal Sciences, University of Canterbury, 8140 Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Sukhwan Jang
- Department of Civil Engineering, Daejin University, Hoguk-ro, Pocheon-si 1007, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Samhee Lee
- Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), 283 Goyangdaero, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Jianhua Li
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education of China, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Diego R. Macedo
- Department of Geography, Geomorphology and Water Resources Laboratory, Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana Mendes
- MED—Instituto Mediterrâneo para a Agricultura, Ambiente e Desenvolvimento, LabOr—Laboratório de Ornitologia, Universidade de Évora, Polo da Mitra, 7002-774 Évora, Portugal
| | - Norman Mercado-Silva
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservacíon, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, 62209 Morelos, Mexico
| | - Wendy Monk
- Environment and Climate Change Canada and, Canadian Rivers Institute, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Keigo Nakamura
- Water Environment Research Group, Public Works Research Institute, 1-6 Minamihara, Tsukuba 305-8516, Japan
| | - George G. Ndiritu
- School of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Karatina University, P.O. Box 1957, 10101 Karatina, Kenya
| | - Ralph Ogden
- Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | - Michael Peat
- Wetlands, Policy and Northern Water Use Branch, Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | | | - Blanca Rios-Touma
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Medio Ambiente y Salud (BIOMAS), Facultad de Ingenierías y Ciencias Aplicadas, Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad de Las Américas, Vía Nayón S/N, 170503 Quito, Ecuador
| | - Pedro Segurado
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Adam G. Yates
- Department of Geography, Western University and Canadian Rivers Institute, London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
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Integration of DNA-Based Approaches in Aquatic Ecological Assessment Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13030331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Benthic macroinvertebrates are among the most used biological quality elements for assessing the condition of all types of aquatic ecosystems worldwide (i.e., fresh water, transitional, and marine). Current morphology-based assessments have several limitations that may be circumvented by using DNA-based approaches. Here, we present a comprehensive review of 90 publications on the use of DNA metabarcoding of benthic macroinvertebrates in aquatic ecosystems bioassessments. Metabarcoding of bulk macrozoobenthos has been preferentially used in fresh waters, whereas in marine waters, environmental DNA (eDNA) from sediment and bulk communities from deployed artificial structures has been favored. DNA extraction has been done predominantly through commercial kits, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) has been, by far, the most used marker, occasionally combined with others, namely, the 18S rRNA gene. Current limitations include the lack of standardized protocols and broad-coverage primers, the incompleteness of reference libraries, and the inability to reliably extrapolate abundance data. In addition, morphology versus DNA benchmarking of ecological status and biotic indexes are required to allow general worldwide implementation and higher end-user confidence. The increased sensitivity, high throughput, and faster execution of DNA metabarcoding can provide much higher spatial and temporal data resolution on aquatic ecological status, thereby being more responsive to immediate management needs.
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Behrens-Chapuis S, Herder F, Geiger MF. Adding DNA barcoding to stream monitoring protocols - What's the additional value and congruence between morphological and molecular identification approaches? PLoS One 2021; 16:e0244598. [PMID: 33395693 PMCID: PMC7781668 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although aquatic macroinvertebrates and freshwater fishes are important indicators for freshwater quality assessments, the morphological identification to species-level is often impossible and thus especially in many invertebrate taxa not mandatory during Water Framework Directive monitoring, a pragmatism that potentially leads to information loss. Here, we focus on the freshwater fauna of the River Sieg (Germany) to test congruence and additional value in taxa detection and taxonomic resolution of DNA barcoding vs. morphology-based identification in monitoring routines. Prior generated morphological identifications of juvenile fishes and aquatic macroinvertebrates were directly compared to species assignments using the identification engine of the Barcode of Life Data System. In 18% of the invertebrates morphology allowed only assignments to higher systematic entities, but DNA barcoding lead to species-level assignment. Dissimilarities between the two approaches occurred in 7% of the invertebrates and in 1% of the fishes. The 18 fish species were assigned to 20 molecular barcode index numbers, the 104 aquatic invertebrate taxa to 113 molecular entities. Although the cost-benefit analysis of both methods showed that DNA barcoding is still more expensive (5.30–8.60€ per sample) and time consuming (12.5h), the results emphasize the potential to increase taxonomic resolution and gain a more complete profile of biodiversity, especially in invertebrates. The provided reference DNA barcodes help building the foundation for metabarcoding approaches, which provide faster sample processing and more cost-efficient ecological status determination.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fabian Herder
- Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
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Pereira PDS, Souza NFD, Baptista DF, Ribeiro-Alves M, Santos HLC, Buss DF. Functional Feeding Group composition and attributes: evaluation of freshwater ecosystems in Atlantic Forest, Brazil. BIOTA NEOTROPICA 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2020-1016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract: Benthic macroinvertebrates Functional Feeding Group (FFG) have been used to determine aquatic assemblage dynamics and as a biomonitoring tool. The main goals of this study were to assess the effects of stream variables on the abundance and richness of FFGs and evaluate ecosystem attributes (FFG ratios) as a tool to assess ecological conditions of Atlantic Rainforest streams. We sampled 146 sites with different impairment conditions in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Richness was significantly different among impairment conditions for all FFGs. Mixed-effect models show that aquatic macroinvertebrate FFGs differed in their responses to abiotic variables for abundance and richness. Also, they were reduced in the impaired sites when compared to intermediate and reference sites. The FFG ratio indicated significant differences along the impairment gradient. The FFG ratio analysis was shown to be a fast and cheap tool that can be used for monitoring aquatic ecosystems in the Atlantic Forest biome. However, further studies are required to calibrate the method specifically for the Atlantic Forest region.
