Assessment of European streams with diatoms, macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fish: a comparative metric-based analysis of organism response to stress

1. Periphytic diatoms, macrophytes, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish were sampled with standard methods in 185 streams in nine European countries to compare their response to degradation. Streams were classified into two main stream type groups (i.e. lowland, mountain streams); in addition, the lowland streams were grouped into four more specific stream types. 2. Principal components analysis with altogether 43 environmental parameters was used to construct complex stressor gradients for physical–chemical, hydromorphological and land use data. About 30 metrics were calculated for each sample and organism group. Metric responses to different stress types were analysed by Spearman Rank Correlation. 3. All four organism groups showed significant response to eutrophication/organic pollution gradients. Generally, diatom metrics were most strongly correlated to eutrophication gradients (85% and 89% of the diatom metrics tested correlated significantly in mountain and lowland streams, respectively), followed by invertebrate metrics (91% and 59%). 4. Responses of the four organism groups to other gradients were less strong; all organism groups responded to varying degrees to land use changes, hydromorphological degradation on the microhabitat scale and general degradation gradients, while the response to hydromorphological gradients on the reach scale was mainly limited to benthic macroinvertebrates (50% and 44% of the metrics tested correlated significantly in mountain and lowland streams, respectively) and fish (29% and 47%). 5. Fish and macrophyte metrics generally showed a poor response to degradation gradients in mountain streams and a strong response in lowland streams. 6. General recommendations on European bioassessment of streams were derived from the results.     

Effects of taxonomic group,spatial scale and descriptor on the relationship between human activity and stream biota

Using human activity and stream biota data collected from 160 small (600–3000 ha) watersheds in rural southwestern Ontario, we determined the relative ability of three commonly used methods of describing fish and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages (i.e., metrics, presence/absence, and relative abundance) to assess the biological effects of reach and basin scale human activity. Analyses indicated that benthic macroinvertebrate presence/absence was more strongly correlated with human activity at both reach and basin scales than fish presence/absence, benthic macroinvertebrate or fish relative abundance, and metrics derived from benthic macroinvertebrates or fish data. However, sites exhibiting lower levels of human activity were, in some cases, better differentiated by relative abundance. The use of metrics did not provide any additional information regarding the effects of human activities and regularly appeared to underestimate differences between moderately exposed sites and sites exposed to low or very high levels of human activity. Tests for redundancy between fish and benthic macroinvertebrates indicated that they respond differently to the same type and extent of human activity suggesting that the assemblages are sensitive to different stressors emanating from the same activities. There was also a disparity between assemblages with regards to which scale they were most strongly associated as fish were more associated with human activities at the basin scale whereas benthic invertebrates were most strongly associated with the activities at the reach scale. Finally, there was no apparent advantage to describing human activities at multiple scales as predicted basin scores were highly correlated among scales, a finding that may be attributable to the homogeneity of rural environments. Similar studies need to be conducted for a broader spectrum of human activities across a larger geographic extent to determine if these findings are widely applicable.     

Linking organism groups – major results and conclusions from the STAR project

Here we summarize results of the EU funded research project STAR concerning the suitability of different organism groups (fish, benthic invertebrates, macrophytes, diatoms) for monitoring European rivers. In a general way, the suitability of the organism groups is classified by monitoring type, stress type, river type, temporal scale and taxonomic resolution. For example, although all organism groups are affected by acidification, the relatively low species richness of fish and macrophytes in small mountain streams makes these two groups less suitable, and, hence, we argue that benthic diatoms and/or invertebrates may be considered as more robust indicators. Similar, lines of reasoning are given for a number of stressor and stream types.     

Ecological assessment of running waters: Do macrophytes,macroinvertebrates, diatoms and fish show similar responses to human pressures?

