生物完整性指数与水生态系统健康评价

生物完整性指数是目前水生态系统健康评价中应用最广泛的一个生态指标。本文扼要介绍了生物完整性指数的概念、水生态系统健康评价的原理以及大型底栖无脊椎动物完整性指数的构建方法,介绍了生物完整性指数在水生态系统健康评价中的应用及我国开展这方面工作的建议。     

基于附石藻类生物完整性指数对汝溪河水生态系统健康的评价

以三峡库区支流-汝溪河自然河段为研究区域,调查了自然河段内9个样点的附石藻类群落和水环境理化特征,并在此基础上应用生物完整性评价指数（Index of Biotic Integrity,IBI）,对汝溪河水生态系统进行健康评价。结果表明,汝溪河自然河段附石藻类群落结构具有明显的空间和时间异质性,驱动附石藻类群落结构形成的水环境因子为电导率、浊度、硝态氮和溶解氧。IBI结果表明,上游生物完整性较高;中下游和下游生物完整性较差;枯水期生物完整性较高,而平水期和丰水期生物完整性较低。由此可见,汝溪河自然河段生物完整性一般,表明汝溪河水生态系统已处于亚健康程度。     

底栖硅藻应用于河流生态系统健康评价的研究进展

硅藻是水生态系统中最重要的初级生产者之一, 不仅为生态系统中其他消费者提供碳源, 也因分布广泛、种类多、世代时间短等特点, 通常被认为是水环境及生态系统良好的指示生物。文章介绍了河流生态系统健康及生物完整性的概念, 综述了硅藻尤其是底栖硅藻在水生态系统中的自身特点及作用; 概述了硅藻在生物监测中广泛应用的前提: 对环境因子的响应和国内外对硅藻及硅藻指数在河流生态监测中的研究进展; 介绍了广泛应用的硅藻指数及基于硅藻的生物完整性指数的原理及构建方法; 指出了硅藻及硅藻指数在生物监测及评价中可能所存在的问题, 并提出了今后我国在这个领域后期需开展的工作。     

基于底栖动物预测模型构建生物完整性指数评价河流健康

提高生物完整性指数(integrity of biotic index,IBI; 又称多参数指数multi-metric index, MMI)在时间和空间尺度的稳定性是水生态完整性评价和水环境管理实践的重要内容.本研究利用2004—2011年在浙江省多个河流采集的227个点位的底栖动物和水质理化数据,利用地理信息系统(GIS)提取样点及其对应流域的自然预测因子(如地理形态学、气候学)和土地利用数据,通过随机森林模型方法定量时间和空间尺度自然变量对生物群落的影响,构建基于预测模型控制自然因子影响方法和常规方法的MMI,并比较它们的表现力.结果表明: 基于预测模型法和基于常规方法构建的MMI的核心组成参数存在差异,随机森林模型中自然预测因子对预测模型MMI构成生物参数的解释量介于11.4%～61.2%.预测模型方法提高了MMI的精确度和准确度,但其敏感性和响应性低于常规方法的MMI.最近距离方法表明,9个评价点位和1个严重受损点位的自然属性与参照点位的自然属性存在差异性.在计算参照点位自然属性代表性范围的基础上,采用预测模型方法控制自然变量可以提高MMI的精确度和准确度,同时降低评价结果出现Ⅰ型(将健康水体误判为受损水体)或者Ⅱ型(将受损水体误判为健康水体)错误的可能性.研究结果可以为提高完整性指数评价稳定性和表现力提供方法支持.     

基于底栖生物完整性指数的赣江流域河流健康评价

底栖生物完整性指数(B-IBI)是最为广泛应用的水生态系统健康评价指数之一。根据2009-2010年期间赣江流域60个采样点的底栖动物数据(15个参照点, 45个受损点), 对17个生物参数进行分布范围、判别能力和Pearson相关性分析, 确定了B-IBI指数体系由总分类单元数、甲壳和软体动物分类单元数、甲壳和软体动物%和BI指数构成。采用比值法统一各生物参数量纲, 将各个生物参数分值加和得到B-IBI指数值。根据参照点的B-IBI值的25%分位数值最终确定赣江流域河流健康评价标准。评价结果表明, 赣江流域60个采样点中19个为健康, 19个为亚健康, 14个为一般, 8个较差。综合来看, 赣江流域河流处于健康-亚健康状态: 上游各支流中绵水、贡江、上犹江和桃江为健康状态, 章水、濂水、梅江和平江为较差状态; 中游各支流健康评价结果多为健康-亚健康状态, 而乌江为较差状态; 下游各支流为健康-亚健康状态; 赣江干流上健康评价的结果均为健康。       

