Environmental conditions, such as nutrient concentrations, salinity, elevation etc., shape diatom assemblages of periphytic biofilms. These respond rapidly to environmental changes, a fact which makes diatoms valuable bioindicators. Hence, freshwater biomonitoring programmes currently use indices (e.g. EU Water Framework Directive - WFD). To date, microscopy-based assessments require high taxon...

The Australian River Assessment System (AUSRIVAS or AusRivAS) is a national biomonitoring scheme that supposedly assesses the ‘biological health’ of rivers. AUSRIVAS outputs observed-over-expected (O/E) indices derived from macroinvertebrate survey data obtained both at site to be assessed and designated reference sites. However, sites lack any consistent quantified status, and, therefore, O/E ...

Biomonitoring programs are often required to assess streams for which assessment tools have not been developed. For example, low-gradient streams (slope<or=1%) comprise 20-30% of stream miles in California and are of particular interest to watershed managers, yet most sampling methods and bioassessment indices in the state were developed in high-gradient systems. This study evaluated the perfor...

1. We investigated the effect of moderate eutrophication on leaf litter decomposition and associated invertebrates in five reference and five eutrophied streams in central Portugal. Fungal parameters and litter N and P dynamics were followed in one pair of streams. Benthic invertebrate parameters that are considered useful in bioassessment were estimated in all streams. Finally, we evaluated th...

We investigated whether 2 stream sampling protocols collected different diatom assemblages within sampling reaches and, consequently, influenced the outcome of bioassessment. We analyzed data collected at 71 sites by both reach-scale (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program [EMAP]) and targeted-habitat (US Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] Science to Achieve Results [STAR]) sampling...

There has been increasing interest in algae-based bioassessment, particularly, trait-based approaches are increasingly suggested. However, the main drivers, especially the contribution of hydrological variables, of species composition, trait composition, and beta diversity of algae communities are less studied. To link species and trait composition to multiple factors (i.e., hydrological variab...

Both reservoirs and run of river power plants affect the thermal regime rivers but despite higher number latter few studies have focused on their effect. In this study, we investigated water Serio River (Northern Italy), a subalpine regulated by reservoir characterized cascade system plants. Water temperature has been monitored continuously for more than 4 years at extremes stretches subjected ...

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