Biological indices applied to benthic macroinvertebrates at reference conditions of mountain streams in two ecoregions (Poland, the Slovak Republic)

Iga Lewin,Agnieszka Ewa Ławniczak,Izabela Czerniawska-Kusza,Krzysztof Szoszkiewicz,Szymon Jusik

doi:10.1007/s10750-013-1448-2

Abstract

The study was carried out from 2007 to 2010 in two ecoregions: the Carpathians and the Central Highlands. The objectives of our survey were to test the existing biological index metric based on benthic macroinvertebrates at reference conditions in the high- and mid-altitude mountain streams of two ecoregions according to the requirements of the EU WFD and to determine which environmental factors influence the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates. Our results revealed statistically significant differences in the values of the physical and chemical parameters of water as well as the mean values of metrics between the types of streams at the sampling sites. RDA analysis showed that the temperature of the water, pH, conductivity, the stream gradient, values of the HQA index, and altitude were the parameters most associated with the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa and the values of the metrics. The values of biological indices should be considered according to the stream typology including altitude and geology. At the reference conditions, the suggested border values of biological indices are very harsh. The values of the biological indices of most sampling sites did not correspond to the requirements of the high status in rivers. The streams at altitudes above 1,200 m a.s.l. should be treated as another river type and new reference values should be established.

Highlights

According to the requirements of the European Union Water Framework Directive (EU WFD), the composition and abundance of benthic invertebrate fauna, other than aquatic flora or fish fauna, constitutes one of the quality elements for the classification of the ecological status of rivers (Directive, 2000/60/EC)
The objectives of our survey were to test the existing biological index metric based on benthic macroinvertebrates at reference conditions in the high- and mid-altitude mountain streams of two ecoregions according to the requirements of the EU WFD and to determine which environmental factors influence the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates
The objectives of our survey were to test the existing biological index metric based on benthic macroinvertebrates at reference conditions in the high- and midaltitude mountain streams of two ecoregions according to the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive; to analyze whether the values of the metrics varied in streams within and among the ecoregions in relation to geology, the physical and chemical parameters of the waters and to determine which environmental factors influence the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in the different types at highland and mountain streams

Summary

Introduction

According to the requirements of the European Union Water Framework Directive (EU WFD), the composition and abundance of benthic invertebrate fauna, other than aquatic flora or fish fauna, constitutes one of the quality elements for the classification of the ecological status of rivers (Directive, 2000/60/EC). Because Member States establish monitoring systems for estimating the values of the biological elements, the methods for the evaluation of the ecological status of rivers are different (Sandin & Johnson, 2000a; Vlek et al, 2004; Gabriels et al, 2005; Bona et al, 2008; Lock et al, 2011). In Poland, the Macrophyte Method for Rivers (Szoszkiewicz et al, 2010a) is an official monitoring approach for rivers This method, which includes calculating the Macrophyte Index for Rivers (MIR), is consistent with the majority of European methods, e.g., the Mean Trophic Rank (MTR), the Macrophyte Biological Index for Rivers (IBMR), and the EU-STAR project methodology.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion