Impact of sediment releases on water chemistry and macroinvertebrate communities in clear water Andean streams (Bolivia)

Fossati, Odile; Wasson, J.G.; Hery, Cécile; Salinas, Giovanna; Marín, Rubén

doi:10.1127/archiv-hydrobiol/151/2001/33

Cited by 45 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Freshwater Andean ecosystems are also greatly affected by suspended solids and the excessive use of agrochemicals. Macroinvertebrate assemblages are good indicators of suspended solid impacts in the Bolivian Andes due to road construction (Fossati, Wasson, Héry, Salinas & Marín, 2001). Contrastingly, the effects of agrochemicals, particularly pesticides, on freshwater communities in these areas have not been widely studied .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Andean Biotic Index (ABI): revised tolerance to pollution values for macroinvertebrate families and index performance evaluation

Ríos-Touma

Acosta

Prat

2014

RBT

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Score-based biotic indices are widely used to evaluate the water quality of streams and rivers. Few adaptations of these indices have been done for South America because there is a lack of knowledge on macroinvertebrate taxonomy, distribution and tolerance to pollution in the region. Several areas in the Andes are densely populated and there is need for methods to assess the impact of increasing human pressures on aquatic ecosystems. Considering the unique ecological and geographical features of the Andes, macroinvertebrate indices used in other regions must be adapted with caution. Here we present a review of the literature on macroinvertebrate distribution and tolerance to pollution in Andean areas above 2 000masl. Using these data, we propose an Andean Biotic Index (ABI), which is based on the BMWP index. In general, ABI includes fewer macroinvertebrate families than in other regions of the world where the BMWP index has been applied because altitude restricts the distribution of several families. Our review shows that in the high Andes, the tolerance of several macroinvertebrate families to pollution differs from those reported in other areas. We tested the ABI index in two basins in Ecuador and Peru, and compared it to other BMWP adaptations using the reference condition approach. The ABI index is extremely useful for detecting the general impairment of rivers but class quality boundaries should be defined independently for each basin because reference conditions may be different. The ABI is widely used in Ecuador and Peru, with high correlations with land-use pressures in several studies. The ABI index is an integral part of the new multimetric index designed for high Andean streams (IMEERA). Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (Suppl. 2): 249-273. Epub 2014 April 01.Key words: Andes, aquatic macroinvertebrates, altitudinal distribution, tolerance to pollution, BMWP adaptations, biomonitoring, water quality.Aquatic macroinvertebrates are ubiquitous, and their sensitivity to environmental changes makes them good indicators of water condition. Diversity and biotic indices for benthic macroinvertebrate samples are often applied in an attempt to measure river pollution (Giller & Malmqvis, 1998). Score-based biotic indices are one of the most common biomonitoring methods used by water managers to synthesize large amounts of data from environmental monitoring. In these indices, a score is given to taxa (usually family or genera level) according to tolerance to organic pollution, giving highest or lowest scores (depending on the index) to sensitive taxa. These indices synthesize ecological information and the results are more accessible to non-biologists who require data for management purposes (Armitage, Moss, Wright & Furse;. Indices of this kind were developed mainly in Europe (Woodiwiss, 1964;Armitage et al., 1983), South Africa (Chutter, 1972), North America (Hilsenhoff, 1982;1987) and Australia (Chessman, 1995). One of the most commonly used index is the BMWP (and its derivations), which was developed in 1978 by...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Andean Biotic Index (ABI): revised tolerance to pollution values for macroinvertebrate families and index performance evaluation

Ríos-Touma

Acosta

Prat

2014

RBT

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“…Indirect effects for macroinvertebrates result from lowered benthic biofi lm biomass and food quality due to light limitation (Van Nieuwenhuyse & LaPerriere, 1986, Ryan, 1991 and deposition of fi ne sediments. This results in a bottomup control of benthic invertebrate biomass and abundance (Wagener & LaPerriere, 1985;Wood & Armitage, 1997;Fossati et al, 2001) and benthic invertebrates diversity (Quinn et al, 1992). Another relevant factor is the loss of intergravel space due to clogging processes, which were found to occur at the impacted sites at river Yalbag (Ibisch et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Open Placer Gold Mining on Aquatic Communities in Rivers of the Khentii Mountains, North-East Mongolia

Krätz¹,

Ibisch²,

Avylush³

et al. 2010

Mong. J. Biol. Sci.

