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de Donnová S, Devánová A, Barešová L, Zahrádková S, Bojková J. Hydromorphological degradation modifies long-term macroinvertebrate responses to water quality and climate changes in lowland rivers. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 261:119638. [PMID: 39032623 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Due to decades of persistent anthropogenic pressures, lowland rivers represent one of the most severely impaired habitats in Europe. Despite improved water quality, novel stressors, particularly climate change, are emerging with most lowland rivers suffering from past hydromorphological degradation. We aim to elucidate how such degradation alters the biological response in multiple-stressor environments, as this has rarely been considered in studies documenting long-term development of anthropogenically impacted rivers. Here, benthic macroinvertebrates, water quality and hydroclimatic variables were monitored over a period of two decades in nine of the largest Czech rivers. Detailed data on hydromorphological degradation allowed us to track distinct patterns in rivers with high and low levels of degradation. Temporal changes in environmental variables showed similar patterns in both site groups, characterised by reduced organic and nutrient pollution but increased hydroclimatic and salinity stress. 150 % increase in total abundance, especially in abundance and richness of sediment-dwelling and non-native taxa was found in both site groups. While the increase in abundance was due to improved water quality and rising water temperature, the longer duration of minimal flows had a negative effect on species richness, hampering species gain particularly at highly degraded sites. Our results provide novel evidence that degree of hydromorphological degradation modifies long-term macroinvertebrate responses to anthropogenic pressures. Less degraded sites displayed several favourable changes, such as 27 % increase in total and 23 % increase in potamal indicator richness, and stabilisation of the assemblages with few functional changes. In contrast, highly degraded sites experienced 9 % reduction in evenness, 235 % increase in proportion of non-native taxa and functional reorganisation, changes congruent with continuous deterioration. While overall water quality at studied sites has improved, consequences of climate change and high degree of hydromorphological degradation limit biotic recovery in multiple-stressor lowland rivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selma de Donnová
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Alžbeta Devánová
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Libuše Barešová
- Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Na Šabatce 17, 143 06 Praha, CZ-14306 , Czech Republic
| | - Světlana Zahrádková
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jindřiška Bojková
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
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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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van Kouwen LAH, Kraak MHS, van der Lee GH, Verdonschot PFM. Four decades of region- and species-specific trends in lowland stream Ephemeroptera abundance. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 924:171619. [PMID: 38471583 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171619] [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: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Lowland stream ecosystems are under threat from climate change, industrialization, urbanization, and intensive agriculture. Since the 1980s, improvements in water quality have led to an increase in lowland stream biodiversity. Despite restoration efforts, however, further recovery is often hampered by the presence of region-specific (combinations of) stressors, and species-specific stressor responses. Identification of these stressors may not be achieved by the analysis of abundance data over large areas for entire communities or species assemblages. Therefore, our study introduces an alternative in-depth approach, selecting Ephemeroptera as a model organism group and analyzing 41 years of species abundance data across distinct geographical regions. Our findings revealed that 15 Ephemeroptera species had already disappeared before 1985, emphasizing the importance of evaluating an extended historical period when analyzing biodiversity trends. While biodiversity was generally characterized by an initial recovery that stagnated over time, the analysis of the past 41 years of Ephemeroptera abundance data revealed strong differences in species' abundance trends between periods, regions, and species. Certain species were likely to have benefitted from local restoration measures in specific geographical regions, while others may have declined due to the presence of region-specific stressors. Our approach underscores the importance of studying the development of region- and species-specific stream biodiversity trends over time to aid the selection of the appropriate restoration measures to recover lowland stream biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leon A H van Kouwen
- HAS green academy, 's-Hertogenbosch 5223 DE, Netherlands; Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, Netherlands.
| | - Michiel H S Kraak
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, Netherlands
| | - Gea H van der Lee
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen 6708 PB, Netherlands
| | - Piet F M Verdonschot
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, Netherlands; Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen 6708 PB, Netherlands
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Ural-Janssen A, Kroeze C, Meers E, Strokal M. Large reductions in nutrient losses needed to avoid future coastal eutrophication across Europe. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 197:106446. [PMID: 38518406 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106446] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Rapid technological development in agriculture and fast urbanization have increased nutrient losses in Europe. High nutrient export to seas causes coastal eutrophication and harmful algal blooms. This study aims to assess the river exports of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and identify required reductions to avoid coastal eutrophication in Europe under global change. We modelled nutrient export by 594 rivers in 2050 for a baseline scenario using the new MARINA-Nutrients model for Europe. Nutrient export to European seas is expected to increase by 13-28% under global change. Manure and fertilizers together contribute to river export of N by 35% in 2050. Sewage systems are responsible for 70% of future P export by rivers. By 2050, the top ten polluted rivers for N and P host 42% of the European population. Avoiding future coastal eutrophication requires over 47% less N and up to 77% less P exports by these polluted rivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aslıhan Ural-Janssen
- Earth Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Laboratory of Bioresource Recovery (RE-SOURCE LAB), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Carolien Kroeze
- Earth Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Erik Meers
- Laboratory of Bioresource Recovery (RE-SOURCE LAB), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Maryna Strokal
- Earth Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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van der Lee GH, Polling M, van der Laan I, Kodde L, Verdonschot RCM. From DNA to diagnostics: A case study using macroinvertebrate metabarcoding to assess the effectiveness of restoration measures in a Dutch stream. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 923:171413. [PMID: 38442754 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171413] [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: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Stream ecosystems are under pressure due to multiple stressors. Restoration measures can halt further degradation and improve their ecological status. However, assessment of the effectiveness of the implemented measures is often insufficient because of logistic and financial constraints. DNA-metabarcoding has been proposed to scale up sample processing, although its application as a diagnostic tool has received less attention. The aim of our study was to evaluate if DNA-metabarcoding of stream macroinvertebrates can be used to compute a stressor-specific index to assess the effectiveness of a stream restoration project. For this purpose, we sampled the upstream, restored, and downstream section of a recently restored lowland stream in the Netherlands. At each site, we applied three different methods of macroinvertebrate identification: morphological identification of bulk samples (morphology), DNA-metabarcoding of the same bulk samples (DNA) and metabarcoding of eDNA extracted from the water (eDNA). First, we compared the community composition identified by each method. The communities identified by morphology and DNA were highly similar, whereas the communities generated by the eDNA differed. Second, we analysed whether the identification methods could be used to assess the effectiveness of the restoration project, focussing on a stressor-specific index for flow as the restoration measures aimed at improving flow conditions. Both the morphology and bulk DNA samples indicated improved flow conditions in the restored section of the stream (i.e., less stress from the reduction or absence of flow than in the unrestored sections). Contrary, the eDNA-water samples did not differentiate the amount of stress throughout the catchment, although applying recent developments in eDNA sampling could lead to more robust results. In conclusion, this study forms proof of concept that DNA from bulk samples can be utilized to assess the effectiveness of restoration measures, showing the added value of this approach for water managers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gea H van der Lee
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Marcel Polling
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Iris van der Laan
- Waterschap de Dommel, Bosscheweg 56, 5283 WB Boxtel, the Netherlands
| | - Linda Kodde
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ralf C M Verdonschot
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
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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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7
