Invertebrate Standards in Rivers

Paul Logan

Existing CEN standards relating to the ecological assessment of freshwaters - TG1 - invertebratesQuality element: Invertebrate sampling in Freshwaters

EN 27828

Methods of biological sampling

- Guidance on handnet sampling

of aquatic benthic macro-invertebrates

EN 28265

Methods of biological sampling

- Guidance on the design and

use of quantitative samplers for benthic

macro-invertebrates on stony

substrata in shallow freshwaters

EN ISO 9391

Sampling in deep waters for

macro-invertebrates

- Guidance on the use of colonisation,

qualitative and quantitative samples

Under revision

Revison Document N101a

Guidance on the selection of sampling methods and devices for benthic macroinvertebrates in freshwaters

Describes the selection of sampling devices (design) and methods (operation and performance characteristics) to be used in order to evaluate benthic macro-invertebrate populations in rivers, canals lakes and reservoirs.

Sampling methods - flowing waters

� Handnet - restricted to 4m� Surber sampler� Cylinder sampler� Box sampler� Naturalist’s dredge� Berge-Eckman� Colonisation sampler� Freeze corers� Owen Bagpipe Sampler

Cylinder Sampler

Design: The sampler consists essentially for an open-ended cylinder, constructed of

stainless steel, 0.5mm thick with the lower edge serrated with teeth (each 10mm deep)…

Operation: The sampling position should be approached from downstream to avoid undue

disturbance of the sampling area. The sampler should be placed on the streambed...

Performance characteristics:

Sampling Equipment for Flowing Waters - example (N101a)

EN ISO 8689-1 Biological classification of rivers - PART 1: Guidance on

the interpretation of biological quality data from surveys of benthic macro-

invertebrates in running waters (ISO 8689-1:2000)

Scope:This part of ISO 8689 gives guidance on the interpretation of biological quality data

relating to running waters from surveys of benthic macroinvertebrates. It is

recognised that for a complete assessment of ecological status, other elements of

biological quality should be assessed.

Existing CEN standards relating to the ecological assessment of freshwaters - TG1 - invertebratesQuality element: Classification of Rivers using Invertebrates

Establishing a relationship between a Biological Quality Element and a Pressure Gradient

BOUNDARY SETTING PROTOCOL - Stage 1

Reference Conditions

Typology

BiologicalDataset

Normative Definitions

A prioriExpert Views of theNormative definitions

BiologicalMetrics

BiologicalMetricsBiological

MetricsBiologicalMetricsBiological

Metrics

PressureDataset

PressureMetrics

Spatial Network

HistoricRecords

ExpertOpinion

Models

Filename- boundary

Sensitive taxaDiversityBlooms etc.

Bio

logic

al m

etr

ic

Pressure Metric

High

Bad

Full range data set

Full range data set

Consider absolutepressure metric within a type or reference based between types

Consider multimetricapproach

Boundary Setting Protocol - Stage 2 - Relationships with discontinuity/thresholdB

iolo

gic

al m

etr

ic

Pressure Metric

Is there a relationship?

No - discard

Yes

Bio

log

ical m

etr

ic

Pressure Metric

High

Bad

Does natural variation cover most of the range?

Referenceconditions

Bio

log

ical m

etr

ic

Pressure Metric

Is there a distinctthreshold/discontinuity in the relationship ?

No

High

Bad

Use Ref Con to define HighUse threshold to defineGood/Moderate boundary

Yes

No - see stage 3

Is metric likely to be important & can data be improved

Yes

Further development & implementation later

Boundary Setting Protocol - Stage 3 - Boundaries for a continuum

Bio

log

ical m

etr

ic

1

Pressure Metric

Pressure Metric

Bio

log

ical m

etr

ic

Null hypothesisAssume all class sizes are equal

A prioriExpertViews of Normative definitions

CheckagainstHigh

BadExisting classificationsustainablepublic scrutiny

High

Bad

Amend

Examine relationshipbetween related metrics

High

Bad

Use cross overto define classor boundary

No discontinuityFrom Stage 2

Bio

log

ical m

etric

2

Stage 4 - a)compare classifications for different metrics and quality elements to check for expected relationshipsb)subject classifications to intercalibration review and public/peer group scrutiny

Eg response of reference and impact taxa, may give ecological boundary

EN ISO 8689-2 Biological classification of rivers - PART 2: Guidance on

the presentation of biological quality data from survey so benthic macro-

invertebrates (ISO 8689-2:2000)

Scope:This part of ISO 8689 gives guidance on the presentation of biological quality data

relating to running waters from surveys of benthic macroinvertebrates. The guidance

is applicable to the results of surveys using standard methods of sampling and using

the classification procedures given in ISO 8689-1. It is recognised that for a

complete assessment of ecological status, other elements of biological quality

should be assessed.

Existing CEN standards relating to the ecological assessment of freshwaters - TG1 - invertebratesQuality element: Classification of Rivers using Invertebrates

Biological Status for the River Aire

High

Good

Moderate

Poor

Bad

Guidance standard for the routine sampling of zooplankton from standing watersCurrent status: Formal vote procedure

General procedures for surveying zooplankton in standing waters for the purposes of:� water quality assessment � determination of ecological status (not normative definition)� Phytoplankton blooms

Sampling procedures and the subsequent steps for

preservation and storage are given. The sampling

procedures provide a whole-lake estimate for: � species occurrence � abundance/biomass (relative or absolute) � production of zooplankton (including spatial distribution � and temporal trends)

The sampling procedure may be also employed in slow running waters and canals.

Guidance on the sampling and processing of the pupal exuviae of Chironomidae (Order Diptera) for ecological assessment Current status: Formal vote procedure

Specifies equipment and procedures for collecting floating pupal exuviae of Chironomidae from aquatic habitats;

� rivers (from source to estuary)� canals� ponds� lakes� sea coasts

Guidance in preparing specimens for subsequent identification is provided.

These samples provide representative data on relative speciesabundance, suitable for:

� numerical analysis � classification � and monitoring of environmental conditions

Guidance on pro-rata multihabitat sampling of benthic invertebrates Current status: Working document

The recommended procedures focus on the pro-rata Multi-Habitat-Sampling (MHS) of benthic macroinvertebrates in:� wadeable rivers � and streams

The term "pro-rata" reflects the intention to sample adequate proportions of riverine

habitats with a minimum occurrence of 5 % of total habitat.

The MHS methodology is based on: the Rapid Bioassessment Protocols (Barbour et al. 1999), the procedures

of the ENVIRONMENT AGENCY of England and Wales (Murray-Bligh 1999), the Austrian Guidelines for the

Assessment of the Saprobiological Water Quality of Rivers and Streams (MOOG et al. 1999), ISO 7828,

the AQEM sampling manual (2002), the AQEM & STAR site protocol (2002) and the Austrian Standards M

6232 and M 6119-2.

Guidance on the design of multimetricsCurrent status: Working document

This European Standard establishes methods for developing and applying

Multimetric Indices used for assessing:� rivers � lakes� transitional waters � wetlands

It is suitable for use with data on: � fish � benthic invertebrates � macrophytes � phytoplankton � and phytobenthos