Abstract

AbstractIn 12 forest brooks differing in acidity (pH‐values from 2.79 to 6.89) chironomids were sampled to establish their acid‐tolerance based on their occurrence in a certain pH range. Some taxa were found only at pH values higher than pH 6.0, others not below pH 5.5. A relatively high number of species could tolerate periodical pH values below 4. Only a few species were limited to high pH. Using these results, 25 species were classified according to their acid‐sensitivity. The suitability of these species for the assessment of the acidity‐state of running waters was tested. The study demonstrates that chironomids are qualified bioindicators for assessment of the acidity‐state within technical water quality monitoring. It is recommended that the classified chironomid species be added to the list of macroinvertebrate acidity indicators.

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