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Di Fluri P, Di Talia V, Antonioni G, Domeneghetti A. A short-cut methodology for the spatial assessment of the biochemical river quality. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:388. [PMID: 38512542 PMCID: PMC10957600 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12520-6] [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: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
The deterioration of superficial water quality is a significant concern in water management. Currently, most European rivers do not achieve qualitative standards defined by Directive 2000/60/EC (Water Framework Directive, WFD), while the health status of many surface water bodies remains unknown. Within this context, we propose a new methodology to perform a semi-quantitative analysis of the pressure state of a river, starting from easily accessible data related to anthropic activities. The proposed approach aims to address the endemic scarcity of monitoring records. This study proposes a procedure to (i) evaluate the relative pressure of different human activities, (ii) identify allocation points of different pollutant sources along the river using a raster-based approach, and (iii) determine a spatial biochemical water quality index. The developed index expresses the overall biochemical state of surface water induced by pollutant sources that may simultaneously impact a single river segment. This includes establishments under the so-called Seveso Directive, activities subjected to the IPPC-IED discipline, wastewater treatment plants, and contaminated sites. The methodology has been tested over three rivers in Northern Italy, each exposed to different industrial and anthropogenic pressures: Reno, Enza, and Parma. A comparison with monitored data yielded convincing results, proving the consistency of the proposed index in reproducing the spatial variability of the river water quality. While additional investigations are necessary, the developed methodology can serve as a valuable tool to support decision-making processes and predictive studies in areas lacking or having limited water quality monitoring data.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Di Fluri
- Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
| | - V Di Talia
- Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - G Antonioni
- Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - A Domeneghetti
- Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Krambeck C, Römerscheid M, Paschke A. Passive sampling of herbicides above sediments at sites with losses of submerged macrophytes in a mesotrophic lake. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169083. [PMID: 38056643 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169083] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Declines of submerged macrophytes (SUM) were monitored in littoral zones of the deep, mesotrophic lake Suhrer See (Northern Germany) since 2017. Drastic losses coincided with intense agriculture in sandy sub-catchments and precipitation. All lines of evidence pointed to a causal connection with subsurface discharge indicating that herbicide application might have caused the effects. Passive sampling was applied in 2022 to elucidate, whether herbicides were really present at sites of losses and if so, in ecotoxicological relevant concentrations. Samplers were exposed on top of lake sediments in 2 m depth and under worst case conditions, i.e., at sites, known for losses of the whole functional group of SUM and at the beginning of the vegetation period. At this time, SUM diaspores were most vulnerable to repression of development and the subsurface discharge was high in the same instance. The potential ecotoxicological relevance of detected herbicide concentrations was assessed with a toxic units (TU) approach, with reference to acute effect concentrations (EC50 of green algae, 72 h, growth). The TU ranged from 0.001 to 0.03. Most concentrations exceeded the threshold of relevance set by an assessment factor of 1000, i.e., TU > 0.001. Locally applied herbicides acted by suppressing developmental stages, and the sum of TU exceeded 0.02 at all sites, mainly due to diflufenican. Not applied locally, terbuthylazine and its relevant metabolites, including terbutryn, acted by inhibiting photosynthesis, and the sum of TU reached 0.005. On this base, diflufenican was assessed to be likely a main stressor, all other detected herbicides to be potentially relevant. Uncertainties and knowledge gaps were specified. The result of the chemical risk assessment was counterchecked for consistence with biological monitoring data within a whole lake perspective. Concepts of empirical and advanced causal attribution methodology were applied to get a grip to the ecological causal field and to protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiane Krambeck
- NABU Nature Protection Association, local branch, Lange Str.43, 24306 Plön, Germany.
| | - Mara Römerscheid
- UFZ Department of Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoser Str. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Albrecht Paschke
- UFZ Department of Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoser Str. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
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Horppila J, Nurminen L, Rajala S, Estlander S. Making waves: The sensitivity of lakes to brownification and issues of concern in ecological status assessment. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 249:120964. [PMID: 38070344 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120964] [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: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Brownification or increasing water colour is a common problem in aquatic ecosystems. It affects both physico-chemical properties and biotic communities of the impacted waters. A common view is that lakes having low background water colour are most sensitive to brownification. In this article, we show that although low-colour and high-colour lakes respond differently to brownification, the effects on biotic communities can be strong irrespective of water colour. For phytoplankton production, the effect of brownification can be positive at low colour and negative at high colour, the relative effect being strongest at high colour. For fish foraging, the disturbance per increasing unit of colour may also be highest at high-colour conditions. Additionally, the presently used classification systems mostly describe the effects of eutrophication and do not account for the effects of brownification. Studies on the whole colour range of lakes are needed and indicators used in the ecological status assessment of lakes must be developed to reveal the effects of brownification. Indicators distinguishing the effects of brownification from those of eutrophication are especially needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jukka Horppila
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014, Finland.
| | - Leena Nurminen
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Salla Rajala
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Satu Estlander
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014, Finland
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Markert N, Guhl B, Feld CK. Water quality deterioration remains a major stressor for macroinvertebrate, diatom and fish communities in German rivers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 907:167994. [PMID: 37875194 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167994] [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: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
About 60 % of Europe's rivers fail to meet ecological quality standards derived from biological criteria. The causes are manifold, but recent reports suggest a dominant role of hydro-morphological and water quality-related stressors. Yet, in particular micropollutants and hydrological stressors often tend to be underrepresented in multiple-stressor studies. Using monitoring data from four Federal States in Germany, this study investigated the effects of 19 stressor variables from six stressor groups (nutrients, salt ions, dissolved oxygen/water temperature, mixture toxicity of 51 micropollutants, hydrological alteration and morphological habitat quality) on three biological assemblages (fishes, macroinvertebrates, benthic diatoms). Biological effects were analyzed for 35 community metrics and quantified using Random Forest (RF) analyses to put the stressor groups into a hierarchical context. To compare metric responses, metrics were grouped into categories reflecting important characteristics of biological communities, such as sensitivity, functional traits, diversity and community composition as well as composite indices that integrate several metrics into one single index (e.g., ecological quality class). Water quality-related stressors - but not micropollutants - turned out to dominate the responses of all assemblages. In contrast, the effects of hydro-morphological stressors were less pronounced and stronger for hydrological stressors than for morphological stressors. Explained variances of RF models ranged 23-64 % for macroinvertebrates, 16-40 % for benthic diatoms and 18-48 % for fishes. Despite a high variability of responses across assemblages and stressor groups, sensitivity metrics tended to reveal stronger responses to individual stressors and a higher explained variance in RF models than composite indices. The results of this study suggest that (physico-chemical) water quality deterioration continues to impact biological assemblages in many German rivers, despite the extensive progress in wastewater treatment during the past decades. To detect water quality deterioration, monitoring schemes need to target relevant physico-chemical stressors and micropollutants. Furthermore, monitoring needs to integrate measures of hydrological alteration (e.g., flow magnitude and dynamics). At present, hydro-morphological surveys rarely address the degree of hydrological alteration. In order to achieve a good ecological status, river restoration and management needs to address both water quality-related and hydro-morphological stressors. Restricting analyses to just one single organism group (e.g., macroinvertebrates) or only selected metrics (e.g., ecological quality class) may hamper stressor identification and its hierarchical classification and, thus may mislead river management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nele Markert
- North Rhine-Westphalian Office of Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV NRW), 40208 Düsseldorf, Germany; University Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Biology, Aquatic Ecology, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141 Essen, Germany.
