Transitional and freshwater bioassessments: One site, two perspectives?

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 78; no. 1-2; pp. 153 - 164
• Main Authors: Neto, J.M., Feio, M.J., Teixeira, H., Patrício, J., Serra, S.R.Q., Franco, J.N., Calapez, A.R., Constantino, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15.01.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Benthos; Biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Estuaries; Fresh Water - chemistry; Fresh water ecosystems; FSTZ; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Marine and brackish environment; Oligohaline–freshwater zone; Pollution sensitivity; Portugal; Quality status; Sea water ecosystems; Seawater - chemistry; Synecology; WFD; Portugal; FSTZ; Benthos; WFD; Oligohaline–freshwater zone; Quality status; Pollution sensitivity; Status; Water Framework Directive; Oligohaline―freshwater zone; Biological monitoring; Freshwater environment; Marine environment; Pollution; Quality
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.10.048

•Complement to the intercalibration exercise (WFD).•Macrobenthos structure vs. quality assessment on freshwater–saltwater transition zone.•Harmonisation of assessment results between large rivers and transitional waters.•Improvement of taxa sensitivity to pollution score between adjacent water categories.•Implications to River Basin Management Plans. The freshwater–saltwater-transition-zone was analysed using two different sampling protocols and assessment methodologies, developed for freshwater and estuaries, to compare their agreement level in terms of community composition and quality assessments. The use of different protocols resulted in significant differences in macroinvertebrate communities, in index scores and initially in quality classes. After modifications in the sensitivity scores of the IBMWP and AMBI indices (average scores or the use of a score of the other index when both were present), the differences were largely reduced and quality classes became coincident for the assessments provided by IPtIs and BAT tools. Such harmonisation of quality assessments for adjacent water categories (e.g., large rivers vs. transitional waters), exemplified here as an harmonisation in one of the metrics comprised in the assessment tools, is essential as it has direct implications on the expansion and accomplishment of River Basin Management Plans committed by the Water Framework Directive.