Abstract
Implementation of the Water Framework Directive requires tools for measuring and monitoring the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. Several indices are in use in the Iberian Peninsula, although there has been little comparison among them. We sampled the fish assemblage and limnological features of the Tordera stream (NE Spain) quarterly from September 2001 to May 2003 to evaluate the usefulness of several fish metrics and to compare habitat quality and biotic indices currently in use. Data for eight biotic and abiotic indices for this and three other Catalan river basins were also compiled in order to analyse the relationships among indices. In the Tordera stream, fish abundance and richness increased with stream order except in the last sampling site that had the lowest fish abundance owing to the effects of drought and water abstraction. Although most indices were positively correlated, some displayed low or null correlations particularly for the Tordera basin which is more affected by water abstraction and less by pollution; a commonly used physico-chemical index (ISQA) was the least correlated. In a regional fish index (IBICAT) under development, the brown trout (Salmo trutta) has been previously considered as introduced in the Tordera basin. Here, we report an old published record that demonstrates that trout was present before 1845 and we argue that its status should be considered as uncertain given the current information available. Whether brown trout is treated as native or introduced to this river basin has profound effects on the results of fish metrics because of its dominance in the upper reaches. We briefly discuss the role of introduced species, particularly in headwater streams, in the development of fish indices. Our study exemplifies the need for careful, basin-specific assessment of native/introduced status in the development of fish metrics.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
ACA (Agència Catalana de l’Aigua), 2006. Protocol d’avaluació de la qualitat biològica dels rius. Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona: 89 pp. [available on-line at: http://www.gencat.net/aca/documents/ca/directiva_marc/manual_biologica_rius.pdf].
ACA (Agència Catalana de l’Aigua) (ed.), 2003. Anàlisi de la viabilitat i proposta d’indicadors fitobentònics de la qualitat de l’aigua per als cursos fluvials de Catalunya. Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona: 89 pp. 113 p. [http://www.gencat.net/aca/documents/ca/directiva_marc/informe_final_diatomees.pdf].
Alba-Tercedor, J. & A. Sánchez-Ortega, 1988. Un método rápido y simple para evaluar la calidad biológica de las aguas corrientes basado en el de Helawell (1978). Limnetica 4: 51–56.
Alba-Tercedor, J., P. Jáimez-Cuéllar, M. Álvarez, J. Avilés, N. Bonada, J. Casas, A. Mellado, M. Ortega, I. Pardo, N. Prat, M. Rieradevall, S. Robles, C. Elisa Sáinz-Cantero, A. Sánchez-Ortega, M. L. Suárez, M. Toro, M. R. Vidal-Abarca, S. Vivas & C. Zamora-Muñoz, 2002. Caracterización del estado ecológico de ríos mediterráneos ibéricos mediante el índice IBMWP (antes BMWP’). Limnetica 21: 175–185.
Almodóvar, A., G. G. Nicola, B. Elvira & J. L. García-Marín, 2006. Introgression variability among Iberian brown trout evolutionary significant units: the influence of local management and environmental features. Freshwater Biology 51: 1175.
Aparicio, E., M. J. Vargas, J. M. Olmo & A. Sostoa, 2000. Decline of native freshwater fishes in a Mediterranean watershed on the Iberian Peninsula: a quantitative assessment. Environmental Biology of Fishes 59: 11–19.
Aparicio, E., E. García-Berthou, R. M. Araguas, P. Martínez & J. L. García-Marín, 2005. Body pigmentation pattern to assess introgression by hatchery stocks in native Salmo trutta from Mediterranean streams. Journal of Fish Biology 67: 931–949.
Baucells, J., J. Camprodon & J. Ordeix, 1998. La fauna vertebrada d'Osona. Atles dels peixos amfibis, rèptils, ocells i mamífers actuals i extingits recentment de la Plana de Vic, el Pre-pirineu, el Collsacabra, les Guilleries, el Montseny i el Lluçanès. Lynx edicions, Barcelona, 246 pp.
