The potential use of fauna and bacteria as ecological indicators for the assessment of groundwater quality

Abstract

The use of ecological criteria for the assessment of aquatic ecosystem status is routine for surface waters. So far no ecological parameters are considered for the assessment and monitoring of groundwater quality. It has been well known for decades that aquifers are ecosystems harbouring a vast diversity of invertebrates and microorganisms. The growing knowledge on groundwater microbial and faunal communities as well as the molecular and statistical tools available form a solid ground for the development of first ecologically sound assessment schemes. The sensitivity of groundwater communities towards impacts from land use and surface waters is exemplarily demonstrated by a data set of two geologically similar but hydrologically partially separated aquifer systems. Subgroups of the fauna in groundwater (stygobites vs. stygophiles and stygoxenes) successfully indicated elevated nitrate impacts linked to land use activities. Within the microbial communities, impacts from land use are mirrored by high bacterial biodiversity values atypical for pristine groundwater of comparable systems. The data show that there is legitimate hope for the application of ecological criteria for groundwater quality assessment in the future.

Microbial diversity and impact on carbonate geochemistry across a changing geochemical gradient in a karst aquifer

“…In conclusion, this work expands our understanding of microbial diversity in karst aquifers and emphasizes the importance of evaluating and quantifying active microbial processes that could affect carbonate weathering in the subsurface. The results have important implications for investigations related to carbon sequestration and storage (see, e.g., Mitchell et al, 2009;Kirk, 2011) and groundwater and drinking water resources (see, e.g., Stein et al, 2010;Smith et al, 2011). Accordingly, to fully appreciate diverse microbial communities and carbonate geochemistry, more experimental research is needed from freshwater segments of karst aquifers and caves, and the potential role of microbes in affecting karst aquifer hydraulic properties (for example, porosity, transmissivity) should also be considered.…”

“…Karst aquifer modification can be affected by external mechanisms like climate change that alter the flux of meteoric water into the system (see, e.g., Loáiciga et al, 2000;Loáiciga, 2009), or from internal processes like chemical reactions and microbial activity (see, e.g., Engel et al, 2004). Although microbes have been shown to affect water quality and biogeochemical and ecosystem-level processes in other types of aquifers (Griebler and Lueders, 2009;Kato et al, 2009;Stein et al, 2010;Smith et al, 2011), there has been limited research to define microbial activities that affect aquifer karstification.…”

La ecología de invertebrados del acuífero Chalk en Inglaterra (UK)

“…They provide an important contribution to biodiversity (Sket 1999;Gibert and Culver 2009), as well as a range of other ecosystem services. These include their role in biogeochemical cycles and contaminant attenuation through their interaction with microbial communities Griebler et al 2010;Korbel and Hose 2011), their potential as water-quality indicators (Danielopol 1989;Malard et al 1996;Stein et al 2010;Hahn 2006), and the information they may provide on past geological and climatic changes and adaptation to unusual environments (Humphreys 2009). …”

An inter-catchment comparison of groundwater biota in the cotton-growing region of north-western New South Wales

“…Geology and water quality influence biotic distribution as they determine water flow, energy exchange, and habitat structure Hahn 2006;Hancock and Boulton 2009;Griebler and Lueders 2009). Other influences on the distribution of groundwater biota include climate, vegetation, water quality, links with the hyporheic zone, and human activities (Galassi et al 1999a(Galassi et al , 1999bCho and Kim 2000;Jasinska and Knott 2000;Schmidt et al 2007;Tomlinson 2008;Griebler and Lueders 2009;Hahn and Fuchs 2009;Stein et al 2010; Korbel et al 2013). Consequently, aquifers with similar geology, history, and environment might be expected to have similar groundwater faunas.…”