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Alcaraz-Hernández JD, Radinger J, Luque Y, García-Berthou E. Response of a pan-European fish index (EFI+) to multiple pressures in rivers across Spain. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 352:120043. [PMID: 38232590 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120043] [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: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Rivers are ecosystems highly threatened by human activities and fish are an invaluable tool to measure and communicate environmental degradation and restoration. Fish bioassessment is crucial but notoriously difficult in Mediterranean-climate streams for a number of reasons, including low local species richness, faunas with high spatial turnover and generalist species, and scarcity of reference sites. In this study, we conducted the most comprehensive test of the pan-European fish index (EFI+) in the Iberian Peninsula, analysing its response to multiple anthropogenic pressures. We compiled a database, which we provide online, with 2970 electrofishing samples across Spain, involving 100,732 fish of 69 species. Principal component analyses of many quantitative variables were used to create new synthetic anthropogenic pressure indices. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the relationship between these pressures and the fish index (EFI+) and its four individual metrics scores (i.e., density of species intolerant to oxygen depletion, density of fish ≤150 mm of species intolerant to habitat degradation, richness of species of rheophilic reproduction habitat, and density of species of lithophilic reproduction habitat). We also obtained the same models but including the river basin district to test for spatial or methodological differences. Our results indicate that both the EFI+ index and its individual metrics respond to various anthropogenic pressures. These pressures explained about 36% of the variance of EFI+ values. Notably, downstream and mainstream reaches with higher agricultural or urban land uses, increased hydrologic alteration, and water and habitat quality impairment exhibited lower EFI+ values. Although less variance was explained for the individual metrics than for the fish index, they responded as expected to the different pressures. For instance, the richness of rheophilic species and the number of lithophilic fish decreased with hydrologic alteration, while the number of fish intolerant to oxygen depletion decreased with water quality impairment. Similar correlations were observed when river basin district was included in the model, but with higher explained variation and greater significance of the pressures. While it is possible to develop regional indices with more metrics and a stronger correlation with anthropogenic pressures, EFI+ is the only fish index that has been validated throughout the Spanish peninsular territory. Our results support the use of EFI+ in intercalibration exercises across Spain until better regional indices are developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Diego Alcaraz-Hernández
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, 17003, Girona, Spain; TRAGSATEC Group, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Johannes Radinger
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, 17003, Girona, Spain; Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany.
| | | | - Emili García-Berthou
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, 17003, Girona, Spain.
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Copetti D, Erba S. A bibliometric review on the Water Framework Directive twenty years after its birth. AMBIO 2024; 53:95-108. [PMID: 37684553 PMCID: PMC10692058 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01918-0] [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: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is one of the most studied environmental legislations and recently turned twenty. The paper deals with a literature search and analysis of 4120 references related to this Directive. After a period of strong increase in article production (2002-2012) WFD scientific productivity is currently still high (~ 260 papers year-1), suggesting a persistent interest of the scientific community on this issue. Most research supporting the WFD was on water sciences, but contributions were also from governance and socio-economic disciplines. Studies on biological quality elements and rivers were prominent. The WFD implementation has seen a strong participation of scientists from all EU countries, and partially also from outside-EU nations. To improve the EU water policy and management, the paper suggests a greater interconnection between WFD and other EU Directives and indicates some emerging environmental issues to which the Directive should address.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Copetti
- National Research Council of Italy - Water Research Institute (CNR- IRSA), Via del Mulino 19, 20861, Brugherio, Monza-Brianza, Italy.