This study aimed to compare the intensity and the sensitivity of the responses of four river biological quality elements (BQEs) – macrophytes, fish, diatoms and macroinvertebrates – to human pressures excluding natural variations in stream ecosystem functioning. Biological, water quality and hydro-morphological data were compiled for 290 French river sites.Out of the 93 metrics tested, 51 covering the four BQEs responded significantly to global degradation. The responses to specific pressures were consistent with the BQEs’ ecological and biological characteristics. For the four BQEs, metrics responded strongly to water quality degradations. Like fish, macroinvertebrate metrics were very sensitive to morphological degradations such as the presence of an impoundment, while diatom and macrophyte metrics did not show strong responses to these changes. Among the four BQEs’ metrics, fish metrics responded the strongest to hydrological perturbations. Although a high proportion of the metrics responded only to high levels of human-induced degradations, trait-based metrics seemed the most sensitive and responded to lower levels of pressure. Global and water quality degradations of the river appear to be better detected by BQE metrics than channel morphological and hydrological degradations. Our results highlight the different impacts of human-induced pressures on the four BQE metrics and the challenging task of assessing the effect of single pressures when most of sites are multi-impacted.     

Assessing trout farm pollution by biological metrics and indices based on aquatic macrophytes and benthic macroinvertebrates: A case study

In this study we examine the ecological responses of aquatic macrophytes and benthic macroinvertebrates to a trout farm effluent located in the upper Tajuña River (Guadalajara province, Central Spain), comparing the suitability of biological metrics and indices based on these two communities to assess trout farm pollution in the upper reaches of fluvial ecosystems. Sampling surveys were carried out in winter and summer 2006, and in spring 2007. Four sampling sites were selected along the study reach: S-1, placed upstream from the trout farm, was used as a reference station; S-2, S-3 and S-4 were placed about 10, 100 and 1000 m downstream from the trout farm outlet, respectively. The stream bottom was mainly stony with cobbles and pebbles at all sampling sites, except at S-2 where it was covered by a thick layer of organic sediment. Aquatic macrophytes and benthic macroinvertebrates significantly increased in abundance downstream from the trout farm effluent, particularly at S-3 and S-4. However, while the diversity of aquatic macrophytes increased downstream (at S-3 and S-4, but not at S-2), the diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates significantly decreased, particularly at S-2. Regarding aquatic macrophytes, moss coverage values, as well as values of the Index of Macrophytes (IM) and the Macroscopic Aquatic Vegetation Index (MAVI), were higher at S-1 than at S-2. In contrast, values of moss coverage and IM were significantly lower at S-1 than at S-3 and S-4. MAVI values were similar at S-1, S-3 and S-4. Regarding benthic macroinvertebrates, the abundance percentage of oligochaetes and chironomids (expressed as OC%) was significantly higher at downstream polluted sites (particularly at S-2) than at S-1. Conversely, the abundance percentage of ephemeropterans, plecopterans and trichopterans (expressed as EPT%), and scores of the total Biological Monitoring Water Quality (t-BMWQ) index and the average Biological Monitoring Water Quality (a-BMWQ) index were much lower at S-2 than at S-1, with a clear tendency to increase with increasing downstream distance from the trout farm. Correlation analyses showed that changes in physicochemical parameters (inorganic nutrients, dissolved oxygen and turbidity) along the study reach were better correlated with changes in metrics and indices based on benthic macroinvertebrates. Overall it is concluded that metrics and indices based on benthic macroinvertebrates (such as OC% and EPT% metrics and t-BMWQ and a-BMWQ indices) can be more suitable than those based on aquatic macrophytes for the biological monitoring of trout farm pollution in the upper reaches of fluvial ecosystems, since the higher diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates inhabiting the river bottom would permit this community to exhibit a better indicator performance regarding the environmental stress caused by trout farm effluents. However, further studies are needed in order to generalize this conclusion.     

