Aquatic insects and other benthic invertebrates are the most widely used organisms in freshwater biomonitoring of human impact. Because of the high monetary investment in freshwater management, decisions are often based on biomonitoring results, and a critical and comparative review of different approaches is required. We used 12 criteria that should be fulfilled by an "ideal" biomonitoring tool, addressing the rationale, implementation, and performance of a method. After illustrating how the century-old but still widely used Saprobian system does not meet these criteria, we apply them to nine recent approaches that range from the suborganismal to the ecosystem level. Although significant progress has been made in the field, no recent approach meets all 12 criteria. Given that the use of biomonitoring information has important financial consequences, we suggest that societies and governments prioritize how these criteria should be ranked.

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In Mediterranean climate areas, the great seasonal variability in temperature and rainfall is considered to be an evolutionary pressure that constrains plant and animal communities and their biological traits. Droughts alter habitat availability (changes of flow alter riffle-pool sequences), although habitat characteristics may also exacerbate drought to some extent. Using a simple quantitative index based on the proportion of conglomerate bedrock versus gravel and cobbles, pools versus riffles and winter versus summer flow, we show how habitat characteristics (in terms of substratum and flow) may influence the permanency of a stream site and how flow permanence constrains macroinvertebrate community structure and biological traits. Annual and seasonal macroinvertebrate richness, and the EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) and OCH (Odonata, Coleoptera and Hemiptera) metrics differed between permanent, intermittent and ephemeral sites, but not between permanent and intermittent sites. In contrast, distinct biological traits were observed in the three flow categories, although permanent sites presented few significant traits which was attributed to the stability of the habitat. Intermittent sites were dominated by taxa with pool-like strategies, while ephemeral sites were characterized by fauna with life-history adaptations to floods and droughts. In contrast to most traits (e.g., dissemination, reproduction, substrate relation), which were more constrained by local flow and substrate characteristics, life-cycle characteristics did not differ significantly among flow categories. This pattern can be explained by the features of the Mediterranean climate and particularly its high seasonal predictability, which serves as a large-scale filter of life-cycle traits, independently of local hydromorphological characteristics. Our findings indicate that drought is related to habitat characteristics and that local habitat variability favours organisms with certain traits, while other traits are independent of habitat variability on this scale and are probably affected by other large-scale habitat characteristics.

ABSTRACT1. An index of riparian quality useful for the management of streams and rivers is presented. The purpose of the index is to provide managers with a simple method to evaluate riparian habitat quality. The index is easy to calculate and can be used together with any other index of water quality to assess the ecological status of streams and rivers. It may also be a useful tool for defining 'high ecological status' under the EC Water Framework Directive.2. The index, named QBR, is based on four components of riparian habitat: total riparian vegetation cover, cover structure, cover quality and channel alterations. It also takes into account differences in the geomorphology of the river from its headwaters to the lower reaches. These differences are measured in a simple, quantitative way. The index score varies between 0 and 100 points.3. The QBR index is calculated in the field through a two-sided A4 page form that may be completed in 10 min.4. The development of the QBR index included trials in four Mediterranean stream catchments in Catalonia (NE Spain). Seventy-two sampling sites were assessed and results were used to test the index.5. No taxonomic expertise is needed to apply the index, although some knowledge of local flora is required to differentiate between native and non-native tree species.6. These results show that the QBR index may be used despite regional differences in plant communities. The quality ranges obtained when the index is applied are not heavily influenced by observers at the same site.7. At present, the index is being used by different research teams and tested in a comparative study of 12 watersheds along the Mediterranean Spanish coast.8. It is expected that the QBR index may be adapted for use in other geographical areas in temperate and semi-arid zones without changes in the index rationale.

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