Development and application of benthic macroinvertebrate-based multimetric indices for the assessment of streams and rivers in the Taihu Basin, China

Huang, Qi; Gao, Junfeng; Cai, Yongjiu; Yin, Hongbin; Gao, Yanfang; Jiancheng, Zhao; Liu, Lizhen

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.09.014

Cited by 85 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Once significant differences were identified, the reference condition was scientifically defined, and the difference could then be used to measure the current status. Box-and-whisker test plots, recommended by Huang et al [7] and Wu et al [55], were performed on each metric, and reference values were compared with impaired values for discrimination power analysis. The discrimination power of each metric was judged according to the degree of Inter-Quartile (IQ) overlap in the box plots.…”

Section: Index Testing and Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result of high population density, human disturbance has a profound impact on the ecosystem [7]. An important component of ecological assessment is an evaluation of the direct or indirect effects of human activities or disturbances.…”

Section: Reference Condition Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These indices range from single species indicators (e.g., Huang et al [7]) to composites of species to measures of biodiversity, to system level measures of ecosystem structure, function, and organization (e.g., Xu et al [59]). Compared with single species indicators, the composite indicators could better reflect the more comprehensive assessment.…”

Section: Comparison With Previous Ecosystem Health Indicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If the metric increased with disturbance, then the 5th percentile of the site values was set as the upper anchor, and the 95th percentile of the values was set as the lower anchor [52]. The metric was rescaled as follows [7]. For example, TN, whose average site value for a year, upper anchor, and lower anchor were respectively 1.17, 0.20, 2.00 mg L −1 , the metric score was: 1 − |1.…”

Section: Metric Standardization and Categorizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When both historical data and authoritative standards are lacking for specific indices, e.g., phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthic macroinvertebrates, the LDC was used. Adhering to the literature [7,14], the reference site approach was adopted. The 5th/95th best percentile of the candidate sites increasing/decreasing with disturbance was used to select the reference sites (e.g., <5% blue-green algae biomass or >95% large Daphnia density).…”

Section: Reference Condition Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Aquatic Ecological Health for Lake Poyang, China: Part I Index Development

Huang

Gao

et al. 2018

Water

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Abstract:The development of an ecosystem health index to assess health status in freshwater lakes is urgently needed in China, especially in polluted lakes. This study developed a specific Ecosystem Health Index (LP-EHI) for Lake Poyang in China. LP-EHI quantified lake health from the perspectives of physical, chemical, biological integrity and social service. Physical integrity indices included hydrological conditions (water level and runoff), basic morphometric characteristics (lake area and shoreline), and tributary connectivity. Chemical integrity indices used water quality, nutrition, and toxicity to quantify chemical impairment. Biological integrity indicators covered six major components of the aquatic food chain, namely, phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic macroinvertebrates, wetland plants, fish, and wintering birds. Social service indices included drinking water, pathogenic potential, flood storage capacity, sand mining, and dish-shaped sub-lake areas under management to measure whether the lake fulfilled the needs of human society. Reference and impaired conditions for each metric were defined by "historical" conditions, "least disturbed" conditions, national standards and expert opinions. The value of LP-EHI ranging from 0 to 1 was divided into five health conditions: excellent (≥0.8), good (0.6-0.8), fair (0.4-0.6), poor (0.2-0.4) and bad (<0.2). The metrics' reliability was further validated using a box-and-whisker plot test. The developed index (LP-EHI) is so far the most comprehensive index to evaluate ecosystem health for Lake Poyang, and is well reflected in the unique characteristics of Lake Poyang. It can enhance our understanding of lake health conditions and thus guide lake management to achieve better health conditions.

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Section: Index Testing and Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reference Condition Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Comparison With Previous Ecosystem Health Indicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Metric Standardization and Categorizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reference Condition Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Aquatic Ecological Health for Lake Poyang, China: Part I Index Development

Huang

Gao

et al. 2018

Water

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Comparison of different macroinvertebrates bioassessment indices in a large near‐natural watershed under the context of metacommunity theory

Liu,

Qi,

Lin

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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The metacommunity theory proposes that community structure and biodiversity are influenced by both local processes (such as environmental filtering) and regional processes (such as dispersal). Despite the extensive use of traditional bioassessments based on species‐environment relationships, the impact of dispersal processes on these assessments has been largely overlooked. This study aims to compare correlations between various bioassessment indices, including Shannon Weiner (H′), Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP), average score per taxon (ASPT), biotic index (BI), and EPT taxa index (EPT), based on macroinvertebrates collected from 147 sampling sites in a subtropical Chinese near‐natural catchment. Modified indices were calculated by removing species strongly influenced by dispersal processes to address the influence of dispersal processes. Their relationship with environmental factors was then compared to the original indices. The study employed random forest regression (RFR) to compare the explanatory power of environmental factors using the two sets of indices. The spearman rank correlation analysis was conducted to examine the correlation between indices and environmental factors. The river health assessment was performed based on both modified and original indices. The results reveal significant differences between original and modified indices (especially H′ and BI) providing a more accurate reflection of environmental conditions. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the different indices to various environmental factors varied, leading to differences in the bioassessment results between the modified and the original indices. Notably, original H′, BMWP, and ASPT overestimated the bioassessment results, whereas the original BI underestimated them. These findings offer valuable insights into bioassessment and river health assessment evaluation within the catchment and other interconnected freshwater ecosystems, such as lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands. Our study underscores the importance of assessing and mitigating the impact of dispersal processes on bioassessment to obtain a more precise representation of the status of freshwater ecosystems.

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Developing and applying a macroinvertebrate‐based multimetric index for urban rivers in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Edegbene

Arimoro

Odume

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Urban pollution of riverine ecosystem is a serious concern in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. No biomonitoring tool exists for the routine monitoring of effects of urban pollution on riverine systems within the region. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and apply a macroinvertebrate‐based multimetric index for assessing water quality condition of impacted urban river systems in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Macroinvertebrate and physicochemical samples were collected from 11 stations in eight river systems. Based on the physicochemical variables, the stations were categorized into three impact categories namely least impacted stations (LIS), moderately impacted stations (MIS) and heavily impacted stations (HIS). Seventy‐seven (77) candidate metrics were tested and only five: Hemiptera abundance, %Coleoptera + Hemiptera, %Chironomidae + Oligochaeta, Evenness index and Logarithm of relative abundance of very large body size (>40–80 mm) were retained and integrated into the final Niger Delta urban multimetric index (MINDU). The validation dataset showed a correspondence of 83.3% between the index result and the physicochemically‐based classification for the LIS and a 75% correspondence for the MIS. A performance of 22.2% was recorded for the HIS. The newly developed MINDU proved useful as a biomonitoring tool in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and can thus be used by environmental managers and government officials for routine monitoring of rivers and streams subjected to urban pollution.

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Development and application of benthic macroinvertebrate-based multimetric indices for the assessment of streams and rivers in the Taihu Basin, China

Cited by 85 publications

References 45 publications

Assessing Aquatic Ecological Health for Lake Poyang, China: Part I Index Development

Assessing Aquatic Ecological Health for Lake Poyang, China: Part I Index Development

Comparison of different macroinvertebrates bioassessment indices in a large near‐natural watershed under the context of metacommunity theory

Developing and applying a macroinvertebrate‐based multimetric index for urban rivers in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

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