基于着生藻类的太子河流域水生态系统健康评价

本研究以辽宁省太子河流域为研究范例,调查了全流域范围内69个样点的着生藻类群落和水环境理化特征,并在此基础上应用硅藻生物评价指数(DBI)和生物完整性评价指数(P-IBI),同时结合栖息地环境质量评价指数(QHEI),对太子河流域水生态系统进行健康评价。结果表明,太子河流域着生藻类群落结构具有明显的空间异质性,CCA结果显示驱动着生藻类群落结构形成的水环境因子为电导率、总溶解固体和总氮。虽然DBI、P-IBI和QHEI在太子河流域某些河段上的评价结果有较大出入,但从全流域尺度上看,DBI、P-IBI和QHEI的评价结果基本一致,表现为太子河上游健康状况较好,中游健康状况一般,而下游健康状况较差。文中讨论了水环境理化因子与着生藻类群落结构的相互关系,并对比分析了DBI、P-IBI和QHEI这三种河流健康评价方法。     

基于主成分分析和熵权的水库生态系统健康评价——以海南省万宁水库为例

采用主成分分析(PCA)与熵权相结合的新方法,对万宁水库水生态系统健康进行评价,旨在检验该方法是否能解决传统的基于熵权法的水生态系统健康评价方法所存在的赋权重复问题.结果表明: 2010-2012年,万宁水库的水生态系统健康状况整体呈变好趋势;年均水生态系统健康综合指数(EHCI)分别为0.534、0.617、0.634,健康状态评级分别为Ⅲ类(中等)、Ⅱ类(较好)、Ⅱ类(较好).该水库水生态系统健康状况存在季节性差异,但并没有明显的季节性变化规律.从EHCI的整体波动程度来看,其波幅逐渐变小,表明近年来万宁水库的水生态系统趋于相对稳定.新方法与传统方法的指标赋权对比表明,传统方法中相关性较强的溶解氧、化学需氧量、五日生化需要量、铵态氮4项指标的累计权重为0.382,而新方法中仅为0.179;说明PCA的引入有效解决了赋权重复的问题.营养状态指数与EHCI呈显著的负相关关系,说明PCA与熵权结合的新方法在解决了赋权重复的基础上,很好地保证了评价结果的准确性,适用于该水库水生态系统健康评价.
     

浑河水系着生藻类的群落结构与生物完整性

以辽宁省浑河水系为研究范例,调查了全流域范围内62个样点的着生藻类群落和水环境理化特征,并应用着生藻类生物完整性评价指数(P-IBI),结合栖息地环境质量评价指数(QHEI),对浑河流域水生态系统进行健康评价.结果表明:浑河水系着生藻类群落结构具有明显的空间异质性,浑河水系的采样点可划分为4组(Group),不同组间的着生藻类群落结构、物种多度、密度和香农多样性指数均存在明显差异.典范对应分析(CCA)结果显示,驱动浑河着生藻类群落结构形成的水环境因子为铵氮( NH4+-N)和活性磷(PO43--P).P-IBI和QHEI在浑河水系某些河段上的评价结果有较大出入,但从全流域尺度上看,P-IBI和QHEI的评价结果基本一致,表现为浑河上游的苏子河健康状况较好,而上游的浑河以及中下游的浑河干流健康状况较差.     

国家公园生态系统完整性评价研究进展

建立国家公园可促进生态环境和生物多样性的保护, 而国家公园生态系统完整性评价对于维持生态系统平衡、生态系统健康、生物多样性以及典型生态系统的完整性具有重要意义。本文介绍了生物完整性指数评价体系(Index of Biotic Integrity, IBI)、三级法评估框架(Three Level Approach, TLA)和生态系统完整性评估框架(Ecosystem Integrity Assessment Framework, EIAF)三种国家公园生态系统完整性评价方法, 其中生物完整性指数评价体系基于高强度的野外调查和室内实验分析, 虽然花费大、耗时长以及生物鉴定专业性要求较高, 但评价结果准确可靠; 三级法评估框架分为三个级别, 即远程型评价(Remote Assessment)、快速型评价(Rapid Assessment)和密集型评价(Intensive Assessment), 在评价独立且较为复杂的生态系统完整性时具有极大的灵活性; 生态系统完整性评估框架吸取了生物完整性指数评价体系和三级法评估框架的优点, 扩充了评价体系的指标, 优化了生态系统完整性评价计分统计方法, 是目前最为成熟的评价方法之一。同时,本文也探讨了目前国家公园生态系统完整性评价研究中存在的一些问题,如评价指标不全、评价形式单一和评价方法主观性较强等。作者指出, 国家公园生态系统完整性的研究需要注重自然-经济-社会的结合与统一, 加强社会经济可持续发展与人类健康等方面的研究, 挖掘外来入侵物种与生态环境之间的关系, 继续寻找能够反映生态系统完整性状态和变化趋势的新的指示物种, 进而制定统一标准的评价方法体系。     

