The Development of a System to Assess the Ecological Quality of Streams Based on Macroinvertebrates – Design of the Sampling Programme within the AQEM Project

Abstract

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires river assessment systems based on benthic invertebrates. The AQEM project is developing, at a European scale, such a methodology, based on a comparison of communities of reference streams and degraded streams. The project is focussing on three main impact types: morphological degradation, organic pollution and acidification. This paper presents the outline of the AQEM project with special emphasis on: -an overview of assessment systems with benthic invertebrates presently applied in Europe -an overview of stream typology approaches in Europe -the selection process of the stream types investigated in AQEM -the criteria used to select reference sites -the design of the sampling programme -the microhabitat-based sampling method applied in AQEM -the links and possibilities of integration between AQEM and existing assessment systems.

Taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity of leeches (Hirudinea) and their suitability in biological assessment of environmental quality

“…EQ can be also described as the inverse of the total effect of many factors constituting together the ecological impact or ecological stress observed in ecosystem. It can be quantified and used in biological assessment if such effects will be standardized and then compared with those under natural (reference) conditions (Hering et al, 2003). Thus, it would appear reasonable to analyse the diversity of organisms in relation to environmental quality treated as a measure of the intensity of ecological stress.…”

Description of the larva of Oecetis mizrain Malicky & Graf, 2012 (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae) and Lepidostoma scotti (Ulmer, 1930) (Trichoptera, Lepidostomatidae) from Chilimo Forest, Central Ethiopia

“…Caddisfly larvae are widely used as indicator taxa in freshwater assessments as they exploit a wide range of ecological niches, often are found in abundance and cover a wide sensitivity range (Aschalew and Moog 2015;Barbour et al 1999;Chakona et al 2009;Hering et al 2003). Ideally, assessment of the ecological condition of aquatic ecosystems is based on the identification of macroinvertebrates to species-level (Sharma et al 2008).…”

“…Species-level determination is achieved for Trichoptera and many other taxonomic groups in Central and Northern European Kimmins (1963) and Graf (2012, 2015); ecoregions according to Abell et al (2008); distribution status from Tobias and Tobias (2008). AT, Afrotropical; EH, Ethiopian Highlands; LT, Lake Turkana; NER, Northern Eastern Rift; **, not reported outside of Ethiopia. countries where this information is used for stream quality assessments (Hering et al 2003;Schmidt-Kloiber et al 2006). Most studies in tropical Africa including Ethiopia, however, are restricted to family-level identification due to the lack of taxonomic knowledge (Aschalew and Moog 2015).…”

Water research in Germany: from the reconstruction of the Roman Rhine to a risk assessment for aquatic neophytes

“…Ecological indicators are required for both management planning and the evaluation of restoration success (Pander and Geist 2013;Müller et al 2014). These include in particular the fish, benthic invertebrates, macroalgae, phytobenthos and phytoplankton communities (Arle et al 2016;Hering et al 2003;Kail et al 2015;Seele et al 2000). While a high biodiversity in these groups is generally desirable, the introduction and establishment of invasive species in German rivers and lakes appears to be a growing and probably underestimated problem (Hoffmann et al 2013).…”