Macrophytes and diatoms – major results and conclusions from the STAR project

The interactions between sensitivity and variability of macrophyte and diatom communities were evaluated as a research support of methodologies required by the Water Framework Directive. Slope and shading were identified as additional typological parameters improving links between unimpacted macrophyte communities and running water types. Two other studies demonstrated indication value of macrophytes for assessment of nutrient enrichment and hydromorphological degradation. The special exercises were realized within the STAR project to evaluate sources of variability/uncertainty in assessment methods based on macrophytes and diatoms. Sampling period and shading of the site were found as major factors affecting variability in macrophyte assessment results. Uncertainty of diatom assessment is predominantly associated with selection of site, substrate type and taxonomic identification. Further extension of indication systems and definition of macrophyte/diatom-specific typology of running waters are considered as the main aims of subsequent investigations.     

Evaluating the relative contributions of hydroperiod and soil fertility on growth of south Florida mangroves

The requirements of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), aimed at an integrative assessment methodology for evaluating the ecological status of water bodies are frequently being achieved through multimetric techniques, i.e. by combining several indices, which address different stressors or different components of the biocoenosis. This document suggests a normative methodology for the development and application of Multimetric Indices as a tool with which to evaluate the ecological status of running waters. The methodology has been derived from and tested on a European scale within the framework of the AQEM and STAR research projects, and projects on the implementation of the WFD in Austria and Germany. We suggest a procedure for the development of Multimetric Indices, which is composed of the following steps: (1) selection of the most suitable form of a Multimetric Index; (2) metric selection, broken down into metric calculation, exclusion of numerically unsuitable metrics, definition of a stressor gradient, correlation of stressor gradients and metrics, selection of candidate metrics, selection of core metrics, distribution of metrics within the metric types, definition of upper and lower anchors and scaling; (3) generation of a Multimetric Index (general or stressor-specific approach); (4) setting class boundaries; (5) interpretation of results. Each step is described by examples.     

Extending the phytoplankton tool kit for the UK Water Framework Directive: indicators of phytoplankton community structure

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) demands consideration of normative definitions for assessing ecological state of marine waters. For phytoplankton, ‘deviations from the ideal’ need to be considered for species composition and abundance, average biomass and the occurrence of blooms. A combination of phytoplankton metrics has been developed which, when considered in combination, should provide a confident assessment of the ecological state of each water body under assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate phytoplankton community structure in different coastal and estuarine water bodies within England and Wales, and to contribute evidence towards the development of a community-based phytoplankton indicator. Influences of seasonality on the species assemblage were tested using a long-term data set available from a long-term monitoring site just offshore of Plymouth, UK. There is a substantive seasonal influence to the data, with a maximum of 10–14 common species (out of a potential 20) reoccurring within the same calendar month over a 10-year time span. Comparisons between reference and test water bodies give a range of common species of between 3 and 11 species within water type and season. A statistical and qualitative approach for comparing the most common species occurring between a reference and test site were tested for development of a WFD phytoplankton assessment tool. Overall, the results indicate that there are distinct phytoplankton assemblages over seasons which could form the basis of a community assessment metric. However, differences in boundary conditions are negligible between the different areas. There is evidence that community populations may be ubiquitous across marine water types in England and Wales, and development of generic seasonal lists across typologies could be appropriate in the further development of this tool.     

全球生物多样性框架基金管理政策分析与启示

中国是生物多样性最丰富、受威胁最严重的国家之一, 需要投入大量资金来保护生物多样性, 仅依靠国内资金开展生物多样性工作将对国家造成一定经济负担。依托全球环境基金(Global Environment Facility, GEF)管理的昆明-蒙特利尔全球生物多样性框架基金(简称“框架基金”), 将为包括中国在内的发展中国家提供更多资金支持。本文梳理了全球环境基金管理政策和项目审批流程, 比较分析了框架基金与全球环境基金的异同, 并结合以往中国全球环境基金生物多样性领域资金使用情况, 从3个层面提出了具体建议。在国际层面, 提出延长框架基金运行期限、加强框架基金与昆明生物多样性基金协同, 在政府层面, 提出加强指导与宣传、研究确定国内支持领域, 在项目申报策略层面, 提出研判项目申报方向和额度、加强与重要利益相关方沟通, 以期为利益相关方开展管理和申报工作提供参考。     

Estimates and comparisons of the effects of sampling variation using ‘national’ macroinvertebrate sampling protocols on the precision of metrics used to assess ecological status