| | - Barbara Guhl
- North Rhine-Westphalian Office of Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV NRW), 40208 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Christian K Feld
- University Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Biology, Aquatic Ecology, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141 Essen, Germany; University Duisburg-Essen, Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), Universitätsstr. 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
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11
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Canning AD, Death RG. Establishing riverine nutrient criteria using individual taxa thresholds. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 246:120731. [PMID: 37844342 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120731] [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: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient enrichment is one of the most pervasive impacts on aquatic ecosystems globally. Approaches to establish nutrient criteria that safeguard aquatic ecosystem health are highly variable and, in many instances, criteria are derived from correlations between in-situ nutrient concentrations and biological indices. Summarising entire assemblages with a single index can result in a substantial loss of information and potentially weaker relationships. In this study, we compared the derivation of nutrient criteria using biological indices and those from individual taxa for rivers and streams in New Zealand. Random forest models, including nutrient concentrations, were built to predict two biological indices and individual taxa across New Zealand's river monitoring network. For all acceptable models, the response of the biological indices and individual taxa to increasing Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) and Dissolved Reactive Phosphorus (DRP) were then predicted for every river reach across the nation, and nutrient concentrations that protected 80% of taxa were then identified. Models for the biological indices were poor but were good for most of the taxa, with nutrient concentrations almost always being the most influential factor. To ensure persistence of at least 80% of the taxa within a river reach, we estimated that DIN (Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen) concentrations would need to be below 0.57-1.32 mg/L, and DRP (Dissolved Reactive Phosphorus) concentrations below 0.019-0.033 mg/L, depending on the river type. In general, high order, low slope rivers and streams required more stringent nutrient criteria than steep, low order streams. The link between nutrient concentrations and biological indices were weak and likely suffer from the loss of information from summarising an entire assemblage into a single numeric. We consider that the derivation of nutrient criteria for waterways should also examine the individual relationships with the taxa in a river system to establish protection for a desired proportion of taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Canning
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, 1 James Cook Drive, Townsville 4811, Australia; Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, 1 Military Drive, Lismore 2480, Australia.
| | - R G Death
- School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
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12
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Marcheggiani S, Puccinelli C, Chiudioni F, Mancini L. COVID-19 Lockdown Pandemic Period Effects in Highly Impacted Aquatic Ecosystems. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:966-977. [PMID: 36541332 PMCID: PMC9878241 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5551] [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: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Human activities severely affect aquatic ecosystems: the lockdown restrictions due to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) have proved that reducing anthropogenic activities can positively influence the environment and mitigate atmospheric pollution. In addition, studies on aquatic ecosystems have highlighted the decrease in suspended matter and pollutant concentrations associated with reduced marine transport and industrial activities. We evaluated the effects of the reduction of anthropogenic activities in highly impacted water ecosystems. Three of the sampling sites were on the Tiber River's lower stretch close to the urban area of Rome (Italy), and the other two were transitional waters located in the southern Latium region coastal area. These sampling sites have been studied by our research group for at least 20 years. The present study involved analysis of chemical and physicochemical parameters, biological communities, and land use. Microbiological fecal indicators and Salmonella spp. were also analyzed. There were two sampling campaigns, the first one in May 2020 (ID II) at the end of lockdown measures, and the second one a year later, in June 2021 (ID III). The data were compared with our old data, collected from 2002 to 2015 (ID I), to evaluate the potential effects of the restrictive measures. Biotic communities were dominated by pollution-tolerant taxa, indicating eutrophication and organic pollution. Furthermore, the high concentrations of microbiological indicators was mainly due to sewage from the urban area. The results of the research indicated no significant changes from past years (ID I) to 2020 (ID II) and 2021 (ID III). In conclusion, the restrictions adopted in Italy during the pandemic period were not sufficient to mitigate the heavy pressure of urbanization and agriculture that have long affected the studied aquatic ecosystems. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:966-977. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Marcheggiani
- Ecosystem and Health Unit, Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di SanitàRomeItaly
| | - Camilla Puccinelli
- Ecosystem and Health Unit, Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di SanitàRomeItaly
| | - Filippo Chiudioni
- Ecosystem and Health Unit, Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di SanitàRomeItaly
| | - Laura Mancini
- Ecosystem and Health Unit, Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di SanitàRomeItaly
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13
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Arrighi C, Castelli F. Prediction of ecological status of surface water bodies with supervised machine learning classifiers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159655. [PMID: 36280054 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159655] [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: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ensuring a good ecological status of water bodies is one of the key challenges of communities and one of the objectives of the European Water Framework Directive. Although recent works identified the most significant stressors affecting the ecological quality of rivers, the ability to predict the overall ecological status of rivers based on a limited amount of easily accessible geospatial data has not been investigated so far. Most of the analyses focus on detailed local modelling and measurements which cannot be systematically applied at regional scales for the purposes of water resources management. The aim of this work is to understand the capabilities of five supervised machine learning classifiers of predicting the ecological status of rivers based on land use, climate, morphology, and water management parameters extracted over the river catchments corresponding to the ecological monitoring stations. Moreover, the performances of machine learning classifiers are compared to the results of the canonical correlation analysis. The method is applied to 360 catchments in Tuscany (central Italy) with a median size of 33.6 km2 and a Mediterranean climate. The results show (i) a significant correlation of ecological status with summer climate (i.e., maximum temperatures and minimum precipitation), land use and water exploitation, (ii) an 80 % precision of Random Forest algorithm to predict ecological status and (iii) higher capability of all classifiers to predict at least good ecological status. In perspective, such predictive capabilities can support decision making in the land and water resources management and highlight strategies for river eco-hydrological conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Arrighi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via di S. Marta 3, 50139 Florence, Italy.