| | - Stefania Erba
- National Research Council of Italy - Water Research Institute (CNR- IRSA), Via del Mulino 19, 20861, Brugherio, Monza-Brianza, Italy
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3
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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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Feio MJ, Hughes RM, Callisto M, Nichols SJ, Odume ON, Quintella BR, Kuemmerlen M, Aguiar FC, Almeida SF, Alonso-EguíaLis P, Arimoro FO, Dyer FJ, Harding JS, Jang S, Kaufmann PR, Lee S, Li J, Macedo DR, Mendes A, Mercado-Silva N, Monk W, Nakamura K, Ndiritu GG, Ogden R, Peat M, Reynoldson TB, Rios-Touma B, Segurado P, Yates AG. The Biological Assessment and Rehabilitation of the World's Rivers: An Overview. WATER 2021; 13:371. [PMID: 33868721 PMCID: PMC8048141 DOI: 10.3390/w13030371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The biological assessment of rivers i.e., their assessment through use of aquatic assemblages, integrates the effects of multiple-stressors on these systems over time and is essential to evaluate ecosystem condition and establish recovery measures. It has been undertaken in many countries since the 1990s, but not globally. And where national or multi-national monitoring networks have gathered large amounts of data, the poor water body classifications have not necessarily resulted in the rehabilitation of rivers. Thus, here we aimed to identify major gaps in the biological assessment and rehabilitation of rivers worldwide by focusing on the best examples in Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North, Central, and South America. Our study showed that it is not possible so far to draw a world map of the ecological quality of rivers. Biological assessment of rivers and streams is only implemented officially nation-wide and regularly in the European Union, Japan, Republic of Korea, South Africa, and the USA. In Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, and Singapore it has been implemented officially at the state/province level (in some cases using common protocols) or in major catchments or even only once at the national level to define reference conditions (Australia). In other cases, biological monitoring is driven by a specific problem, impact assessments, water licenses, or the need to rehabilitate a river or a river section (as in Brazil, South Korea, China, Canada, Japan, Australia). In some countries monitoring programs have only been explored by research teams mostly at the catchment or local level (e.g., Brazil, Mexico, Chile, China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam) or implemented by citizen science groups (e.g., Southern Africa, Gambia, East Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada). The existing large-extent assessments show a striking loss of biodiversity in the last 2-3 decades in Japanese and New Zealand rivers (e.g., 42% and 70% of fish species threatened or endangered, respectively). A poor condition (below Good condition) exists in 25% of South Korean rivers, half of the European water bodies, and 44% of USA rivers, while in Australia 30% of the reaches sampled were significantly impaired in 2006. Regarding river rehabilitation, the greatest implementation has occurred in North America, Australia, Northern Europe, Japan, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea. Most rehabilitation measures have been related to improving water quality and river connectivity for fish or the improvement of riparian vegetation. The limited extent of most rehabilitation measures (i.e., not considering the entire catchment) often constrains the improvement of biological condition. Yet, many rehabilitation projects also lack pre-and/or post-monitoring of ecological condition, which prevents assessing the success and shortcomings of the recovery measures. Economic constraints are the most cited limitation for implementing monitoring programs and rehabilitation actions, followed by technical limitations, limited knowledge of the fauna and flora and their life-history traits (especially in Africa, South America and Mexico), and poor awareness by decision-makers. On the other hand, citizen involvement is recognized as key to the success and sustainability of rehabilitation projects. Thus, establishing rehabilitation needs, defining clear goals, tracking progress towards achieving them, and involving local populations and stakeholders are key recommendations for rehabilitation projects (Table 1). Large-extent and long-term monitoring programs are also essential to provide a realistic overview of the condition of rivers worldwide. Soon, the use of DNA biological samples and eDNA to investigate aquatic diversity could contribute to reducing costs and thus increase monitoring efforts and a more complete assessment of biodiversity. Finally, we propose developing transcontinental teams to elaborate and improve technical guidelines for implementing biological monitoring programs and river rehabilitation and establishing common financial and technical frameworks for managing international catchments. We also recommend providing such expert teams through the United Nations Environment Program to aid the extension of biomonitoring, bioassessment, and river rehabilitation knowledge globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria João Feio
- Department of Life Sciences, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Robert M. Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
- Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Marcos Callisto
- Laboratory of Ecology of Benthos, Department of Genetic, Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Susan J. Nichols
- Centre for Applied Water Science, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | - Oghenekaro N. Odume
- Unilever Centre for Environmental Water Quality, Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
| | - Bernardo R. Quintella
- MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Évora, 7000-812 Évora, Portugal
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mathias Kuemmerlen
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity Centre for the Environment, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Francisca C. Aguiar
- Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Salomé F.P. Almeida
- Department of Biology and GeoBioTec—GeoBioSciences, GeoTechnologies and GeoEngineering Research Centre, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Perla Alonso-EguíaLis
- Mexican Institute of Water Technology, Bioindicators Laboratory, Jiutepec Morelos 62550, Mexico
| | - Francis O. Arimoro
- Department of Animal and Environmental Biology (Applied Hydrobiology Unit), Federal University of Technology, P.M.B. 65 Minna, Nigeria
| | - Fiona J. Dyer
- Centre for Applied Water Science, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | - Jon S. Harding
- School of Biologcal Sciences, University of Canterbury, 8140 Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Sukhwan Jang
- Department of Civil Engineering, Daejin University, Hoguk-ro, Pocheon-si 1007, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Samhee Lee
- Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), 283 Goyangdaero, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si 10223, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Jianhua Li