Relationships among biological elements (macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and ichthyofauna) for different core river types across Europe at two different spatial scales

The objective of this study was to evaluate differences in correlations among Biological Elements and environmental parameters for different river types, analysed at two different spatial scales. A total of 82 sites, with at least good ecological status, were sampled across Europe, representing three core river types: Mountain rivers (26 sites); Lowland rivers (29 sites) and Mediterranean rivers (17 sites). At each site samples of macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fishes were taken during spring, following the methodological procedures established by the European STAR project. Environmental parameters were also recorded, based on a site protocol developed by the European projects AQEM and STAR. Environmental parameters were divided into three categories: aquatic habitats (mesohabitat scale), global features (reach scale) and obligatory typology parameters of Water Framework Directive (WFD) (geographical scale). Data were analysed to evaluate at the two scales, first, relationships among biological elements, and second, relationships between biological elements and environmental parameters. Within each river type, correlation matrices (Bray–Curtis distance) were calculated separately for each biological element and for each category of environmental parameters. All biological elements were correlated (p<0.01) to the larger spatial scale: macrophytes and macroinvertebrates are more correlated in lowland and mountain rivers, while in Mediterranean rivers, fish and macrophytes presented higher correlations. These links tend to be consistent for different spatial scales, except if they are weak on a larger regional scale, obligatory parameters of WFD were, in most cases, significantly correlated with the three biological communities (p<0.05). Results at different spatial scales supported the hierarchical theory of river formation. Reach and mesohabitat environmental parameters tend to explain aquatic communities at a lower spatial scale, while geographical parameters tend to explain the communities at a major spatial scale.     

Comparative monitoring of diatoms, macroinvertebrates and macrophytes in the Woluwe River (Brussels, Belgium)

The river Woluwe in Brussels and Flanders (Belgium) is a small tributary of 15 km length that drains an area of 9400 ha in the Schelde river basin. The headwaters of the Woluwe are highly fragmented by diverse pond systems and are vaulted in the Brussels agglomeration. Hyporheic zones locally influence the water quality. The downstream stretch of the river receives sewage waters from households and industry. As the river Woluwe within a short distance represents a typical gradient from groundwater-fed sources in the forest towards severely polluted water, a comparative monitoring using diatoms, macroinvertebrates and macrophytes was done. The saprobic index based on diatoms, the Belgian Biotic Index (BBI) for macroinvertebrates and a macrophyte index based on the N-values of Ellenberg were used in this comparison and for estimating the correlation with the bimonthly measured chemical variables in 16 sampling stations. The diatom saprobic index and the macrophyte index were strongly correlated. Both groups showed strong correlations with phosphate, ammonium and chemical oxygen demand. The Belgian Biotic Index showed lower correlations with the nutrient variables, but was slightly better correlated to chemical oxygen demand, chloride and dissolved oxygen. None of the indices showed a correlation with nitrate. Local substrate or light conditions could interfere with the indicator system, especially for the macrophytes and occasionally for the macroinvertebrates. It was concluded that at least in this particular river system, the indices based on the primary producers were more indicative for the trophic status, whereas the BBI showed a broader relationship to the general degree of pollution. Therefore, these three indices are considered as complementary for monitoring the biological quality and the ecological status of a river system.     

A Multicompartment Approach - Diatoms,Macrophytes, Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish - To Assess the Impact of Toxic Industrial Releases on a Small French River

The River Luzou flows through a sandy substrate in the South West of France. According to the results of two assessment surveys, the Water Agency appraised that this river may not achieve the good ecological status by 2015 as required by the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). This ecosystem is impacted by industrial effluents (organic matter, metals and aromatic compounds). In order to assess and characterize the impact, this study aimed to combine a set of taxonomic and non-taxonomic metrics for diatoms, macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fish along the up- to downstream gradient of the river. Diversity metrics, biological indices, biological and ecological traits were determined for the four biological quality elements (BQE). Various quantitative metrics (biomass estimates) were also calculated for diatom communities. The results were compared to physicochemical analysis. Biological measurements were more informative than physicochemical analysis, in the context of the study. Biological responses indicated both the contamination of water and its intensity. Diversity metrics and biological indices strongly decreased with pollution for all BQE but diatoms. Convergent trait selection with pollution was observed among BQE: reproduction, colonization strategies, or trophic regime were clearly modified at impaired sites. Taxon size and relation to the substrate diverged among biological compartments. Multiple anthropogenic pollution calls for alternate assessment methods of rivers'' health. Our study exemplifies the fact that, in the case of complex contaminations, biological indicators can be more informative for environmental risk, than a wide screening of contaminants by chemical analysis alone. The combination of diverse biological compartments provided a refined diagnostic about the nature (general mode of action) and intensity of the contamination.     