| | - Fabio Castelli
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via di S. Marta 3, 50139 Florence, Italy
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Argillier C, Carriere A, Wynne C, Hellsten S, Vartia K, Poikane S. Lake hydromorphology assessment in Europe: Where are we 20 years after the adoption of the Water Framework Directive? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 855:158781. [PMID: 36122724 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158781] [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: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The characterization of lake hydromorphology is crucial to understand the dynamics of biodiversity. In Europe, it is also a regulatory requirement of the Water Framework Directive. However, according to the literature, few methods include this characterization. The aim of this study is to review the state of the art of the methods currently used or under development in European countries to assess lake hydromorphological status for the implementation of the WFD. Our analysis is based on responses to a questionnaire distributed to national experts on hydromorphology of the 28 countries implementing the WFD. Our results highlighted significant progress in the assessment of hydromorphological features and processes. Water level regime, through the range of water flow or existing water management, and structure of the shore zone through macrophytes and substrate characteristics or measurement of lateral connectivity, are the most frequently assessed features. Stratification, surface/groundwater connection and planform pattern are the lake features most frequently omitted from the methods. However, in most of the countries, the development of methods was still in progress to meet the WFD requirement. Definition of reference condition is a central component of all WFD compliant assessment tools but this is a challenge particularly in the assessment of hydromorphological alteration of reservoirs. Similarly, demonstrating strong links between hydromorphological indicators and biological quality elements remains a challenge with many knowledge gaps still evident. These results highlight the need for rapid collection of new environmental data and the need for conceptual and applied research to make methodological progress in assessing lake hydromorphology and ensuring habitat quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Argillier
- INRAE, Aix Marseille Université, UMR RECOVER, F-13182 Aix-en-Provence, France; Pôle R&D ECLA, France.
| | - Alexandra Carriere
- INRAE, Aix Marseille Université, UMR RECOVER, F-13182 Aix-en-Provence, France; Pôle R&D ECLA, France
| | - Caroline Wynne
- Environmental Protection Agency, McCumiskey House, Richview, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14, Ireland
| | - Seppo Hellsten
- Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Freshwater Centre, P.O.Box 413, FI-90014, University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Katarina Vartia
- Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, SwAM, Box 11 930, 404 39 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Sandra Poikane
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), I-21027 Ispra, Italy.
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15
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Grzybowski M, Burandt P, Glińska-Lewczuk K, Lew S, Obolewski K. Response of Macrophyte Diversity in Coastal Lakes to Watershed Land Use and Salinity Gradient. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:16620. [PMID: 36554500 PMCID: PMC9779085 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Coastal lakes are subject to multiple stressors, among which land use, hydrological connectivity, and salinity have the greatest effect on their biodiversity. We studied the effects that various land cover types (CORINE) of coastal lake watersheds had on macrophyte diversity in ten coastal lakes along the southern Baltic coast as characterised by twelve phytocenotic indices: these being a number of communities, Shannon-Wiener diversity, evenness, and indices of taxonomic distinctiveness of plant communities: vegetation coverage; colonisation index; share of the phytolittoral area in the total lake area, as well as shares of nympheides, pondweeds, charophytes, marine, emerged and submerged communities in the total lake area. The effects were checked for three groups of lakes distinguished by differences in salinity-freshwater (F, 5), transitional (T, 4), and brackish (B, 1)-in which a total of 48 macrophyte communities were identified. The most abundant in aquatic phytocoenoses were lakes of T type. A partial least squares regression model (PLS-R) showed a stronger impact of land-use types in immediate vicinities and entire watersheds than the impact of physico-chemical properties of water on phytocenotic indices in the lakes. Macrophyte diversity was relatively low in urban and agricultural catchments and relatively high in forest and wetland areas. Agriculture had a negative impact on the number of macrophyte communities in F lakes and, in T lakes, on the number of macrophyte communities, biodiversity, evenness, and proportion of emerged, submerged, and marine communities. Urban areas contributed to lower values of evenness, vegetation coverage, and share of marine communities in F, but, in T, to lower the number of macrophyte communities, evenness, and proportion of submerged and marine communities. Our results confirm the significant impact of land use on macrophyte diversity in coastal aquatic ecosystems. Combined analysis of anthropogenic and natural descriptors is a prerequisite for analysing human threats to biodiversity in coastal lakes. Macrophyte community-based measures of biodiversity are sensitive indicators of anthropogenic impact on the ecological condition of coastal ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirosław Grzybowski
- Department of Tourism, Recreation and Ecology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego Str. 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Paweł Burandt
- Department of Water Management and Climatology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Łódzki Sq. 2, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Glińska-Lewczuk
- Department of Water Management and Climatology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Łódzki Sq. 2, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Sylwia Lew
- Department of Microbiology and Mycology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego Str. 1a, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Krystian Obolewski
- Department of Hydrobiology, University of Kazimierz Wielki in Bydgoszcz, 85-090 Bydgoszcz, Poland
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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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17
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Blancher P, Lefrançois E, Rimet F, Vasselon V, Argillier C, Arle J, Beja P, Boets P, Boughaba J, Chauvin C, Deacon M, Duncan W, Ejdung G, Erba S, Ferrari B, Fischer H, Hänfling B, Haldin M, Hering D, Hette-Tronquart N, Hiley A, Järvinen M, Jeannot B, Kahlert M, Kelly M, Kleinteich J, Koyuncuoğlu S, Krenek S, Langhein-Winther S, Leese F, Mann D, Marcel R, Marcheggiani S, Meissner K, Mergen P, Monnier O, Narendja F, Neu D, Onofre Pinto V, Pawlowska A, Pawlowski J, Petersen M, Poikane S, Pont D, Renevier MS, Sandoy S, Svensson J, Trobajo R, Tünde Zagyva A, Tziortzis I, van der Hoorn B, Vasquez MI, Walsh K, Weigand A, Bouchez A. A strategy for successful integration of DNA-based methods in aquatic monitoring. METABARCODING AND METAGENOMICS 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/mbmg.6.85652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in molecular biomonitoring open new horizons for aquatic ecosystem assessment. Rapid and cost-effective methods based on organismal DNA or environmental DNA (eDNA) now offer the opportunity to produce inventories of indicator taxa that can subsequently be used to assess biodiversity and ecological quality. However, the integration of these new DNA-based methods into current monitoring practices is not straightforward, and will require coordinated actions in the coming years at national and international levels.
To plan and stimulate such an integration, the European network DNAqua-Net (COST Action CA15219) brought together international experts from academia, as well as key environmental biomonitoring stakeholders from different European countries. Together, this transdisciplinary consortium developed a roadmap for implementing DNA-based methods with a focus on inland waters assessed by the EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). This was done through a series of online workshops held in April 2020, which included fifty participants, followed by extensive synthesis work.
The roadmap is organised around six objectives: 1) to highlight the effectiveness and benefits of DNA-based methods, 2) develop an adaptive approach for the implementation of new methods, 3) provide guidelines and standards for best practice, 4) engage stakeholders and ensure effective knowledge transfer, 5) support the environmental biomonitoring sector to achieve the required changes, 6) steer the process and harmonise efforts at the European level.
This paper provides an overview of the forum discussions and the common European views that have emerged from them, while reflecting the diversity of situations in different countries. It highlights important actions required for a successful implementation of DNA-based biomonitoring of aquatic ecosystems by 2030.