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education of China, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Diego R. Macedo
- Department of Geography, Geomorphology and Water Resources Laboratory, Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana Mendes
- MED—Instituto Mediterrâneo para a Agricultura, Ambiente e Desenvolvimento, LabOr—Laboratório de Ornitologia, Universidade de Évora, Polo da Mitra, 7002-774 Évora, Portugal
| | - Norman Mercado-Silva
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservacíon, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, 62209 Morelos, Mexico
| | - Wendy Monk
- Environment and Climate Change Canada and, Canadian Rivers Institute, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Keigo Nakamura
- Water Environment Research Group, Public Works Research Institute, 1-6 Minamihara, Tsukuba 305-8516, Japan
| | - George G. Ndiritu
- School of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Karatina University, P.O. Box 1957, 10101 Karatina, Kenya
| | - Ralph Ogden
- Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | - Michael Peat
- Wetlands, Policy and Northern Water Use Branch, Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, 2601 Canberra, Australia
| | | | - Blanca Rios-Touma
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Medio Ambiente y Salud (BIOMAS), Facultad de Ingenierías y Ciencias Aplicadas, Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad de Las Américas, Vía Nayón S/N, 170503 Quito, Ecuador
| | - Pedro Segurado
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Adam G. Yates
- Department of Geography, Western University and Canadian Rivers Institute, London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
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Poikane S, Salas Herrero F, Kelly MG, Borja A, Birk S, van de Bund W. European aquatic ecological assessment methods: A critical review of their sensitivity to key pressures. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 740:140075. [PMID: 32562991 PMCID: PMC7456781 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The European Union has embarked on a policy which aims to achieve good ecological status in all surface waters (i.e. rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters). In theory, ecological status assessment methods should address the effects of all relevant human pressures. In this study, we analyze the degree to which methods European countries use to assess ecological status tackle various pressures affecting European waters. Nutrient pollution is by far the best-covered pressure for all four water categories. Out of total of 423 assessment methods, 370 assess eutrophication and pressure-specific relationships have been demonstrated for 212 of these. "General degradation" is addressed by 238 methods, mostly validated by relationships to combined pressure indices. Other major pressures have received significantly less effort: hydromorphological degradation is assessed by 160 methods and pressure-specific relationships have been demonstrated for just 40 of these. Hydromorphological pressures are addressed (at least by one BQE) only by 25% countries for coastal waters and 70-80% for lakes and transitional waters. Specific diagnostic tools (i.e. single-pressure relationships) for hydromorphology have only been developed by a few countries: only 20% countries have such methods for lakes, coastal and transitional waters and less than half for rivers. Toxic contamination is addressed by 90 methods; however, pressure-specific relationships have been demonstrated for just eight of these. Only two countries have demonstrated pressure-specific acidification methods for rivers, and three for lakes. In summary, methods currently in use mostly address eutrophication and/or general degradation, but there is not much evidence that they reliably pick up the effects of other significant pressures such as hydromorphology or toxic contamination. Therefore, we recommend that countries re-examine: (1) those pressures which affect different water categories in the country; (2) relevant assessment methods to tackle those pressures; (3) whether pressure-response relationships have been developed for each of these.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Poikane
- European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), via Fermi 2749, Ispra 21027, Italy.
| | | | - Martyn G Kelly
- Bowburn Consultancy, 11 Monteigne Drive, Bowburn, Durham DH6 5QB, United Kingdom; School of Geography, Nottingham University, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Angel Borja
- AZTI, Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Herrera Kaia Portualdea s/n, 20100 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Sebastian Birk
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Wouter van de Bund
- European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), via Fermi 2749, Ispra 21027, Italy
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Rodrigues C, Alves P, Bio A, Vieira C, Guimarães L, Pinheiro C, Vieira N. Assessing the ecological status of small Mediterranean rivers using benthic macroinvertebrates and macrophytes as indicators. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2019; 191:596. [PMID: 31463760 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7766-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Rivers are amongst the most threatened ecosystems in Europe. To prevent further degradation and to improve their ecological status, effective mitigation and restoration actions are needed. Those actions are primarily based on the precision of the ecological assessment results. This study aims to assess the ecological status of two small Mediterranean rivers-the Âncora (AR) and the Ferreira (FR) rivers-through the analysis of biological (benthic macroinvertebrates and macrophytes), physico-chemical and hydromorphological quality elements. Specific objectives were to analyse variations of biotic and abiotic parameters amongst rivers, and amongst seasons and sites within each river, to confirm adequate temporal windows to develop the monitoring surveys. Results showed that only one AR site achieved a good ecological status in spring and summer, while the other sites presented a moderate ecological status in all seasons. FR sites had a moderate to bad ecological status in all seasons. Both rivers showed high levels of nutrients, particularly during spring and summer, and were found quite altered in terms of floristic composition of the riparian communities. The riparian forest and the forbs fringe were dominated by several alien woody species and nitrophilous communities, respectively. Based on a multidisciplinary approach, this study provides an in-depth description of the ecological status of two small Mediterranean rivers located in sites of European interest, as well as a sound basis for the management of the aquatic environments. Mitigation of diffuse pollution and restoration of the riparian zones are a priority to improve their ecological status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Rodrigues
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR/CIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal.
