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Quantitative tolerance values for common stream benthic macroinvertebrates in the Yangtze River Delta, Eastern China
Chun-Yan Qin1, Jin Zhou, Yong Cao
1Laboratory of Aquatic Insects and Stream Ecology, Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
|May 29, 2014
Summary
Developing region-specific tolerance values (TVs) for macroinvertebrates improves freshwater ecosystem health assessments. Statistically derived TVs are more objective and crucial for bioassessment metrics, especially in understudied regions like China's Yangtze River Delta.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Aquatic Biology
Background:
- Aquatic organism tolerance to water pollution is a key indicator for freshwater ecosystem health.
- Tolerance values (TVs) derived from statistical species-environment relationships offer greater objectivity than expert opinion.
- Region-specific TVs are essential for accurate bioassessment metrics, particularly in developing countries with limited data on aquatic biota responses to disturbances.
Purpose of the Study:
- To derive and validate region-specific tolerance values for macroinvertebrates in the Taihu Lake and Qiantang River basins.
- To compare statistically derived TVs with existing expert-based lists.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of new TVs in bioassessment metrics.
Main Methods:
- Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to create a synthetic gradient from four key water quality stressors (total nitrogen, total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, % silt).
- Tolerance values (TV(r)) were estimated for 163 macroinvertebrate taxa based on their scores on the first principal component (PC1).
- TV(r) were scaled to a 1-10 range and compared with the Hilsenhoff TV list (TV(h)).
Main Results:
- PC1 explained 49.8% of the variance in environmental data.
- 81 of 163 macroinvertebrate taxa had TVs not previously listed in TV(h).
- 46.3% of TV(r) were lower and 52.4% were higher than TV(h), showing significant but weak correlation (r²=0.34).
- Seven biotic metrics based on TV(r) demonstrated stronger correlations with stressors and better discrimination between reference and impacted sites compared to TV(h)-based metrics.
Conclusions:
- Region-specific tolerance values are crucial for accurate macroinvertebrate-based bioassessment.
- The derived TV(r) provide a more objective and effective tool for assessing freshwater ecosystem health in the Yangtze River Delta, China.
- This study underscores the need for developing localized bioassessment tools in under-documented regions.
