Use of the BMWP and ASPT indexes for monitoring environmental quality in a neotropical stream

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the applicability of versions of the Biological Monitoring Working Party index, the original from Great Britain (Armitage et al., 1983), and adaptations from Spain (Alba-Tercedor and Sanchez-Ortega, 1988) and Brazil (Junqueira and Campos, 1998; Junqueira et al., 2000; Monteiro et al., 2008), and the associated Average Score Per Taxon, in evaluating the environmental quality of a stream in the center-west of Brazil. In the wet and dry seasons, the stream was sampled at three sites, reflecting a gradient of increasing levels of anthropogenic impact from sites 1 to 3, and the different index values calculated. The adaptations by Junqueira et al. (2000) and Monteiro et al. (2008) presented the highest values. The values of the versions of Junqueira and Campos (1998) and Junqueira et al. (2000) generally decreased from sites 1 to 3 on both dates. Decreases in environmental quality on the wet season sampling date were indicated by the BMWP scores more so than by the ASPT scores. The adaptations by Junqueira and Campos (1998) and especially Junqueira et al. (2000) seem to have detected, with the greatest degree of sensitivity, the putative decrease in environmental quality from sites 1 to 3. The use of the ASPT seemed to diminish the possible impact of natural seasonal differences in organism abundances on the indicated degree of pollution.