Evaluating the performance of benthic multi-metric indices across broad-scale environmental gradients |
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Affiliation: | 1. Ocean Science and Technology for Islands, National Institute of Ocean Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences (Govt. of India), Chennai 600100, India;2. Coastal and Environmental Engineering, National Institute of Ocean Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences (Govt. of India), Chennai 600100, India;1. Department of Ecology and Animal Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, University of Vigo. Campus Universitario Lagoas-Marcosende, Vigo 36310, Pontevedra, Spain;2. Marine Research Center of University of Vigo (ECIMAT Marine Station), Illa de Toralla, Vigo 36331, Pontevedra, Spain;3. Department of Biology (Zoology), Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University of Madrid, C/ Darwin 2, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain;1. Fishery College, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China;2. Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266072, China;3. National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, State Oceanic Administration, Dalian 116023, China |
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Abstract: | The usefulness of benthic multi-metric indices when assessing seafloor integrity across broad environmental gradients should be deliberated, as their lack of transparency might hide important sources of variation and fail to identify environmental change. This study compares the performance of two multi-metric indices; the Benthic Quality Index (BQI) and the Brackish water Benthic Index (BBI) between three sub-basins in the Baltic Sea. Both indices reflect the salinity-driven gradient in macroinvertebrate diversity and composition as well as changes in bottom water oxygen concentrations. The relative contribution of predictor variables for explaining index variation does, however, differ between sub-basins, resulting in the indices representing different aspects of the benthic community along the environmental gradient. This context-dependency is caused by inherent differences in benthic community characteristics between the sub-basins of the Baltic Sea, and how the communities are portrayed by the indices. An increased transparency of the importance of the different predictors for directing index values is needed for coherent classifications over broad environmental gradients, such as those occurring in large estuarine water bodies. Use of a weight of evidence table to combine multiple indicators would preserve transparency and be more likely to provide a robust assessment method that would detect seafloor degradation at an early stage. |
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Keywords: | Benthic macroinvertebrates Transitional waters Baltic Sea Benthic Quality Index Brackish water Benthic Index Marine Strategy Framework Directive |
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