着生藻类和浮游藻类在三峡库区河流健康评价中的适宜性比较研究

藻类对水体环境变化敏感,其种类和数量与环境因素有密切联系并因环境的变化而发生变化,因此藻类常作为河流健康评价的指示生物。水体中的藻类根据生活习性不同分为着生藻类和浮游藻类,在河流健康评价中,以往的工作中有的采用浮游藻类用于河流健康评价,有的采用着生藻类用于评价,但浮游藻类和着生藻类究竟何者用于河流健康评价更适宜,抑或是二者在用于评价的适宜性上没有明显差别,迄今为止未开展过深入研究。选择三峡库区内的两条河流嘉陵江和乌江作为研究对象,于2015年9月,在两条河流上共布设11个研究断面,对嘉陵江、乌江的水环境理化因子、着生藻类和浮游藻类群落进行调查研究,应用着生藻类生物完整性指数(Periphytic algal index of biological integrity,Pe-IBI)和浮游藻类生物完整性指数(Phytoplankton index of biological integrity,Ph-IBI),并结合水体综合污染指数(Comprehensive pollution index,CPI),对嘉陵江、乌江的健康状况进行评价。研究结果表明,采用着生藻类生物完整性评价(Pe-IBI)能筛选出7个核心生物参数(藻类总分类单元数、蓝藻总分类单元数、绿藻总分类单元数、菱形藻比例、优势分类单元比例、香农多样性指数、均匀度)用于河流健康评价,着生藻类生物完整性指数(Pe-IBI)与水体综合污染指数(CPI)具有极显著的负相关关系,并且与水体中总氮、铅含量也有极显著的负相关关系,表明水环境质量越低则着生藻类的生物完整性越差;当采用浮游藻类生物完整性(Ph-IBI)用于河流健康评价时却只能筛选出1个核心生物参数(藻类密度),而且浮游藻类生物完整性指数(Ph-IBI)与水体综合污染指数(CPI)及12个水体环境指标并无明显的相关性。本研究表明,在河流水体中,与浮游藻类相比,着生藻类更能反映水体环境的状况,对河流水体环境的反映更为准确。因此,在以流动水体为特征的河流的健康评价中,采用着生藻类比采用浮游藻类更为适宜。     

The use of fish in ecological assessments

Abstract Fish provide powerful tools for assessing aquatic environments. Three attributes are especially significant: the sensitivity of fish to most forms of human disturbance, their usefulness at all levels of biological organization and the favourable benefit-to-cost ratio offish assessment programmes. Fish can be used as indicators over wide temporal and spatial ranges. Because they cover all trophic levels of consumer ecology, fish can effectively integrate the whole range of ecological processes in waterways. Fish have been used in many different roles for assessing river health and monitoring responses to remedial management. Three of these applications appear to have particular value for management of Australian rivers: (i) automated systems monitoring fish ventilation can provide sensitive, broad-spectrum and continuous sensing of water quality to protect receiving waters or water-supply intakes; (ii) programmes collecting routine data on commercial or recreational fisheries can be designed and analysed so as to isolate confounding effects due to fishery-specific factors and, hence, used to detect and monitor environmental change on large scales; (iii) the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) can be modified to suit Australian conditions and fish communities to meet the important need for a predictive model of aquatic environmental quality. The IBI is a quantitative biological tool with a strong ecological foundation that integrates attributes from several levels of ecosystem organization. Examples of the use of IBI elsewhere suggest its robustness, flexibility and sensitivity can cope effectively with the low diversity of the Australian fish fauna and the dominance of ecological generalists. A provisional structure is suggested for a test of the IBI in four riverine regions of New South Wales.     

Developing a Benthic Index of Biological Integrity and Some Relationships to Environmental Factors in the Subtropical Xiangxi River,China

The aim of this study is to develop a benthic index of biotic integrity (B‐IBI) to help understand how the increasing anthropogenic pressure may impact the subtropical Xiangxi River in China. Benthic macroinvertebrate and environmental surveys were conducted at 77 sites in early summer 2004. Each collection site was categorized as reference or impaired based on physical, chemical, biological, and land‐use information. Six non‐redundant metrics from 35 metrics were used to differentiate between reference and impaired sites. We selected six metrics for the final IBI. The scoring criteria of each metric were normalized based on the quadrisection and 0–10 scaling systems. Both scaling methods were used to assess the aquatic health of each site in the Xiangxi River watershed. The results showed that most sites were in fairly poor condition. Furthermore, we identified the relationship between B‐IBI metrics, water‐quality, and land‐use variables with a principal component analysis. A composite of nutrients and land‐use intensity explained most variances. These results suggest that the B‐IBI may be a suitable method for assessing river conditions within the subtropical Xiangxi River in central China (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Development of a preliminary index of biotic integrity (IBI) based on fish assemblages to assess ecosystem condition in the lakes of central Mexico