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Krikech I, Ranjbar Jafarabadi A, Leermakers M, Le Pennec G, Cappello T, Ezziyyani M. Insights into bioaccumulation and bioconcentration of potentially toxic elements in marine sponges from the Northwestern Mediterranean coast of Morocco. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 180:113770. [PMID: 35635883 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113770] [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: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The present research aimed to investigate the concentrations and patterns of six potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in three common sponge species collected along the Moroccan Mediterranean coast, as well as their levels in ambient seawater and sediments. Distinct inter-species variability in PTEs bioaccumulation was observed among the three species, suggesting that sponges have distinct selectivity for assimilating PTEs from the surrounding environment. C. crambe had a higher enrichment capacity for Cu, As, Cr and Ni, while P. ficiformis and C. reniformis exhibited the highest concentration of Cd and Pb, respectively. Interestingly, a similar spatial distribution patterns of PTEs was observed in the three media, with high values occurring in Tangier and Al-Hoceima locations. Overall, our results confirm that sponges reliably reflect the bioavailability of PTEs in their immediate environment, especially C. crambe, whose PTE tissue contents were highly and positively correlated with the contents of all PTEs in the sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imad Krikech
- Department of Life Sciences, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Larache, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, 745 BP, 92004 Larache, Morocco; Laboratoire de Biotechnologie et de Chimie Marines, Université de Bretagne Sud, EA 3884-IUEM, BP 92116, 56321 CS, Lorient, Brittany, France; Analytical, Environmental and Geochemistry (AMGC), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Ali Ranjbar Jafarabadi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran, Iran
| | - Martine Leermakers
- Analytical, Environmental and Geochemistry (AMGC), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gaël Le Pennec
- Laboratoire de Biotechnologie et de Chimie Marines, Université de Bretagne Sud, EA 3884-IUEM, BP 92116, 56321 CS, Lorient, Brittany, France
| | - Tiziana Cappello
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Mohammed Ezziyyani
- Department of Life Sciences, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Larache, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, 745 BP, 92004 Larache, Morocco.
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Hydromorphological Assessment as a Tool for River Basin Management: Problems with the German Field Survey Method at the Transition of Two Ecoregions. HYDROLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/hydrology9070120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Since the Water Framework Directive (WFD) came into force in 2000, data on the hydromorphological quality have been collected for all rivers in Europe. In Germany, a reference-based classification scheme is used (LAWA 2000) for hydrological assessment. The question arises whether this method can compensate sufficiently for a change of ecoregion. In our study of the Hase River in NW Germany, the frequency of the river classes was compared between two ecoregions (Lower Saxonian Mountains vs. Northwest-German Lowlands). In the lowlands, the evaluation shows a significantly higher proportion of class 5 river sections. This can mainly be attributed to the main parameters, longitudinal section, riverbed structure and bank structure. While the bad results in the longitudinal section and bank structure can be explained by changes in geology and anthropogenic pressures, the evaluation scheme cannot sufficiently compensate for changes in the riverbed structure. This problem is aggravated by the inconsistent implementation of the evaluation scheme in Germany, where the federal states use different approaches with regard to section length. Using 100 m sections throughout the river course can lead to severely underestimating the number of structures. Further improvement and standardization in the evaluation scheme seem to be necessary for the adjustment of the field survey method to different ecoregions in Germany.
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Poikane S, Kelly MG, Várbíró G, Borics G, Erős T, Hellsten S, Kolada A, Lukács BA, Lyche Solheim A, Pahissa López J, Willby NJ, Wolfram G, Phillips G. Estimating nutrient thresholds for eutrophication management: Novel insights from understudied lake types. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154242. [PMID: 35245557 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient targets based on pressure-response models are essential for defining ambitions and managing eutrophication. However, the scale of biogeographical variation in these pressure-response relationships is poorly understood, which may hinder eutrophication management in regions where lake ecology is less intensively studied. In this study, we derive ecology-based nutrient targets for five major ecoregions of Europe: Northern, Central-Baltic, Alpine, Mediterranean and Eastern Continental. As a first step, we developed regressions between nutrient concentrations and ecological quality ratios (EQR) based on phytoplankton and macrophyte communities. Significant relationships were established for 13 major lake types; in most cases, these relationships were stronger for phosphorus than for nitrogen, and stronger for phytoplankton than for macrophytes. Using these regressions, we estimated the total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations at which lakes of different types are likely to achieve good ecological status. However, in the very shallow lakes of the Eastern Continental region, relations between nutrient and biological communities were weak or non-significant. This can be attributed to high nutrient concentrations (in the asymptotic zone of phosphorus-phytoplankton models) suggesting other factors (light, grazing) limit primary production. However, we also show that fish stocking is a major pressure on Eastern Continental lakes, negatively affecting ecological status: lakes with low fish stocking show low chlorophyll-a concentrations and good ecological status despite high nutrient levels, while the lakes with high fish stocking show high chlorophyll-a and low ecological status. This study highlights the need to better understand lakes in biogeographic regions that have been, for historical reasons, less studied. This, in turn, helps reveal factors that challenge the dominant paradigms of lake assessment and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Poikane
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), I-21027 Ispra, Italy.
| | - Martyn G Kelly
- Bowburn Consultancy, 11 Monteigne Drive, Bowburn, Durham DH6 5QB, UK; Department of Geography, Nottingham University, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Gábor Várbíró
- Department of Tisza Research, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Bem tér 18/c, H-4026 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Gábor Borics
- Department of Tisza Research, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Bem tér 18/c, H-4026 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Tibor Erős
- Balaton Limnological Research Institute, ELKH, Klebelsberg K. u. 3, H-8237 Tihany, Hungary
| | - Seppo Hellsten
- Freshwater Centre, Finnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Agnieszka Kolada
- Institute of Environmental Protection-National Research Institute, Krucza 5/11D, 00-548 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Balázs András Lukács
- Department of Tisza Research, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Bem tér 18/c, H-4026 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Anne Lyche Solheim
- Norwegian Institute of Water Research, NIVA, Gaustadalleen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway
| | - José Pahissa López
- Tragsatec, Gerencia de Gestión y Planificación Hídrica, Julián Camarillo 6B, 28037 Madrid, Spain
| | - Nigel J Willby
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Georg Wolfram
- DWS Hydro-Ökologie, Zentagasse 47, 1050 Vienna, Austria
| | - Geoff Phillips
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
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21
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Nikolaidis NP, Phillips G, Poikane S, Várbíró G, Bouraoui F, Malagó A, Lilli MΑ. River and lake nutrient targets that support ecological status: European scale gap analysis and strategies for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 813:151898. [PMID: 34838557 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Eutrophication caused by an excessive presence of nutrients is affecting large portions of European waters with more than 60% of the surface water bodies failing to achieve the primary ambition of water management in Europe, that of good ecological status (GES) with diffuse emission from agriculture being the second most important pressure affecting surface waters. We developed EU wide and regional nutrient targets that define the boundary concentrations between good and moderate status for river and lake total P (TP) and total N (TN) and assessed the gap between actual nutrient concentrations and these targets and considered strategies of nutrient reductions necessary to achieve GES and deliver ecosystem services. The nutrient targets established for rivers ranged from 0.5-3.5 mg/L TN and 11-105 μg/L TP and for lakes 0.5-1.8 mg/L TN and 10-60 μg/L TP. Based on the EU wide targets, 59% of the TN and 57% of the TP river monitoring sites and 64% of the TN and 61% of the TP lake monitoring sites exceed these value and are thus at less than GES. The PCA and step-wise regression for EU basins clearly showed that the basin nutrient export is predominantly related to agricultural inputs. In addition, the step-wise regression models for TN and TP provided the ability to extrapolate the results and quantify the input reductions necessary for reaching the nutrient targets at the EU level. The results suggest that a dual water management strategy would be beneficial and should focus a) on those less polluted rivers and lakes that can easily attain the GES goal and b) on the more highly polluted systems that will improve the delivery of ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos P Nikolaidis
- School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece.
