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Benthic algal assessment of ecological status in European lakes and rivers: Challenges and opportunities
- Source :
- Science of The Total Environment. 568:603-613
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2016.
-
Abstract
- This opinion paper introduces a special series of articles dedicated to freshwater benthic algae and their use in assessment and monitoring. This special series was inspired by talks presented at the 9th International Congress on the Use of Algae for Monitoring Rivers and Comparable Habitats (Trento, Italy, 2015), the latest of a series of meetings started in 1991.In this paper, we will first provide a brief overview of phytobenthos methods in Europe. Then, we will turn towards the ‘dark side’ of phytobenthos and describe four particular problems for phytobenthos assessment in the European Union: (1) over-reliance on a single group of algae (mostly diatoms) to the exclusion of other groups; (2) relatively low adoption of benthic algae for ecological assessments in lakes; (3) absence of measures of phytobenthos abundance; (4) approaches used to define boundaries between ecological classes.Following this, we evaluate the strengths and limitations of current phytobenthos assessment methods against 12 criteria for method evaluation addressing four areas: ecological rationale, performance, feasibility of implementation, and use in communication and management. Using these criteria, we identify and discuss three general challenges for those developing new methods for phytobenthos-based assessment: a weak ecological rationale and insufficient consideration of the role of phytobenthos as a diagnostic tool and for communicating ecosystem health beyond a narrow group of specialists.The papers in the special series allow a comparison with the situation and approaches in the USA, present new methods for the assessment of ecological status and acidification, provide tools for an improved management of headwaters and petrifying springs, discuss the utility of phytobenthos for lake assessments, and test the utility of functional measures (such as biofilm phosphorus uptake capacity, PUC).
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Geologic Sediments
Engineering
Environmental Engineering
010501 environmental sciences
01 natural sciences
Water Framework Directive
Rivers
Abundance (ecology)
International congress
Indicators
media_common.cataloged_instance
Environmental Chemistry
European union
Waste Management and Disposal
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
media_common
Diatoms
Ecosystem health
business.industry
Ecology
Ecological status
010604 marine biology & hydrobiology
Environmental resource management
Seaweed
Filamentous algae
Pollution
Macrophyte
Europe
Lakes
Macrophytes
Habitat
Benthic zone
business
Environmental Monitoring
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00489697
- Volume :
- 568
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Science of The Total Environment
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....0d0983ceb58386395e9f7fb1c17a8e33
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.02.027