- Departamento de Biologia da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Paulo Alves
- Floradata-Biodiversidade, Ambiente e Recursos Naturais, Lda., Rua do Campinho 32, 4000-151, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Bio
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR/CIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Cristiana Vieira
- Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto (MHNC-UP), Praça Gomes Teixeira, 4099-002, Porto, Portugal
| | - Laura Guimarães
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR/CIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Carlos Pinheiro
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR/CIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Natividade Vieira
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR/CIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
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The Influence of Flow Regime on Ecological Quality, Bird Diversity, and Shellfish Fisheries in a Lowland Mediterranean River and Its Coastal Area. WATER 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/w11050918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Designing environmental flows in lowland river sections and estuaries is a challenge for researchers and managers, given their complexity and their importance, both for nature conservation and economy. The Ebro River and its delta belong to a Mediterranean area with marked anthropogenic pressures. This study presents an assessment of the relationships between mean flows (discharges) computed at different time scales and (i) ecological quality based on fish populations in the lower Ebro, (ii) bird populations, and (iii) two shellfish fishery species of socioeconomic importance (prawn, or Penaeus kerathurus, and mantis shrimp, or Squilla mantis). Daily discharge data from 2000 to 2015 were used for analyses. Mean annual discharge was able to explain the variation in fish-based ecological quality, and model performance increased when aquatic vegetation was incorporated. Our results indicate that a good ecological status cannot be reached only through changes on discharge, and that habitat characteristics, such as the coverage of macrophytes, must be taken into account. In addition, among the different bird groups identified in our study area, predators were related to river discharge. This was likely due to its influence on available resources. Finally, prawn and mantis shrimp productivity were influenced up to a certain degree by discharge and physicochemical variables, as inputs from rivers constitute major sources of nutrients in oligotrophic environments such as the Mediterranean Sea. Such outcomes allowed revisiting the environmental flow regimes designed for the study area, which provides information for water management in this or in other similar Mediterranean zones.
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Segurado P, Almeida C, Neves R, Ferreira MT, Branco P. Understanding multiple stressors in a Mediterranean basin: Combined effects of land use, water scarcity and nutrient enrichment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 624:1221-1233. [PMID: 29929235 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2017] [Revised: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
River basins are extremely complex hierarchical and directional systems that are affected by a multitude of interacting stressors. This complexity hampers effective management and conservation planning to be effectively implemented, especially under climate change. The objective of this work is to provide a wide scale approach to basin management by interpreting the effect of isolated and interacting factors in several biotic elements (fish, macroinvertebrates, phytobenthos and macrophytes). For that, a case study in the Sorraia basin (Central Portugal), a Mediterranean system mainly facing water scarcity and diffuse pollution problems, was chosen. To develop the proposed framework, a combination of process-based modelling to simulate hydrological and nutrient enrichment stressors and empirical modelling to relate these stressors - along with land use and natural background - with biotic indicators, was applied. Biotic indicators based on ecological quality ratios from WFD biomonitoring data were used as response variables. Temperature, river slope, % of agriculture in the upstream catchment and total N were the variables more frequently ranked as the most relevant. Both the two significant interactions found between single hydrological and nutrient enrichment stressors indicated antagonistic effects. This study demonstrates the potentialities of coupling process-based modelling with empirical modelling within a single framework, allowing relationships among different ecosystem states to be hierarchized, interpreted and predicted at multiple spatial and temporal scales. It also demonstrates how isolated and interacting stressors can have a different impact on biotic quality. When performing conservation or management plans, the stressor hierarchy should be considered as a way of prioritizing actions in a cost-effective perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Segurado
- Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Centro de Estudos Florestais, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Carina Almeida
- Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior Técnico, MARETEC, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ramiro Neves
- Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior Técnico, MARETEC, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria Teresa Ferreira
- Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Centro de Estudos Florestais, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Paulo Branco
- Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Centro de Estudos Florestais, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