Benito, G. & M. A. Puig, 1999. BMWPC un índice biológico para la calidad de las aguas adaptado a las características de los ríos catalanes. Tecnología del Agua 191: 43–56.
Bernatchez, L., 2001. The evolutionary history of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) inferred from phylogeographic, nested clade, and mismatch analyses of mitochondrial DNA variation. Evolution 55: 351–379.
Boada, M., L. Capdevila, M. Miralles, J. Jubany, J. Gomà, M. J. Vargas, E. Aparicio, D. Carrera, S. Sánchez, E. Badosa, T. Colomer, J. Mas, M. Ventura & J. Viader, 2003. L’Observatori: estació de seguiment de la biodiversitat de la conca de la Tordera. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Barcelona, 420 pp.
Bonada, N., C. Zamora-Muñoz, M. Rieradevall & N. Prat, 2004. Ecological profiles of caddisfly larvae in Mediterranean streams: implications for bioassessment methods. Environmental Pollution 132: 509–521.
Bravo, R., M. C. Soriguer, N. Villar & J. A. Hernando, 2001. The dynamics of fish populations in the Palancar stream, a small tributary of the river Guadalquivir, Spain. Acta Oecologica 22: 9–20.
Cemagref, 1982. Étude des méthodes biologiques d’appréciation quantitative de la qualité des eaux. Rapport Division qualité des eaux Cemagef Lyon. Agence de l’Eau Rhône-Méditérannée-Corse, Lyon, 218 pp.
Clavero, M. & E. García-Berthou, 2005. Invasive species are a leading cause of animal extinctions. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20: 110.
Cortey, M., C. Pla & J. L. García-Marin, 2004. Historical biogeography of Mediterranean trout. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 831–844.
Damásio, J. B., C. Barata, A. Munné, A. Ginebreda, H.Guasch, S. Sabater, J. Caixach & C. Porte, 2007. Comparing the response of biochemical indicators (biomarkers) and biological indices to diagnose the ecological impact of an oil spillage in a Mediterranean river (NE Catalunya, Spain). Chemosphere 66: 1206–1216.
Doadrio, I., B. Elvira & Y. Bernat, 1991. Peces continentales españoles. Inventario y clasificación de zonas fluviales. In ICONA (eds), Madrid, 221 pp.
Doménech, R., A. Gaudes, J. C. López-Doval, H. Salvadó & I. Muñoz, 2006. Effects of short-term nutrient addition on microfauna density in a Mediterranean stream. Hydrobiologia 568: 207–215.
Estévez, J., 1987. Dynamique des faunes préhistoriques au N-E de la péninsule Ibérique. Archaeozoologia 1: 197–218.
Hughes, R. M. & T. Oberdorff, 1999. Applications of IBI concepts and metrics to waters outside the United States and Canada. In Simon, T. P. (ed.), Assessing the Sustainability and Biological Integrity of Water Resources Using Fish Communities. Boca Raton, Florida.
Juan-Muns, N., 1982. La ictiofauna de Catalunya en el paleolític. Revista de Girona 99: 127–130.
Karr, J. R., 1981. Assessment of biotic integrity using fish communities. Fisheries 6: 21–27.
Karr, J. R., 1999. Defining and measuring river health. Freshwater Biology 41: 221–234.
Karr J. R., K. D. Fausch, P. L. Angermeier, P. R. Yant & I. J. Schlosser, 1986. Assessing Biological Integrity in Running Waters: A Method and its Rationale. Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois.
Kennard, M. J., A. H. Arthington, B. J. Pusey & B. D. Harch, 2005. Are alien fish a reliable indicator of river health? Freshwater Biology 50: 174–193.
Klemetsen, A., P. A. Amundsen, J. B. Dempson, B. Jonsson, N. Jonsson, M. F. O’Connell & E. Mortensen, 2003. Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L., brown trout Salmo trutta L. and arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (L.): a review of aspects of their life histories. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 12: 1–59.