| | - Geoff Phillips
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Sandra Poikane
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - Gábor Várbíró
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Department of Tisza Research, 4024 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Fayçal Bouraoui
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, VA, Italy.
| | - Anna Malagó
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - Maria Α Lilli
- School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
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22
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Introducing a zooplanktonic index for assessing water quality of natural lakes in the Mediterranean region. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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23
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Ritterbusch D, Blabolil P, Breine J, Erős T, Mehner T, Olin M, Peirson G, Volta P, Poikane S. European fish-based assessment reveals high diversity of systems for determining ecological status of lakes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 802:149620. [PMID: 34461474 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Triggered by the adoption of the Water Framework Directive, a variety of fish-based systems were developed throughout Europe to assess the ecological status of lakes. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of all existing systems and summarizes sampling methods, fish community traits (metrics) and the relevant anthropogenic pressures assessed by them. Twenty-one European countries developed fish-based assessment systems. Three countries each developed two distinct systems to approach different ecoregions, either to use different data, or to assess different lake types leading to a total number of 24 systems. The most common approach for the setting of reference conditions, used in seventeen systems, was the utilisation of fish communities in comparably undisturbed natural lakes as reference. Eleven used expert judgment, nine historical data and eight modelled relationships. Fourteen systems combined at least two approaches. The most common fish sampling method was a standardized fishing procedure with multimesh-gillnets. Many countries applied combinations of fishing methods, e.g. non-standard gillnets, fyke nets and electrofishing. Altogether 177 metrics were used for index development and each system combined 2-13 metrics. The most common ones were total standardized catches of number and biomass, relative abundance of Perca fluviatilis, Rutilus rutilus, and Abramis brama, feeding preferences, sensitive species, and non-natives. The pressure-response-relationships for these metrics were supported with both correlations established during system development and scientific publications. However, the metrics and their combinations were highly diverse and no metric was applied universally. Our analysis reveals that most fish-based assessment systems address multiple pressures (eutrophication, hydromorphological alterations, fishery pressure and occurrence of non-natives), whilst few are pressure-specific, tackling only eutrophication or acidification. We argue that the value of fish-based systems for lakes lies in their capacity to capture the effect of many different pressures and their interactions which is lacking for most assessment systems based on other biota.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Ritterbusch
- Institute for Inland Fisheries, Im Königswald 2, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Petr Blabolil
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Sádkách 7, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Breine
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Dwersbos 28, B-1630 Linkebeek, Belgium.
| | - Tibor Erős
- Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg K. u. 3, H-8237 Tihany, Hungary.
| | - Thomas Mehner
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, D-12587 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mikko Olin
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, P. O. Box 2, FI-00791 Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Graeme Peirson
- Environment Agency, Research, Analysis and Evaluation, Air, Land and Water Team, Worcester Road, Kidderminster DY11 RA, United Kingdom.
| | - Pietro Volta
- CNR Water Research Institute (IRSA), L.go Tonolli 50, 28922 Verbania Pallanza, Italy.
| | - Sandra Poikane
- European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), Via Enrico Fermi 274, 21027 Ispra, VA, Italy.
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24
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Visser H, Evers N, Bontsema A, Rost J, de Niet A, Vethman P, Mylius S, van der Linden A, van den Roovaart J, van Gaalen F, Knoben R, de Lange HJ. What drives the ecological quality of surface waters? A review of 11 predictive modeling tools. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 208:117851. [PMID: 34798424 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
What policy is needed to ensure that good-quality water is available for both people's needs and the environment? The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), which came into force in 2000, established a framework for the assessment, management, protection and improvement of the status of water bodies across the European Union. However, recent reviews show that the ecological status of the majority of surface waters in the EU does not meet the requirement of good status. Thus, it is an important question what measures water management authorities should take to improve the ecological status of their water bodies. To find concrete answers, several institutes in the Netherlands cooperated to develop a software tool, the WFD Explorer, to assist water managers in selecting efficient measures. This article deals with the development of prediction tools that allow one to calculate the effect of restoration and mitigation measures on the biological quality, expressed in terms of Ecological Quality Ratios (EQRs). To find the ideal modeling tool we give a review of 11 predictive models: 10 models from the field of Machine Learning and, additionally, the Multiple Regression model. We present our results in terms of a 'prediction-interpretation competition'. All these models were tested in a multiple-stressor setting: the values of 15 stressors (or steering factors) are available to predict the EQR values of four biological quality elements (phytoplankton, other aquatic flora, benthic invertebrates and fish). Analyses are based on 29 data sets from various water clusters (streams, ditches, lakes, channels). All 11 models were ranked by their predictive performance and their level of model transparency. Our review shows a trade-off between these two aspects. Models that have the best EQR prediction performance show non-transparent model structures. These are Random Forest and Boosting. However, models with low prediction accuracies show transparent response relationships between EQRs on the one hand and individual steering factors on the other hand. These models are Multiple Regression, Regression Trees and Product Unit Neural Networks. To acknowledge both aspects of model quality - predictive power and transparency - we recommend that models from both groups are implemented in the WFD Explorer software.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Visser
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Bezuidenhoutseweg 30, 2594AV, The Hague, the Netherlands.
