USING MACROINVERTEBRATE BIOLOGICAL TRAITS FOR ASSESSING BIOTIC INTEGRITY OF NEOTROPICAL STREAMS
Authors | |
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Year of publication | 2008 |
Type | Article in Periodical |
Magazine / Source | RIVER RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS |
MU Faculty or unit | |
Citation | |
Field | Ecology |
Keywords | benthic invertebrates; functional community structure; anthropogenic disturbances; Bolivia |
Description | Several recent studies have demonstrated that a functional approach (i.e. analysis of traits indicating species ecological functions) can be successfully used for river biomonitoring. To date this approach has only been applied in temperate rivers, even though it could notably contribute toward the development of an environmental assessment system in developing countries in other climatic zones. Using a multivariate approach (Fuzzy Correspondence Analysis-FCA). we analysed functional invertebrate community characteristics (described by 40 categories of seven biological traits mostly at the family level) at 66 stream sites from neotropical Bolivia with different level of anthropogenic disturbance. We were able to separate the sites on the first FCA axis (F1) (ANOVA test) following the predefined environmental quality classes based on the observed impact. |
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