Lizasoain, J., 1912. Resumen de los trabajos ejecutados por la administración pública para la repoblación piscícola. Cuerpo de Montes, Madrid, 87 pp.
Madoz, P., 1845. Diccionario geográfico-estadístico-histórico de España y sus posesiones de ultramar. In Curial (eds), Barcelona, 150 pp.
Magalhães, M. F., D. C. Batalha & M. J. Collares-Pereira, 2002. Gradients in stream fish assemblages across a Mediterranean landscape: contributions of environmental factors and spatial structure. Freshwater Biology 47: 1015–1031.
Miller, D. L., P. M. Leonard, R. M. Hughes, J. R. Karr, P. B. Moyle, L. H. Schrader, B. A. Thompson, R. A. Daniels, K. D. Fausch, G. A. FitzHugh, J. R. Gammon, D. B. Halliwell, P. L. Angermeier & D. J. Orth, 1988. Regional applications of an index of biotic integrity for use in water resource management. Fisheries 13: 12–20.
Miró, A., 2007. La introducció del peixos als estanys pirinencs: procés històric i distribució actual a Catalunya i Aragó. Unpublished M.Sc. thesis, Barcelona, 69 pp.
Moyle, P. B. & M. P. Marchetti, 1999. Applications of indices of biotic integrity to California streams and watersheds. In Simon, T. P. (ed.), Assessing the Sustainability and Biological Integrity of Water Resources Using Fish Communities. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 367–380.
Munné, A., N. Prat, C. Solà, N. Bonada & M. Rieradevall, 2003. A simple field method for assessing the ecological quality of riparian habitat in rivers and streams: QBR index. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 13: 147–163.
Muñoz, G., 1988. Crónica piscícola continental hispana. In ICONA (eds), Madrid, 193 pp.
Oberdorff, T. & R. M. Hughes, 1992. Modification of an index of biotic integrity based on fish assemblages to characterize rivers of the Seine basin, France. Hydrobiologia 228: 117–130.
Oberdorff, T., D. Pont, B. Hugueny & J. P. Porcher, 2002. Development and validation of a fish-based index for the assessment of rivers ‘health’ in France. Freshwater Biology 47: 1720–1735.
Ordeix Rigó, M. O., J. Maluquer-Margalef & J. Camprodon Subirach, 1999. Estudi de la distribució de la fauna amfíbia i aquàtica de les rieres del Parc Natural del Montseny, III i IV Trobades d’Estudiosos del Montseny. Monografies 27: 215–227.
Ortiz, J. D., E. Martí & M. Puig, 2006. Influences of a point source on the microhabitat distribution of stream benthic macroinvertebrates. Archive Hydrobiology 165: 469–491.
Paavola, R., T. Muotka, R. Virtanen, J. Heino & P. Kreivi, 2003. Are biological classifications of headwater streams concordant across multiple taxonomic groups? Freshwater Biology 48: 1912–1923.
Pardo, I., M. Álvarez, J. Casas, J. L. Moreno, S. Vivas, N. Bonada, J. Alba-Tercedor, P. Jáimez-Cuéllar, G. Moyà, N. Prat, S. Robles, M. L. Suárez, M. Toro & M. R. Vidal-Abarca, 2002. El hábitat de los ríos mediterráneos. Diseño de un índice de diversidad de hábitat. Limnetica 21: 115–133.
Peñuelas, J. & M. Boada, 2003. A global change-induced biome shift in the Montseny mountains (NE Spain). Global Change Biology 9: 131–140.
Pires, A. M., I. G. Cowx & M. M. Coelho, 1999. Seasonal changes in fish community structure of intermittent streams in the middle reaches of the Guadiana basin, Portugal. Journal of Fish Biology 54: 235–249.
Prat, N., G. González & X. Mollet, 1986. Comparación crítica de dos índices de calidad del agua: ISQA y BILL. Tecnología del Agua 31: 33–49.