Concordance among stream assemblages and spatial autocorrelation along a fragmented gradient

Patterns of spatial autocorrelation of biota and distributional similarity (concordance) between assemblages of different organism groups have important implications in both theoretical ecology and biodiversity conservation. Here we report environmental gradients and spatial distribution patterns of taxonomic composition among stream fish, benthic macroinvertebrate, and diatom assemblages along a fragmented stream in south‐western France. We quantified spatial patterns of lotic assemblage structure along this stream, and we tested for concordance in distribution patterns among the three taxonomic groups. Our results showed that both environmental characteristics and stream assemblages were spatially autocorrelated. For stream fish and diatom assemblages, these patterns reflected assemblage changes along the longitudinal stream gradient, whereas environmental variables and benthic macroinvertebrates exhibited a more patchy spatial pattern. Cross‐taxa concordance was significant between stream fish and diatoms, and between stream fish and benthic macroinvertebrates. The assemblage concordance between stream fish and diatoms could be attributed to similar responses along the longitudinal gradient, whereas those between stream fish and benthic macroinvertebrates may result from biotic interactions. Based on potential dispersal capacities of taxa, our results validated the hypotheses that weakly dispersing taxa exhibit greater concordance than highly dispersing ones and that dispersal capacities affect how taxonomic groups respond to their local environment. Both diatoms and highly dispersing stream fish were affected by stream fragmentation (i.e. the number of dams between sites), while the effect of fragmentation was not significant for invertebrates that fly well in their adult stage, thus emphasizing the importance of the way of dispersal. These results suggest that addressing the effects of dispersal capacity on stream assemblage patterns is crucial to identifying mechanisms behind patterns and to better understanding the determinants of stream biodiversity.     

Ecological relationships between stream communities and spatial scale: implications for designing catchment-level monitoring programmes

1. Stream communities are structured by factors acting over multiple spatial and temporal scales. Identifying what factors are driving spatial patterns in stream communities is a central aim of ecology.
2. Here we used two large European data sets of fish, invertebrates, macrophytes, benthic diatoms and environmental data in two stream groups (lowland and mountain) to determine the importance of variables at different spatial scales (geographical, regional, local) on community structure.
3. Both geographical position and ecoregion were selected first in canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), clearly showing the broad spatial gradients covered in the data set. Secondary predictors (after accounting for spatial and/or ecoregion effects) were similar between stream groups and among the four organism groups. In particular, conductivity and N concentration were strong predictors reflecting catchment land use.
4. Using partial CCA, we assessed the individual importance of the three spatial scales on the community structure of the four organism groups in the two stream groups. The majority of among-site variability (22–29%) was accounted for by local scale variables (e.g. water chemistry and substratum type), with regional and spatial variables accounting 11–13% and 5–6%, respectively. Our findings indicate that the four organism groups are responding similarly to the different levels of spatial scale, implying much redundancy which should be consider when implementing studies of bioassessment.     

Comparative study of monitoring South-Finnish rivers and streams using macroinvertebrate and benthic diatom community structure