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) of the European Union requires all member countries to provide information on the level of confidence and precision of results in their river monitoring programmes to assess the ecological status class of river sites. As part of the European Union project STAR, the overall effects of sampling variation for a wide range of commonly used metrics and sampling methods were assessed. Replicate samples were taken in each of two seasons at 2–6 sites of varying ecological status class within each of 18 stream types spread over 12 countries, using both the STAR-AQEM method and a national sampling method or, where unavailable, the RIVPACS sampling protocol. The sampling precision of a combination of sampling method and metric was estimated by expressing the replicate sampling variance as a percentage P_samp of the total variance in metric values with a stream type; low values of P_samp indicate high precision. Most metrics had percentage sampling variances less than 20% for all or most stream types and methods. Most national methods including RIVPACS had sampling precisions at least as good as those for the STAR-AQEM method as used in their country at the same sites; the main exceptions were the national methods used in Latvia and Sweden. The national methods used in the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Poland and the RIVPACS method used in the UK and Austria all had percentage sampling variances of less than 10% for the majority of metrics assessed. In contrast, none of the metrics had percentage sampling variances less than 10% when based on either the Italian (IBE) method, which used bank-side sorting, or the Latvian national method which identifies only a limited set of taxa. P_samp was lowest on average for the two stream types sampled in the Czech Republic using either the PERLA national method or the STAR-AQEM method. Averaged over all stream types and methods, the three Saprobic-based metrics had the lowest average percentage sampling variances (3–6%) amongst the 26 metrics assessed. These estimates of sampling standard deviation can be used to help assess the uncertainty in single or multi-metric systems for estimating site ecological status using the general STAR Bioassessment Guidance Software (STARBUGS) developed within the STAR project.     

《昆明-蒙特利尔全球生物多样性框架》指引下中国生物多样性主流化实施路径探析

《昆明-蒙特利尔全球生物多样性框架》制定了未来一段时期全球范围内生物多样性保护的重要行动,包括将生物多样性及其多重价值纳入经济和社会活动的主流.中国作为联合国《生物多样性公约》(CBD)缔约方之一,在持续推进生物多样性主流化方面作出了不懈努力且成效显著.该文通过探讨解析生物多样性主流化的概念内涵,梳理总结我国生物多样性主流化的具体实践和阶段成效,对标《昆明-蒙特利尔全球生物多样性框架》目标,围绕政府、企业、公众不同行为主体,提出新时期我国全方位推进生物多样性主流化的 4 个主要实施路径:(1)引入统一的行动框架;(2)发挥政府治理的主导作用;(3)联动企业采取共同行动;(4)提高公众意识以促进其广泛参与,致力于将生物多样性融入各级政府部门政策机制及社会生产生活实践活动中,为完善生物多样性治理决策提供参考.     

Assessment of the ecological status of European surface waters: a work in progress

Medicine Lake is a small (165 ha), relatively shallow (average 7.3 m), intermediate elevation (2,036 m) lake located within the summit caldera of Medicine Lake volcano, Siskiyou County, California, USA. Sediment cores and high-resolution bathymetric and seismic reflection data were collected from the lake during the fall of 1999 and 2000. Sediments were analyzed for diatoms, pollen, density, grain size (sand/mud ratio), total organic carbon (TOC), and micro-scale fabric analysis. Using both ¹⁴C (AMS) dating and tephrochronology, the basal sediments were estimated to have been deposited about 11,400 cal year BP, thus yielding an estimated average sedimentation rate of about 20.66 cm/1,000 year. The lowermost part of the core (11,400–10,300 cal year BP) contains the transition from glacial to interglacial conditions. From about 11,000–5,500 cal year BP, Medicine Lake consisted of two small, steep-sided lakes or one lake with two steep-sided basins connected by a shallow shelf. During this time, both the pollen (Abies/Artemisia ratio) and the diatom (Cyclotella/Navicula ratio) evidences indicate that the effective moisture increased, leading to a deeper lake. Over the past 5,500 years, the pollen record shows that effective moisture continued to increase, and the diatom record indicates fluctuations in the lake level. The change in the lake level pattern from one of the increasing depths prior to about 6,000 cal year BP to one of the variable depths may be related to changes in the morphology of the Medicine Lake caldera associated with the movement of magma and the eruption of the Medicine Lake Glass Flow about 5,120 cal year BP. These changes in basin morphology caused Medicine Lake to flood the shallow shelf which surrounds the deeper part of the lake. During this period, the Cyclotella/Navicula ratio and the percent abundance of Isoetes vary, suggesting that the level of the lake fluctuated, resulting in changes in the shelf area available for colonization by benthic diatoms and Isoetes. These fluctuations are not typical of the small number of low-elevation Holocene lake records in the region, and probably reflect the hydrologic conditions unique to Medicine Lake.