The lakes of central Mexico have great cultural, economic, and biological value, but they are being degraded at an accelerating rate. We employed historical data on fish communities from 19 of these lakes and case studies of community responses to environmental degradation from four of the best-studied, Xochimilco, Cuitzeo, Chapala, and Pátzcuaro, to construct a preliminary index of biotic integrity (IBI). This IBI was designed to be an easily applied method for assessing lake ecosystem health and evaluating restoration efforts. The IBI had 10 metrics: number of total native species, number of common native species, number of native Goodeidae species, number of native Chirostoma species, number of native sensitive species, percent of biomass as tolerant species, percent of biomass as exotic species, percent of biomass as native carnivorous species, maximum standard length of native species, and percent of exotic invertebrate parasite species on or in native fishes. Initial applications of the index showed promise, accurately ranking the relative degradation of the four case-study lakes. Further tests of the index are warranted, and more data are needed to standardize sampling procedures, improve species classifications, and refine metric scoring criteria.     

The application of chemical and biological multi-metric models to a small urban stream for ecological health assessments

Nutrient or/and organic pollutions have been used as one of the key factors influencing the stream health, so research approaches were frequently focused on chemical analysis rather and biological analysis. Our objective of the present study was to diagnose the chemical and biological stream health using chemical multi-metric model of nutrient pollution index (NPI) and biological multi-metric fish model of the index of biotic integrity (IBI), respectively in an urban stream. Seven years dataset from 2008 to 2014 were used for the health assessments. The nutrients regime (TN, TP), sestonic chlorophyll, total suspended solids (TSS), electrical conductivity, BOD, and COD showed a typical polluted stream with large temporal and spatial fluctuations due to variations of Asian monsoon rain. The analysis of fish trophic guilds and fish tolerance guilds showed that omnivore fish species and tolerant species were dominated the community and the proportions were directly determined by water chemistry (nutrient and organic matters). Chemical model of NPI showed “poor-very poor health condition” by the criteria of the model and showed same results with the biological model of fish IBI. The degradation of the stream health was mainly due to massive effluents from the wastewater treatment plants. Overall, our data suggest that the multi-metric chemical and biological models may be used as a key tool diagnosing the stream health condition in an urban stream.     

Bird based Index of Biotic Integrity: Assessing the ecological condition of Atlantic Forest patches in human-modified landscape

Wooded biomes converted to human-modified landscapes (HML) are common throughout the tropics, yielding small and isolated forest patches surrounded by an agricultural matrix. Diverse anthropogenic interventions in HMLs influence patches in complex ways, altering natural dynamics. Assessing current condition or ecological integrity in these patches is a challenging task for ecologists. Taking the Brazilian Atlantic Forest as a case study, we used the conceptual framework of the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), a multimetric approach, to assess the ecological integrity of eight small forest patches in a highly disturbed HML with different configurations and histories. The IBI was developed using bird assemblages found in these patches, and its performance was compared with analytical approaches commonly used in environmental assessment, such as general richness and Shannon’s diversity index. As a first step, the IBI procedure identifies an existing gradient of human disturbance in the study region and checks which biotic characteristics (candidate metrics) vary systematically across the gradient. A metric is considered valid when its’ relationship with the gradient provides an ecological interpretation of the environment. Then, the final IBI is elaborated using each valid metric, obtaining a score for each site. Over one year of sampling, 168 bird species were observed, providing 74 different bird candidate metrics to be tested against the disturbance gradient. Seven of them were considered valid:richness of threatened species; richness of species that use both “forest and non-forest” habitats; abundance of endemics, abundance of small understory-midstory insectivores, abundance of exclusively forest species; abundance of non-forest species, and abundance of species that forage exclusively in the midstory stratum. Each metric provided complementary information about the patch’s ecological integrity. The resulting IBI showed a significant linear relationship with the gradient of human disturbance, while total species richness and Shannońs diversity index did not. Application of numerical approaches, such as total species richness and Shannon’s diversity, did not distinguish ecological traits among species. The IBI proved better for assessing and interpreting ecological and environmental condition of small patches in highly disturbed HML. The IBI framework, its multimetric character, and the ease with which it can be adapted to diverse situations, make it an effective approach for assessing environmental conditions in the Atlantic Forest region, and also for many other small forest patches in the tropics.