| | - Niels Evers
- Royal HaskoningDHV, Laan 1914 no 35, P.O. Box 1132, 3800BC Amersfoort, the Netherlands
| | - Arjan Bontsema
- Royal HaskoningDHV, Laan 1914 no 35, P.O. Box 1132, 3800BC Amersfoort, the Netherlands
| | - Jasmijn Rost
- Royal HaskoningDHV, Laan 1914 no 35, P.O. Box 1132, 3800BC Amersfoort, the Netherlands
| | - Arie de Niet
- Witteveen + Bos, Leeuwenbrug 8, P.O. Box 233, 7400AE Deventer, the Netherlands
| | - Paul Vethman
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Bezuidenhoutseweg 30, 2594AV, The Hague, the Netherlands
| | - Sido Mylius
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Bezuidenhoutseweg 30, 2594AV, The Hague, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Frank van Gaalen
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Bezuidenhoutseweg 30, 2594AV, The Hague, the Netherlands
| | - Roel Knoben
- Royal HaskoningDHV, Laan 1914 no 35, P.O. Box 1132, 3800BC Amersfoort, the Netherlands
| | - Hendrika J de Lange
- Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management, Rijnstraat 8, P.O. Box 2232, 3500GE Utrecht, the Netherlands
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25
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Stubbington R, Sarremejane R, Laini A, Cid N, Csabai Z, England J, Munné A, Aspin T, Bonada N, Bruno D, Cauvy‐Fraunie S, Chadd R, Dienstl C, Fortuño Estrada P, Graf W, Gutiérrez‐Cánovas C, House A, Karaouzas I, Kazila E, Millán A, Morais M, Pařil P, Pickwell A, Polášek M, Sánchez‐Fernández D, Tziortzis I, Várbíró G, Voreadou C, Walker‐Holden E, White J, Datry T. Disentangling responses to natural stressor and human impact gradients in river ecosystems across Europe. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Romain Sarremejane
- Nottingham Trent University Nottingham UK
- INRAE UR RiverLY Centre de Lyon‐Grenoble Auvergne‐Rhône‐Alpes France
| | | | - Núria Cid
- INRAE UR RiverLY Centre de Lyon‐Grenoble Auvergne‐Rhône‐Alpes France
| | - Zoltán Csabai
- University of Pécs Pécs Hungary
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | | | - Antoni Munné
- Catalan Water Agency Catalan Government Barcelona Spain
| | | | - Núria Bonada
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) Universitat de Barcelona (UB) Barcelona Spain
| | - Daniel Bruno
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE‐CSIC) Zaragoza Spain
| | | | | | - Claudia Dienstl
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Pau Fortuño Estrada
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) Universitat de Barcelona (UB) Barcelona Spain
| | - Wolfram Graf
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | | | | | | | - Eleana Kazila
- Natural History Museum of Crete University of Crete Crete Greece
| | | | | | - Petr Pařil
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | | | - Marek Polášek
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | | | - Iakovos Tziortzis
- Ministry of Agriculture Rural Development and Environment Nicosia Cyprus
| | | | | | | | | | - Thibault Datry
- INRAE UR RiverLY Centre de Lyon‐Grenoble Auvergne‐Rhône‐Alpes France
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26
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Chen Q, Wang S, Ni Z, Guo Y, Zhang H. Dynamic and driving evolution of lake basin pressure in cold and arid regions based on a new method: A case study of three lakes in Inner Mongolia, China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 298:113425. [PMID: 34388543 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Static single-path assessment methods usually underestimate the lake basin pressure (LBP). Considering the cumulative transmission of multiple paths, how to assess the dynamic changes of LBP and reveal the driving evolution is not clear. Here, taking Hulun, Daihai and Wuliangsuhai lake basins in the cold and arid region as the study case, we established an LBP assessment method that coupled multiple driving paths. For the first time, this study reveals the dynamic and driving evolution of LBP and found that rapid economic development and accelerated urbanization dramatically increased the LBPs in the three lakes. Specifically, the LBPs in the three lake basins has increased by 90%-270 % in the past 32 years, and they experienced a stable stage driven by climate (1987-1992), followed by a slight increasing stage driven by agriculture (1993-2004) and finally a significant increase stage (2005-2018) driven by industry and urbanization. Different degrees of warming, populations and development intensities of agriculture and livestock were the main factors driving the spatial differences in LBPs in the three lake basins. The LBPs in the Hulun, Daihai and Wuliangsuhai Lake Basins exhibited phase driving, continuous driving and ineffective driving characteristics to the water environment changes, respectively, which were related to lake basin governance. Compared with the driving paths of water quality and water quantity, the LBP was most strongly transmitted through the water ecological path. Rapid economic development and accelerated urbanization will bring greater LBPs to the lake basins. Lake management should promote the construction of water environmental protection mechanisms that correspond to urbanization, such as land use, and continue to strengthen watershed governance to alleviate the impact of LBP, especially the impact on the service functions of water ecosystem. Our method quantified the LBPs that were transmitted from different driving paths and provided action priorities for watershed management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuying Chen
- Zhuhai Branch of State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087, China; Center of Water Research, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Water Security, Zhuhai, 519087, China; Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Shengrui Wang
- Center of Water Research, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Water Security, Zhuhai, 519087, China; Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of Pollution Process and Management of Plateau Lake Watershed, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650034, China.
| | - Zhaokui Ni
- Center of Water Research, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Water Security, Zhuhai, 519087, China; Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Ying Guo
- Center of Water Research, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Water Security, Zhuhai, 519087, China; Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- Center of Water Research, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Water Security, Zhuhai, 519087, China; Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
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27
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Ochocka A. ZIPLA S: Zooplankton Index for Polish Lakes' Assessment: a new method to assess the ecological status of stratified lakes. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:664. [PMID: 34537884 PMCID: PMC8450215 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09390-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Zooplankton is widely recognized as a key component of pelagic ecosystems and forms the basis for major trophic webs. Although zooplankton has often been used as an indicator of trophic state, it has not been included as an obligatory element of the water assessment systems compliant with the Water Framework Directive. This article introduces the Zooplankton Index for Polish Lakes' Assessment (ZIPLAS) as a new method to assess the ecological status of stratified lakes based on the zooplankton community. The ZIPLAS evaluates three aspects of zooplankton communities, namely, taxonomic composition and abundance, diversity of the zooplankton community, and stressor-sensitive species, which are combined into a multimetric index. Following are the metrics used to compose multimetric ZIPLAS: percentage share of the Rotifer species indicative of high trophy in the indicative group's number (IHTROT; %), ratio of Calanoida to Cyclopoida individual numbers (CA/CY), percentage of tecta form in the population of Keratella cochlearis (TECTA; %), Margalef's index (d), and zooplankton abundance (NZOL; ind./L). ZIPLAS responds clearly to eutrophication indicators-the strongest with Secchi disc visibility (Spearman's rank correlation R = 0.86) and slightly weaker with the expressed by total phosphorus (R = -0.74), total nitrogen (R = 0.68) and the catchment pressure expressed by the nutrient loads generated by different types of land use (R = -0.58).
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Ochocka
- Department of Freshwater Protection, Institute of Environmental Protection-National Research Institute, Krucza 5/11D, 00-548, Warsaw, Poland.
