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A First Biopollution Index Approach and Its Relationship on Biological Quality in Catalan Rivers

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Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 42))

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to present results of the applicability of the most well-known biopollution (BP) and biocontamination (BC) indices available in the literature by using information from the standard monitoring programme for fish carried out in Catalonia. As a part of this exercise, the pertinence of the results is evaluated by answering two questions: (1) are the BP&BC indices actually indicators for quality status, i.e. do their results respond to indicators of pressures on water bodies? And if so, (2) are the indices redundant with the existing indices of quality status for a given biological element? This discussion will be done in relation to the use of information on alien species (AS) for the purpose of future management and the ensuing role of uncertainty in the ecological assessment on water bodies according to the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC).

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Abbreviations

AS:

Alien species

BC:

Biocontamination

BP:

Biopollution

BPL:

Biopollution level index

IBPR:

Integrated biopollution risk index

SBC:

Site-specific biological contamination

WFD:

Water Framework Directive

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Acknowledgements

The first author benefited from her participation in the formal discussions on alien species and water body classification within for the WFD Ecological Status Working Group (ECOSTAT) in Bordeux (2008) and Ispra (2009), both coordinated by Professor Phil Boon (SNH, UK) and Dr Ana Cristina Cardoso (JRC, Italy). The author gratefully acknowledges the coordinators and all the participants for the fruitful discussions, in particular to Jochen Vandekerkhove (JRC, Italy), for the management of the ECOSTAT questionnaire to national experts ‘Alien species and the Water Framework Directive’ issued in January 2009.

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Correspondence to Beatriz Rodríguez-Labajos .

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Annexes

Annexes

1.1 Annex I

figure a

Results of the determination of the site-specific contamination level, using fish, for the water bodies in Catalonia (2002–2003 and 2007–2008), for different indicators of AS abundance (density [ind/ha] and biomass [kg/ha]). (a) Results for all assessment units. (b) Results for assessment units with fish fauna

1.2 Annex II

figure b

Results of the determination of biopollution risk index, using fish, for the water bodies in Catalonia (2002–2003 and 2007–2008), for different indicators of AS abundance (Ind/ha and kg/ha). (a) Results for all assessment units. (b) Results for assessment units with fish fauna

1.3 Annex III

BC&BP levels and pressures, results of the correlation analysis

   

SBCindha

SBCkgha

IBPRindha

IBPRkgha

RIAP

Data on BP& BC in 2003

Kendall’s tau-b

SBCindha

Correlation coefficient

1.000

0.924**

0.891**

0.836**

0.215**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

246

246

246

246

246

SBCkgha

Correlation coefficient

0.924**

1.000

0.899**

0.902**

0.240**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

246

246

246

246

246

IBPRindha

Correlation coefficient

0.891**

0.899**

1.000

0.907**

0.243**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

246

246

246

246

246

IBPRkgha

Correlation coefficient

0.836**

0.902**

0.907**

1.000

0.240**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

246

246

246

246

246

RIAP

Correlation coefficient

0.215**

0.240**

0.243**

0.240**

1.000

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

246

246

246

246

295

Spearman’s rho

SBCindha

Correlation coefficient

1.000

0.965**

0.954**

0.927**

0.274**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

246

246

246

246

246

SBCkgha

Correlation coefficient

0.965**

1.000

0.957**

0.959**

0.305**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

246

246

246

246

246

IBPRindha

Correlation coefficient

0.954**

0.957**

1.000

0.964**

0.315**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

246

246

246

246

246

IBPRkgha

Correlation coefficient

0.927**

0.959**

0.964**

1.000

0.310**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

246

246

246

246

246

RIAP

Correlation coefficient

0.274**

0.305**

0.315**

0.310**

1.000

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

246

246

246

246

295

Data on BP& BC in 2007

Kendall’s tau-b

SBCindha

Correlation coefficient

1.000

0.967**

0.886**

0.877**

0.219**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

235

235

235

235

235

SBCkgha

Correlation coefficient

0.967**

1.000

0.894**

0.900**

0.208**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

235

235

235

235

235

IBPRindha

Correlation coefficient

0.886**

0.894**

1.000

0.959**

0.224**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

235

235

235

235

235

IBPRkgha

Correlation coefficient

0.877**

0.900**

0.959**

1.000

0.239**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

235

235

235

235

235

RIAP

Correlation coefficient

0.219**

0.208**

0.224**

0.239**

1.000

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

235

235

235

235

311

Spearman’s rho

SBCindha

Correlation coefficient

1.000

0.983**

0.949**

0.944**

0.282**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

235

235

235

235

235

SBCkgha

Correlation coefficient

0.983**

1.000

0.953**

0.956**

0.271**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

235

235

235

235

235

IBPRindha

Correlation coefficient

0.949**

0.953**

1.000

0.985**

0.296**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

235

235

235

235

235

IBPRkgha

Correlation coefficient

0.944**

0.956**

0.985**

1.000

0.313**

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

235

235

235

235

235

RIAP

Correlation coefficient

0.282**

0.271**

0.296**

0.313**

1.000

Sig. (2-tailed)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

N

235

235

235

235

311

  1. **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

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Rodríguez-Labajos, B., Solà, C., Munné, A. (2015). A First Biopollution Index Approach and Its Relationship on Biological Quality in Catalan Rivers. In: Munné, A., Ginebreda, A., Prat, N. (eds) Experiences from Surface Water Quality Monitoring. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 42. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2015_440

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