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Since the political change and due to high market prices for gold the mining sector has considerably grown in Mongolia and has become one of the most important economical sectors. With increasing mining activities the mining related environmental problems also increased, especially those, which are caused by open placer gold mining. Placer gold deposits are located in the alluvial sediments of river fl oodplains and the exploitation of these deposits often induces severe impacts to river ecosystem and its different components. In this paper we describe the effects of open placer gold mining on diatoms, benthic invertebrates and fi sh in four rivers in the north-east of Mongolia. Our fi ndings are based on a comparative analysis of these biocoenotic groups in pristine and mining affected river sections, taking into account also abiotic habitat characteristics. Our analyses revealed that placer gold mining causes multiple stressors acting on different trophic levels. The biocoenotic groups under investigation reacted differently against stressors, and we indentifi ed a wide range of direct and indirect effects. These fi ndings are new for Mongolia and are essential to defi ne adapted and successful strategies for an ecologically based management and monitoring of open placer gold mining pressures and ecological impacts.

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“…In the Neotropics, siltation effects have been shown for algae (Wantzen, 1998b), benthic invertebrates (Wantzen, 1998b, Fossati et al, 2001 and fish (Power, 1984;Mol and Ouboter, 2004). These studies were limited either to single rainstorm events (Wantzen, 1998b), or to single species (Power, 1984), or they were descriptive and based on single samples at variably impaired sites which had different habitat characteristics owing to long distances between sampling sites (Fossati et al, 2001) or different watersheds (Mol and Ouboter, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…These studies were limited either to single rainstorm events (Wantzen, 1998b), or to single species (Power, 1984), or they were descriptive and based on single samples at variably impaired sites which had different habitat characteristics owing to long distances between sampling sites (Fossati et al, 2001) or different watersheds (Mol and Ouboter, 2004). The composition of benthic invertebrates can vary considerably even in neighbouring streams, making a paired-watershed design a difficult approach for this group.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical pollution: effects of gully erosion on benthic invertebrates in a tropical clear‐water stream

Wantzen

2006

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Many tropical streams are situated in geologically old, weathered landscapes that are prone to erosion. Permanent or seasonally pulsing inputs of eroded material into the streams may have significant effects on benthos and habitats, even if chemical water quality remains unaltered. 2. This study presents data from the Cerrado Region, Brazil, where the semideciduous forests have been largely converted into agricultural areas with considerable erosion problems. In order to quantify impacts of erosion on the benthic community, a simple, inexpensive, standardized artificial substrate was exposed on the stream bed above and below the mouth of an erosion gully in two experiments at the beginning and at the end of the rainy season. 3. While the abundance and biomass of most of the biota in the reference sites did not change during the rainy season, it decreased significantly at the impact sites below the mouth of the erosion gully. It was the combination of rainfall-driven flood pulses and increased load of suspended particles from erosion which caused the decline of the benthic colonization in these streams rather than the hydrological disturbance alone. 4. Site-to-site comparisons revealed a highly significant reduction in density, biomass and taxon richness of the benthic invertebrates caused by siltation. All benthic insect taxa studied showed the same pattern, indicating a general impact of erosion on habitat quality and food sources. Semi-aquatic insects adapted to shifting habitat conditions, terrestrial food sources and aerial respiration were the most resistant invertebrate group. 5. Restoration schemes for the stream catchments are urgently needed to reduce local population extinctions due to impassable stream sections

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Impact of sediment releases on water chemistry and macroinvertebrate communities in clear water Andean streams (Bolivia)

Cited by 45 publications

References 13 publications

The Andean Biotic Index (ABI): revised tolerance to pollution values for macroinvertebrate families and index performance evaluation

The Andean Biotic Index (ABI): revised tolerance to pollution values for macroinvertebrate families and index performance evaluation

Impacts of Open Placer Gold Mining on Aquatic Communities in Rivers of the Khentii Mountains, North-East Mongolia

Physical pollution: effects of gully erosion on benthic invertebrates in a tropical clear‐water stream

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