In southern Finland, most of the rivers are turbid and suffer from eutrophication and leaching of suspended solids from diffuse sources. We first related benthic diatom and macroinvertebrate structure to environmental factors using direct ordination. Second, benthic diatoms and macroinvertebrates were simultaneously sampled in several South-Finnish rivers and streams to compare two monitoring methods. The study sites constituted of some large, moderately nutrient rich rivers and some smaller, less eutrophic streams situated on the south coast of Finland. Diatom species distribution was most affected by conductivity, total P and latitude. Species distribution of macroinvertebrates was mostly related to channel width, conductivity and pH. For diatoms, separation of community structure between sampling stations was clear, but corresponding macroinvertebrate communities were more similar to each other. Correlation between diatom and macroinvertebrate pollution indices was rather low and insignificant (r = 0.28). As a whole, variation of macroinvertebrate index values (CV = 4.7%) among replicate samples was slightly lower than for diatom index (CV = 6.0%). On the contrary, community similarity between the replicate samples was slightly lower among macroinvertebrates (r = 0.770) due probably to their larger local scale spatial variation, sampling of more habitats and lower density compared to diatoms (r = 0.874). In conclusion, multiple pressures affecting the river ecosystems at different spatial and temporal scales should lead to choosing more than one biological monitoring method with clearly identifiable responses.     

Biological indices applied to benthic macroinvertebrates at reference conditions of mountain streams in two ecoregions (Poland, the Slovak Republic)

The study was carried out from 2007 to 2010 in two ecoregions: the Carpathians and the Central Highlands. The objectives of our survey were to test the existing biological index metric based on benthic macroinvertebrates at reference conditions in the high- and mid-altitude mountain streams of two ecoregions according to the requirements of the EU WFD and to determine which environmental factors influence the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates. Our results revealed statistically significant differences in the values of the physical and chemical parameters of water as well as the mean values of metrics between the types of streams at the sampling sites. RDA analysis showed that the temperature of the water, pH, conductivity, the stream gradient, values of the HQA index, and altitude were the parameters most associated with the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa and the values of the metrics. The values of biological indices should be considered according to the stream typology including altitude and geology. At the reference conditions, the suggested border values of biological indices are very harsh. The values of the biological indices of most sampling sites did not correspond to the requirements of the high status in rivers. The streams at altitudes above 1,200 m a.s.l. should be treated as another river type and new reference values should be established.     

Community structure or function: effects of environmental stress on benthic macroinvertebrates at different spatial scales

1. This study investigated the relation of benthic macroinvertebrates to environmental gradients in Central European lowland rivers. Taxonomic structure (taxa) and functional composition (metrics) were related to gradients at four different spatial scales (ecoregion, catchment, reach and site). The environmental variables at the catchment‐, reach‐ and site scales reflected the intensity of human impact: catchment and floodplain land use, riparian and floodplain degradation, flow regulation and river bank and bed modification. 2. Field surveys and GIS yielded 130 parameters characterising the hydromorphology and land use of 75 river sections in Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland. Two hundred and forty‐four macroinvertebrate taxa and 84 derived community metrics and biotic indices such as functional guilds, diversity and composition measures were included in the analysis. 3. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and Redundancy Analysis (RDA) showed that hydromorphological and land use variables explained 11.4%, 22.1% and 15.8% of the taxa variance at the catchment (‘macro’), reach (‘meso’) and site (‘micro’) scales, respectively, compared with 14.9%, 33.2% and 21.5% of the variance associated with the derived metrics. Ecoregion and season accounted for 10.9% and 20.5% of the variance of the taxonomic structure and functional composition, respectively. 4. Partial CCA (pCCA) and RDA (pRDA) showed that the unique variance explained was slightly higher for taxa than for metrics. By contrast, the joint variance explained for metrics was much higher at all spatial scales and largest at the reach scale. Environmental variables explained 46.8% of metric variance and 32.4% of taxonomic structure. 5. Canonical Correspondence Analysis and RDA identified clear environmental gradients along the two main ordination axes, namely, land use and hydromorphological degradation. The impact of catchment land use on benthic macroinvertebrates was mainly revealed by the proportion of urban areas. At the reach scale, riparian and floodplain attributes (bank fixation, riparian wooded vegetation, shading) and the proportion of large woody debris were strong predictors of the taxonomic structure and functional composition of benthic macroinvertebrates. At the site scale, artificial substrata indicated human impact, particularly the proportion of macro‐ and mesolithal used for bank enforcement (rip–rap). 6. Our study revealed the importance of benthic macroinvertebrate functional measures (functional guilds, composition and abundance measures, sensitivity and tolerance measures, diversity measures) for detecting the impact of hydromorphological stress at different spatial scales.     