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28
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Sutela T, Vehanen T, Jounela P, Aroviita J. Species-environment relationships of fish and map-based variables in small boreal streams: Linkages with climate change and bioassessment. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:10457-10467. [PMID: 34367588 PMCID: PMC8328450 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Species-environment relationships were studied between the occurrence of 13 fish and lamprey species and 9 mainly map-based environmental variables of Finnish boreal small streams. A self-organizing map (SOM) analysis showed strong relationships between the fish species and environmental variables in a single model (explained variance 55.9%). Besides basic environmental variables such as altitude, catchment size, and mean temperature, land cover variables were also explored. A logistic regression analysis indicated that the occurrence probability of brown trout, Salmo trutta L., decreased with an increasing percentage of peatland ditch drainage in the upper catchment. Ninespine stickleback, Pungitius pungitius (L.), and three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus L., seemed to benefit from urban areas in the upper catchment. Discovered relationships between fish species occurrence and land-use attributes are encouraging for the development of fish-based bioassessment for small streams. The presented ordination of the fish species in the mean temperature gradient will help in predicting fish community responses to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tapio Sutela
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)OuluFinland
| | | | | | - Jukka Aroviita
- Finnish Environment InstituteFreshwater CentreOuluFinland
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29
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Vigiak O, Udias A, Pistocchi A, Zanni M, Aloe A, Grizzetti B. Probability maps of anthropogenic impacts affecting ecological status in European rivers. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS 2021; 126:107684. [PMID: 34220341 PMCID: PMC8098054 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how anthropogenic pressures affect river ecological status is pivotal to designing effective management strategies. Knowledge on river aquatic habitats status in Europe has increased tremendously since the introduction of the European Union Water Framework Directive, yet heterogeneities in mandatory monitoring and reporting still limit identification of patterns at continental scale. Concurrently, several model and data-based indicators of anthropogenic pressures to freshwater that cover the continent consistently have been developed. The objective of this work was to create European maps of the probability of occurrence of river conditions, namely failure to achieve good ecological status, or to be affected by specific pervasive impacts. To this end, we applied logistic regression methods to model the river conditions as functions of continental-scale water pressure indicators. The prediction capacity of the models varied with river condition: the probability to fail achieving good ecological status, and occurrence of nutrient and organic pollution were rather well predicted; conversely, chemical (other than nutrient and organic) pollution and alteration of habitats due to hydrological or morphological changes were poorly predicted. The most important indicators explaining river conditions were the shares of agricultural and artificial land, mean annual net abstractions, share of pollution loads from point sources, and the share of upstream river length uninterrupted by barriers. The probability of failing to achieve good ecological status was estimated to be high (>60%) for 36% of the considered river network of about 1.6 M km. Occurrence of impact of nutrient pollution was estimated high (>60%) in 26% of river length and that of organic pollution 20%. The maps are built upon information reported at country level pursuant EU legal obligations, as well as indicators generated from European scale models and data: both sources are affected by epistemic uncertainty. In particular, reported information depend on data collection scoping and schemes, as well as national knowledge and interpretation of river system pressures. In turn, water pressure indicators are affected by heterogeneous biases due to incomplete or incorrect inputs and uncertainty of models adopted. Lack of effective reach- and site-scale indicators may hamper detection of locally relevant impacts, for example in explaining alteration of habitats due to morphological changes. The probability maps provide a continental snapshot of current river conditions, and offer an alternative source of information on river aquatic habitats, which may help filling in knowledge gaps. Foremost, the analysis demonstrates the need for developing more effective continental-scale indicators for hydromorphological alterations and chemical pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Vigiak
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), via E Fermi 2749, 21020 Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - Angel Udias
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), via E Fermi 2749, 21020 Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - Alberto Pistocchi
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), via E Fermi 2749, 21020 Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - Michela Zanni
- ARHS Developments Italia S.r.l., Via F.lli Gabba 1/A, 20121 Milano, Italy
| | - Alberto Aloe
- ARHS Developments, 13 Boulevard du Jazz, L-4370 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Bruna Grizzetti
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), via E Fermi 2749, 21020 Ispra, VA, Italy
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30
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Benthic Diatoms in River Biomonitoring—Present and Future Perspectives within the Water Framework Directive. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13040478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The European Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) has been implemented over the past 20 years, using physicochemical, biological and hydromorphological elements to assess the ecological status of surface waters. Benthic diatoms (i.e., phytobenthos) are one of the most common biological quality elements (BQEs) used in surface water monitoring and are particularly successful in detecting eutrophication, organic pollution and acidification. Herein, we reviewed their implementation in river biomonitoring for the purposes of the WFD, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages over other BQEs, and we discuss recent advances that could be applied in future biomonitoring. Until now, phytobenthos have been intercalibrated by the vast majority (26 out of 28) of EU Member States (MS) in 54% of the total water bodies assessed and was the most commonly used BQE after benthic invertebrates (85% of water bodies), followed by fish (53%), macrophytes (27%) and phytoplankton (4%). To meet the WFD demands, numerous taxonomy-based quality indices have been developed among MS, presenting, however, uncertainties possibly related to species biogeography. Recent development of different types of quality indices (trait-based, DNA sequencing and predictive modeling) could provide more accurate results in biomonitoring, but should be validated and intercalibrated among MS before their wide application in water quality assessments.
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31
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Assessing the Ecological Status of European Rivers and Lakes Using Benthic Invertebrate Communities: A Practical Catalogue of Metrics and Methods. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13030346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The Water Framework Directive requires that the ecological status of surface waters be monitored and managed if necessary. A central function in ecological status assessment has the Biological Quality Elements—organisms inhabiting surface waters—by indicating human impact on their habitat. For benthic invertebrates, a wide array of national methods are used, but to date no comprehensive summary of metrics and methods is available. In this study, we summarize the benthic invertebrate community metrics used in national systems to assess the ecological status of rivers, (very) large rivers, and lakes. Currently, benthic invertebrate assemblages are used in 26 national assessment systems for rivers, 13 assessment systems for very large rivers, and 21 assessment systems for lakes in the EU. In the majority of systems, the same metrics and modules are used. In the Red Queen’s race of ecosystem management this may be a disadvantage as these same metrics and module likely depict the same stressors but there is growing evidence that aquatic ecosystems are subject to highly differentiated, complex multiple stressor impacts. Method development should be fostered to identify and rank impacts in multi-stressor environments. DNA-based biomonitoring 2.0 offers to detect stressors with greater accuracy—if new tools are calibrated.
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32
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How to Assess the Ecological Status of Highly Humic Lakes? Development of a New Method Based on Benthic Invertebrates. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13020223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Highly humic lakes are typical for the boreal zone. These unique ecosystems are characterised as relatively undisturbed habitats with brown water, high acidity, low nutrient content and lack of macrophytes. Current lake assessment methods are not appropriate for ecological assessment of highly humic lakes because of their unique properties and differing human pressures acting on these ecosystems. This study proposes a new approach suitable for the ecological status assessment of highly humic lakes impacted by hydrological modifications. Altogether, 52 macroinvertebrate samples from 15 raised bog lakes were used to develop the method. The studied lakes are located in the raised bogs at the central and eastern parts of Latvia. Altered water level was found as the main threat to the humic lake habitats since no other pressures were established. A multimetric index based on macroinvertebrate abundance, littoral and profundal preferences, Coleoptera taxa richness and the Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) Score is suggested as the most suitable tool to assess the ecological quality of the highly humic lakes.
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