Macroinvertebrates, acidification effect

Acidification Effects on the Population of Macroinvertebrates of Five High-Altitude Alpine Lakes... 

Lepori L, Barbieri A, Ormerod SJ (2003) Effects of episodic acidification on macroinvertebrate assemblages in Swiss Alpine streams. Lreshw Biol 48 1873... 

Macroinvertebrates have been used as indicators for the quality of rivers for many decades in Europe and elsewhere (Mancini, 2006). Historically, the emphasis of macroinvetebrate assessment methods has been on the effects of organic pollution, but it is clear that this quality element can also be used effectively for detecting the effects of other pressures, including hydromorphological alterations, acidification and perhaps also toxic substances. The history, principal approaches and available methods for river monitoring and assessment based on macroinvertebrates in the context of the WFD were recently reviewed extensively by De Pauw et al. (2006), and will not be further discussed here. 

The intercalibration exercise has so far only focused on macroinvertebrate methods that are aimed at detecting the effects of general pressure caused by intensified land use, combining increased nutrient and organic substances loads and hydromorphological alterations. In the north of Europe, benthic invertebrates are also used to assess the effects of acidification, but these methods have yet to be intercalibrated and are not included in this overview. 

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