Response of three lotic assemblages to riparian and catchment‐scale land use: implications for designing catchment monitoring programmes

1. Although many studies have focussed on the effects of catchment land use on lotic systems, the importance of broad (catchment) and fine (segment/reach) scale effects on stream assemblages remain poorly understood. 2. Nine biological metrics for macrophytes (498 sites), benthic macroinvertebrates (491) and fish (478) of lowland and mountain streams in four ecoregions of France and Germany were related to catchment and riparian buffer land use using partial Redundancy Analysis and Boosted Regression Trees (BRTs). 3. Lotic fauna was better correlated (mean max., r = 0.450) than flora (r = 0.277) to both scales of land use: the strongest correlations were noted for mountain streams. BRTs revealed strong non‐linear relationships between mountain assemblage metrics and land use. Correlations increased with increasing buffer lengths, suggesting the importance of near‐stream land use on biotic assemblages. 4. Several metrics changed markedly between 10–20% (mountain ecoregions) and 40–45% (lowland) of arable land use, irrespective of the buffer size. At mountain sites with >10% catchment arable land use, metric values differed between sites with <30% and sites with >30% forest in the near‐stream riparian area. 5. These findings support the role of riparian land use in catchment management; however, differences between mountain and lowland ecoregions support the need for ecoregion‐specific management.     

Detection of ecological change using multiple organism groups: metrics and uncertainty

A number of biological approaches are commonly used to assess the ecological integrity of stream ecosystems. Recently, it is becoming increasingly common to use multiple organism groups in bioassessment. Advocates of the multiple organism approach argue that the use of different organism groups should strengthen inference-based models and ultimately result in lower assessment error, while opponents argue that organism groups often respond similarly to stress implying a high degree of redundancy. Using fish, macroinvertebrate, macrophyte and benthic diatom data, site-specific parameters (e.g., water chemistry and substratum) and catchment variables from European mountain (n = 77) and lowland (n = 85) streams we evaluated the discriminatory power and uncertainty associated with the use of a number of biological metrics commonly used in stream assessment. The primary environmental gradient for both streams types was land use and nutrient enrichment. Secondary and tertiary gradients were related to habitat quality or alterations in hydromorphology. Benthic diatom and macroinvertebrate metrics showed high discriminatory power (R² values often >0.50) and low error (<30%) with the primary (nutrient) gradient, while both fish and macrophyte metrics performed relatively poorly. Conversely, both fish and macrophyte metrics showed higher response (high coefficients of determination) than either benthic diatom or macroinvertebrate metrics to the second (e.g., alteration in habitat/hydromorphology) gradient. However, the discriminatory power and error associated with individual metrics varied markedly, indicating that caution should be exercised when selecting the ‘best’ organism group or metric to monitor stress.     

Comparative Environmental Assessment in the Studies of Benthic Diatom,Macroinvertebrate, and Fish Communities

Community response to environmental gradients operating at hierarchical scales was assessed in studies of benthic diatoms, macroinvertebrates and fish from 44 stream sites in the New York City watershed. Hierarchical cluster analysis (TWINSPAN) of diatoms and fish partitioned the study sites into four groups, i.e., acid streams, reservoir outlets and wetland streams, large eutrophic streams, and small eutrophic streams; macroinvertebrate TWINSPAN distinguished an additional group of silty eutrophic streams. The correspondence among the three assemblage TWINSPAN groupings was moderate, ranging from 51 to 57%. The similarity across the four major group types was the highest among large eutrophic stream and acid stream assemblages, and the lowest among small eutrophic stream assemblages. Stepwise discriminant function analysis revealed that environmental factors discriminated most effectively the diatom grouping and least effectively the fish grouping. The best environmental predictors for diatom and macroinvertebrate grouping were conductance and percent surface water, while population density was most powerful in separating the fish groups. Carbaryl was the only pesticide that correlated with macroinvertebrate grouping. Partial redundancy analyses suggested a differential dependence of freshwater communities on the scale of the environmental factors to which they respond. The role of small‐scale habitat and habitatland cover/land use interaction steadily increased across the diatom, macroinvertebrate, and fish assemblages, whereas the effect of large‐scale land cover/land use declined.     

