The inland water macro-invertebrate occurrences in Flanders, Belgium

Abstract

The Flanders Environment Agency (VMM) has been performing biological water quality assessments on inland waters in Flanders (Belgium) since 1989 and sediment quality assessments since 2000. The water quality monitoring network is a combined physico-chemical and biological network, the biological component focusing on macro-invertebrates. The sediment monitoring programme produces biological data to assess the sediment quality. Both monitoring programmes aim to provide index values, applying a similar conceptual methodology based on the presence of macro-invertebrates. The biological data obtained from both monitoring networks are consolidated in the VMM macro-invertebrates database and include identifications at family and genus level of the freshwater phyla Coelenterata, Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Mollusca, and Arthropoda. This paper discusses the content of this database, and the dataset published thereof: 282,309 records of 210 observed taxa from 4,140 monitoring sites located on 657 different water bodies, collected during 22,663 events. This paper provides some background information on the methodology, temporal and spatial coverage, and taxonomy, and describes the content of the dataset. The data are distributed as open data under the Creative Commons CC-BY license.

Bioconcentration of Organotin Cations during Molting Inhibits Heterocypris incongruens Growth

“…Physicochemical sampling of sediments and analytical methods are detailed in the Supporting Information ( Section S0 ) and elsewhere. 13 , 32 We describe the parametrization below ( Sections 2.1 – 2.5 ).…”

“…Data on aqueous concentrations of NH 4 + and are either scattered, unrepresentative, or their uncertainties are fairly high. 13 , 32 , 35 This is partially due to their high mobilities. Therefore, we estimate and from the total phosphorus, P T with f being a ratio applied to total P to distinguish for available fractions: a typical natural water body ( P T ∼23 or ∼30 mg/m 3 ) constitutes 3 mg/m 3 soluble + and usual ( + )/ P T ratios of 1:10.…”

“…As variables, we also used common sediment characteristics: pH, organic carbon, clay, and the nitrogen status. Physicochemical sampling of sediments and analytical methods are detailed in the Supporting Information (Section S0) and elsewhere. , We describe the parametrization below (Sections –).…”

“…We converted sediment (sed) concentrations to water (aq) concentrations via phase partitioning , wherein 0.2 represents the sediment to test volume ratio (1:5). Considering that the test medium is prescribed as moderately hard, we took the value for the solids-to-water partitioning coefficient K SW, local for NH 4 + /NH 3 and H 2 PO 4 – /HPO 4 2– to be 6.0(±3.0) − and 100 L/kg, , respectively, for field concentrations − representable for Flanders ,, and pH = 7.4.…”

“…The North Sea region has a documented history in pollution linked to industrial (heavy metals, acidification) and agricultural (e.g., eutrophication) activities. − An extensive measurement campaign by the Flemish Environmental Agency (VMM) has existed in Flanders for approximately 20 years, gathering information on pollutants in 1000+ sampling locations (e.g., metals, polycyclic hydrocarbons), in conjunction with characteristics known to affect speciation/bioavailability. Built hereon, models linked >60% of the observed variance in Hyalella azteca mortality bioassays to heavy metals and NH 3 /NH 4 +…”