Uncertainty in Diatom Assessment: Sampling, Identification and Counting Variation |
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Authors: | Anna Besse-Lototskaya Piet F M Verdonschot Jos A Sinkeldam |
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Institution: | (1) Freshwater Biology, Alterra, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | Despite the widespread application of periphytic diatoms to water quality assessment at a regional level, there is no standard
European sampling protocol or associated assessment metrics. Furthermore, relatively little is known about the uncertainty
in the results of such assessments. One of the objectives of the European project for the Standardisation of River Classifications
(STAR) is to improve and standardise diatom assessment methods. An extensive diatom ring test, together with an audit of the
project results, provided a better understanding and quantification of the uncertainty in quality assessment of running waters
using diatoms. The variation in multimetric analysis shows that the choice of site and substrate for sampling, the inter-operator
differences in diatom taxonomy and the counting techniques are the primary sources of uncertainty. To some extent, this variation
also reveals the robustness of specific metrics in relation to the sources of uncertainty. Of the three most common substrate
types tested (stone, macrophyte and sediment), macrophytes emerge as the most preferred substrate for diatom sampling when
performing multimetric water quality assessment. |
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Keywords: | diatoms multimetric index standardisation ecological assessment |
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