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Culp JM, Brua RB, Luiker E, Glozier NE. Ecological causal assessment of benthic condition in the oil sands region, Athabasca River, Canada. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 749:141393. [PMID: 33370883 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Contaminant loads to rivers of the Canadian oil sands region are linked to industrial and natural sources. To date, biomonitoring studies have been unable to unequivocally assess potential environmental impacts associated with this development. As part of the Joint Alberta-Canada Oil Sands Monitoring initiative, we aimed to assess cumulative effects of anthropogenic activities and exposure to natural bitumen geology on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the lower Athabasca River. We examined associations among macroinvertebrates and environmental correlates, such as nutrients, ions, metals, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and total suspended solids. The study design included sites within and outside the mineable bitumen deposits, within and outside of the active mining and extraction area, and above and below municipal sewage effluents. We predicted observing a negative association between ecological condition of the river and exposure to natural bitumen and oil sands activity. However, contaminant concentrations in water and sediment were far below known toxicity thresholds, and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in sites exposed to oil sands mining activities appeared more affected by nutrient enrichment from the MSE than contaminants from mining or natural bitumen. Although sites within the area of intense oil sands activity showed signs of mild environmental stress, assemblage pattern was more strongly associated with MSE nutrient enrichment than to diffuse contamination from either natural bitumen or oil sands mining. Enrichment likely increases food resources available to consumers, thereby potentially masking toxic responses of consumers to contaminants. Current regulations prohibit the direct release of oil sands contaminants to waterways, with diffuse atmospheric deposition of aerial emissions and fugitive dust the main contaminant pathways to freshwaters. As the storage capacity of tailings ponds is reached, this nutrient-contaminant pattern could change if the river receives the proposed direct release of treated oil sands process water. Focused investigation-of-cause studies are required to better assess the consequences of cumulative interactions and ecological effects of nutrients and contaminant exposure in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Culp
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Cold Regions Research Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3E5, Canada.
| | - Robert B Brua
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Hydrology Research Centre, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3H5, Canada
| | - Eric Luiker
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dept. Biology, University of New Brunswick, 10 Bailey Drive, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Nancy E Glozier
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Hydrology Research Centre, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3H5, Canada
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Guareschi S, Laini A, England J, Johns T, Winter M, Wood PJ. Invasive species influence macroinvertebrate biomonitoring tools and functional diversity in British rivers. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Guareschi
- Geography and Environment Loughborough University Loughborough UK
| | - Alex Laini
- Department of Chemistry Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability University of Parma Parma Italy
| | | | - Tim Johns
- Environment Agency Horizon House Bristol UK
| | | | - Paul J. Wood
- Geography and Environment Loughborough University Loughborough UK
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Maitland VC, Robinson CV, Porter TM, Hajibabaei M. Freshwater diatom biomonitoring through benthic kick-net metabarcoding. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242143. [PMID: 33206700 PMCID: PMC7673570 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomonitoring is an essential tool for assessing ecological conditions and informing management strategies. The application of DNA metabarcoding and high throughput sequencing has improved data quantity and resolution for biomonitoring of taxa such as macroinvertebrates, yet, there remains the need to optimise these methods for other taxonomic groups. Diatoms have a longstanding history in freshwater biomonitoring as bioindicators of water quality status. However, multi-substrate periphyton collection, a common diatom sampling practice, is time-consuming and thus costly in terms of labour. This study examined whether the benthic kick-net technique used for macroinvertebrate biomonitoring could be applied to bulk-sample diatoms for metabarcoding. To test this approach, we collected samples using both conventional multi-substrate microhabitat periphyton collections and bulk-tissue kick-net methodologies in parallel from replicated sites with different habitat status (good/fair). We found there was no significant difference in community assemblages between conventional periphyton collection and kick-net methodologies or site status, but there was significant difference between diatom communities depending on site (P = 0.042). These results show the diatom taxonomic coverage achieved through DNA metabarcoding of kick-net is suitable for ecological biomonitoring applications. The shift to a more robust sampling approach and capturing diatoms as well as macroinvertebrates in a single sampling event has the potential to significantly improve efficiency of biomonitoring programmes that currently only use the kick-net technique to sample macroinvertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Carley Maitland
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics & Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chloe Victoria Robinson
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics & Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Teresita M. Porter
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics & Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mehrdad Hajibabaei