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Almeida D, Alcaraz-Hernández JD, Merciai R, Benejam L, García-Berthou E. Relationship of fish indices with sampling effort and land use change in a large Mediterranean river. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 605-606:1055-1063. [PMID: 28709371 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2017] [Revised: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Fish are invaluable ecological indicators in freshwater ecosystems but have been less used for ecological assessments in large Mediterranean rivers. We evaluated the effects of sampling effort (transect length) on fish metrics, such as species richness and two fish indices (the new European Fish Index EFI+ and a regional index, IBICAT2b), in the mainstem of a large Mediterranean river. For this purpose, we sampled by boat electrofishing five sites each with 10 consecutive transects corresponding to a total length of 20 times the river width (European standard required by the Water Framework Directive) and we also analysed the effect of sampling area on previous surveys. Species accumulation curves and richness extrapolation estimates in general suggested that species richness was reasonably estimated with transect lengths of 10 times the river width or less. The EFI+ index was significantly affected by sampling area, both for our samplings and previous data. Surprisingly, EFI+ values in general decreased with increasing sampling area, despite the higher observed richness, likely because the expected values of metrics were higher. By contrast, the regional fish index was not dependent on sampling area, likely because it does not use a predictive model. Both fish indices, but particularly the EFI+, decreased with less forest cover percentage, even within the smaller disturbance gradient in the river type studied (mainstem of a large Mediterranean river, where environmental pressures are more general). Although the two fish-based indices are very different in terms of their development, methodology, and metrics used, they were significantly correlated and provided a similar assessment of ecological status. Our results reinforce the importance of standardization of sampling methods for bioassessment and suggest that predictive models that use sampling area as a predictor might be more affected by differences in sampling effort than simpler biotic indices.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Almeida
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | | | - Roberto Merciai
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Lluís Benejam
- BETA Technology Centre, Aquatic Ecology Group, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, 08500 Vic, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Emili García-Berthou
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
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10
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Vidal-Abarca MR, Santos-Martín F, Martín-López B, Sánchez-Montoya MM, Suárez Alonso ML. Exploring the Capacity of Water Framework Directive Indices to Assess Ecosystem Services in Fluvial and Riparian Systems: Towards a Second Implementation Phase. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2016; 57:1139-1152. [PMID: 26884142 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-016-0674-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We explored the capacity of the biological and hydromorphological indices used in the Water Framework Directive (WFD) to assess ecosystem services by evaluating the ecological status of Spanish River Basins. This analysis relies on an exhaustive bibliography review which showed scientific evidence of the interlinkages between some ecosystem services and different hydromorphological and biological elements which have been used as indices in the WFD. Our findings indicate that, of a total of 38 ecosystem services analyzed, biological and hydromorphological indices can fully evaluate four ecosystem services. In addition, 18 ecosystem services can be partly evaluated by some of the analyzed indices, while 11 are not related with the indices. While Riparian Forest Quality was the index that was able to assess the largest number of ecosystem services (N = 12), the two indices of macrophytes offered very poor guarantees. Finally, biological indices related to diatoms and aquatic invertebrates and the Fluvial Habitat Index can be related with 7, 6, and 6 ecosystem services, respectively. Because the WFD indices currently used in Spain are not able to assess most of the ecosystem services analyzed, we suggest that there is potential to develop the second phase of the WFD implementation taking this approach into consideration. The incorporation of the ecosystem services approach into the WFD could provide the framework for assess the impacts of human activities on the quality of fluvial ecosystems and could give insights for water and watershed management in order to guarantee the delivery of multiple ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Vidal-Abarca
- Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum"-University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
| | - F Santos-Martín
- Social-Ecological Systems Laboratory, Department of Ecology, c. Darwin, 2, Edificio de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - B Martín-López
- Social-Ecological Systems Laboratory, Department of Ecology, c. Darwin, 2, Edificio de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
- Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research, Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - M M Sánchez-Montoya
- Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum"-University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), 12587, Berlin, Germany
| | - M L Suárez Alonso
- Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum"-University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain
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García-Berthou E, Bae MJ, Benejam L, Alcaraz C, Casals F, de Sostoa A, Solà C, Munné A. Fish-Based Indices in Catalan Rivers: Intercalibration and Comparison of Approaches. THE HANDBOOK OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/698_2015_342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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12
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Ferreira MT, Sabater S. Intercalibration of ecological quality in European Mediterranean rivers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2014; 476-477:743-744. [PMID: 24581342 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M Teresa Ferreira
- Department of Natural Resources, Environment and Landscape, Institute of Agronomy, University of Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sergi Sabater
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona Spain; Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
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