Are biological classifications of headwater streams concordant across multiple taxonomic groups?

1. Studies assessing human impacts on freshwater ecosystems are typically based on a single taxonomic group, often macroinvertebrates or fish. Unfortunately, the degree to which such macroinvertebrate or fish‐based surveys can be generalised across other taxonomic groups remains largely unknown. A prerequisite for useful generalisations is that different taxonomic groups exhibit concordant patterns of community structure across sites. 2. We examined the concordance among fish, benthic macroinvertebrates and bryophytes in 32 streams in a boreal catchment in Finland. Our goal was to test how consistently different taxonomic groups classify stream sites; for example, can site groupings based on macroinvertebrates be used as a surrogate for bryophyte or fish assemblage classification? 3. Our results show that community classifications in headwater streams are not concordant across taxonomic groups, at least not at the within‐river system scale. The lack of concordance reflected the fact that all three groups responded to different environmental factors. Macroinvertebrate community structure was mainly correlated with stream size and pH, whereas bryophytes were related to water colour, nutrient content and in‐stream habitat variability. Fish community structure was best described by stream depth, substrate size and water oxygen concentration. 4. Our results suggest that great care should be taken when typologies based on benthic macroinvertebrates, or any other taxonomic group, are extrapolated to other groups in creating typologies of lotic environments.     

Comparison of different biological indices for the assessment of river quality: application to the upper river Moselle (France)

The aim of our study was to assess the water quality of the upper Moselle river by using biological indices. Simultaneous physico-chemical surveys were also undertaken from May 1999 to April 2000. Twelve sampling sites were selected in order to provide a wide range of potential pollution. Chemical analysis did not reveal any major problem of pollution. However a lower water quality resulting from domestic pollution was established for some sampling sites. A biological monitoring combining both macroinvertebrates and macrophytes was performed. Biological indices based on plant community structure and macrophyte composition were not pertinent tools, whereas simple indices based on taxonomic richness of particular groups of macroinvertebrates were strongly correlated with several chemical parameters, showing that such simple biological variables should represent powerful indicators of ecosystem degradation.     

Multi-scale effects of resource patchiness on foraging behaviour and habitat use by longnose dace, Rhinichthys cataractae

1. We examined the response of a predatory benthic fish, the longnose dace ( Rhinichthys cataractae ), to patchiness in the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates on cobbles at three hierarchical spatial scales during summer and autumn 1996, and spring 1997 in a southern Appalachian stream. 2. At the primary scale (four to five individual cobbles separated by <1 m), the intensity of foraging was not correlated with the biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates/cobble, regardless of season. 3. At the secondary scale (i.e. foraging patches <5 m in diameter) we found that benthic macroinvertebrates were patchily distributed in summer, but not in autumn or spring. Concomitantly, in summer, longnose dace foraged on cobbles with a significantly higher biomass of benthic macronvertebrates than nearby, randomly selected cobbles with similar physical conditions (i.e. longnose dace tended to avoid low-prey foraging patches). In contrast, when benthic macroinvertebrates were distributed homogeneously (spring and autumn), dace did not select patches with a significantly higher biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates than that available on randomly selected cobbles. 4. At the tertiary scale (i.e. stream reaches 11–19 m long), the biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates (per cobble per reach) was patchily distributed (i.e. differed significantly among reaches) in all seasons. Among reaches with physical characteristics preferred by longnose dace, (i.e. erosional reaches dominated by cobble/boulder substratum and high current velocity), we detected a significant, positive correlation between the biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates/cobble and longnose dace density in all seasons. 5. Our results demonstrated that both spatial and temporal patchiness in resource availability influenced significantly the use of both foraging patches and stream reaches by longnose dace.