Prat, N., A. Munné, C. Solà, M. Rieradevall, N. Bonada & G. Chacon, 1999. La qualitat ecològica del Besòs i el Llobregat. Diputació de Barcelona, Barcelona, 154 pp.
Prat, N., A. Munné, C. Solà, M. Rieradevall, N. Bonada & G. Chacon, 2000. La qualitat ecològica del Llobregat, el Besòs, el Foix i la Tordera. Diputació de Barcelona, Barcelona, 162 pp.
Prat, N., A. Munné, C. Solà, R. Casanovas-Berenguer, M. Vila-Escalé, N. Bonada, J. Jubany, M. Miralles, M. Plans & M. Rieradevall, 2002. La qualitat ecològica del Llobregat, el Besòs, el Foix i la Tordera. Diputació de Barcelona, Barcelona, 163 pp.
Pont, D., B. Hugueny, U. Beier, D. Goffaux, A. Melcher, R. Noble, C. Rogers, N. Roset & S. Schmutz, 2006. Assessing river biotic condition at a continental scale: a European approach using functional metrics and fish assemblages. Journal of Applied Ecology 43: 70–80.
Pyšek, P., D. M. Richardson, M. Rejmánek, G. Webster, M. Williamson & J. Kirschner, 2004. Alien plants in checklists and floras: towards better communication between taxonomists and ecologists. Taxon 53: 131–143.
Queralt, R., 1982. La calidad de las aguas en los ríos. Tecnología del agua 4: 49–57.
Reyjol, Y., B. Hugueny, D. Pont, P. G. Bianco, U. Beier, N. Caiola, F. Casals, I. Cowx, A. Economou & T. Ferreira, 2007. Patterns in species richness and endemism of European freshwater fish. Global Ecology and Biogeography 16: 65–75.
Romaní, A. M., A. Giorgi, V. Acuña & S. Sabater, 2004. The influence of substratum type and nutrient supply on biofilm organic matter utilization in streams. Limnology and Oceanography 49: 1713–1721.
Sabater, S., 2000. Diatom communities as indicators of environmental stress in the Guadiamar River, S-W. Spain, following a major mine tailings spill. Journal of Applied Phycology 12: 113–124.
Schlosser, I. J., 1990. Environmental variation, life history attributes, and community structure in stream fishes: implications for environmental management and assessment. Environmental Management 14: 621–628.
Scott, M. C. & G. S. Helfman, 2001. Native invasions, homogenization, and the mismeasure of integrity of fish assemblages. Fisheries 26: 6–15.
Seber, G. A. F., 1982. The Estimation of Animal Abundance and Related Parameters. Blackburn Press, Caldwell, New Jersey.
Sostoa, A., N. Caiola, D. Vinyoles, S. Sánchez & C. Franch, 2003. Development of a biotic integrity index (IBICAT) based on the use of fish as indicators of the environmental quality of the rivers of Catalonia. (In Catalan). Report to the Catalan Water Agency, Barcelona. [available on-line at: http://www.gencat.net/aca/en//planificacio/directiva/treballs.jsp#C].
ter Braak, C. J. F., 1987. The analysis of vegetation-environment relationships by canonical correspondence analysis. Vegetation 69: 69–77.
Acknowledgements
We thank J. L. García-Marín and A. de Sostoa for discussion and two anonymous reviewers for comments that greatly improved an early version of the manuscript. This study was financially supported by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA), Government of Catalonia (“Observatori de la Tordera” to Martí Boada), the Spanish Ministry of Education (CGL2006–11652–C02–01/BOS) and the Government of Catalonia (Catalan Government Distinction Award for University Research 2004 to EGB). LB held a doctoral fellowship from the University of Girona. We are also grateful to the stimulating environment of the “Observatori de la Tordera” project.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Handling editor: K. Martens
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Benejam, L., Aparicio, E., Vargas, M.J. et al. Assessing fish metrics and biotic indices in a Mediterranean stream: effects of uncertain native status of fish. Hydrobiologia 603, 197–210 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9272-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9272-1