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics & Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Bevilacqua MS, Vitório A, Felix RW, Ribeiro EG, Bozelli RL, Figueiredo-Barros MP, de Assis Esteves F. Small is better: comparing the efficiency of two Surber samplers' sizes for biomonitoring programs in tropical headwater streams in the Amazon region. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2020; 192:708. [PMID: 33068209 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-08676-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to compare the efficiency of two different sizes of the Surber sampler to assess benthic macroinvertebrates in headwater streams in two Amazonian regions. Two Surber samplers of different sizes were used, one measuring 20 × 20 cm and the other 30 × 30 cm, both with a 0.25-mm net. The number of replicates taken was 6 for the smaller sampler and 3 for the bigger one, maintaining approximately the same total sampled area. The study was carried out in 12 headwater streams with different environmental conditions. Biological metrics were calculated for each size at each site and compared within each stream health category. A two-way analysis of similarities test was performed to compare the community structure assessed by each method at each stream. A normalized sampling effort was used to quantify the number of samples required to correctly sample each site. The data did not show a significant difference between the two sizes regarding the taxonomic recruitment and the community structure sampled at each stream, but differences were found between the two sizes in dominance values and in Shannon index scores for the natural sites. Furthermore, the smaller Surber was able to assess 70% of the estimated richness in all sites, which suggests that it is better to assess benthic macroinvertebrates than the larger Surber. Moreover, the smaller Surber is easier to transport in the field, reducing the effort of the technician, and takes less time to sort the material collected with it, which can reduce the sample processing effort, therefore reducing the cost of the project.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Silvina Bevilacqua
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil.
| | - Amanda Vitório
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Weber Felix
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil
| | - Enoque Gonçalves Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil
| | - Reinaldo Luiz Bozelli
- Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcos Paulo Figueiredo-Barros
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil
| | - Francisco de Assis Esteves
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil
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Meza-Salazar AM, Guevara G, Gomes-Dias L, Cultid-Medina CA. Density and diversity of macroinvertebrates in Colombian Andean streams impacted by mining, agriculture and cattle production. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9619. [PMID: 32995074 PMCID: PMC7501782 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mining, agriculture and cattle production are activities that threaten the quality and quantity of water resources in the Colombian Andes. However, many drainage basins in this region have not been subjected to simultaneous evaluation of the impact these activities have on the density, diversity and composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates (AMI). The first two of these ecological variables are expected to decrease drastically from zones with no apparent impact towards areas with anthropogenic activity, which areas with mining will present the most impoverished AMI community. Methods We evaluated the density, diversity and composition dissimilarity of AMI in streams impacted by gold mining, agriculture and cattle production. Two reference streams were also studied. Six benthic samplings were conducted bimonthly (Feb 2014–Feb 2015) using a Surber net. Water samples were taken in order to make environmental evaluation among the aforementioned streams, including hydrological, physicochemical and bacteriological parameters (HPCB). Diversity was evaluated as the effective number of RTUs—recognizable taxonomic units—by comparing the richness, typical diversity, and effective number of the most abundant RTUs. Compositional dissimilarity was examined with nMDS and CCA analysis. Results A total of 7,483 organisms were collected: 14 orders, 42 families and 71 RTUs. Our prediction regarding the density and diversity of AMI (Reference > Cattle production > Agriculture > Mining) was partially fulfilled, since the agriculture-dominated stream presented a more impoverished AMI community than that of the gold mining stream. However, these streams presented lower diversity than the cattle production and reference streams, and the AMI density only differed significantly between one reference stream and the agriculture stream. The AMI composition in the agriculture-dominated stream clearly differed from that of the other streams. Discussion The observation of a more impoverished AMI community in agricultural production areas compared to those with mining or cattle production may reflect the importance of the remaining riparian vegetation, which was scarce at the stream with agricultural activity. Moreover, the low diversity, and mainly the reduced AMI richness, in the agriculture stream coincided with the absence of insect genera are intolerant to deterioration of the biological and physicochemical conditions of the water (e.g. Anacroneuria). Conclusions The results suggest that the local impact of agricultural activities may be of equal or greater magnitude than that of mining in terms of AMI density, diversity and composition, in the Colombian Andean riverscape. Future studies should systematically evaluate, throughout the annual cycle, the relative effects of the productive land use, the remaining native vegetation cover and the consequent changes in the HPCB parameters of the water on AMI communities in Colombian Andean basins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Meza-Salazar
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Grupo de Investigación BIONAT, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia.,Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina, NC, United States of America
| | - Giovany Guevara
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia
| | - Lucimar Gomes-Dias
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Grupo de Investigación BIONAT, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Carlos A Cultid-Medina
- Red de Diversidad Biológica del Occidente Mexicano, Instituto de Ecología, INECOL A.C., Centro Regional del Bajío,, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México.,CONACYT, Ciudad de México, Ciudad de México, México
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