NEW! Macroinvertebrates New!

Benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality and waterbody health

Stonefly (larva)

Caddisfly

Gammarus

Methods to describe the condition of rivers are crucial to assess the success of water protection measures. The animals living in rivers and creeks, especially the sensitive macroinvertebrates at the bottom of rivers, are indicators of the impact environmental factors, such as water quality, morphological and hydrological conditions, and the water course dynamics, have on these ecosystems. The species composition of a water course reflects the overall condition of the river ecosystem and can therefore, be used to monitor the ecological state.

The module Macrozoobenthos Level I provides a method for a standardized assessment of rivers based on the occurrence of macroinvertebrates. This method is based mainly on the Indice biologique global normalisé IBGN (1992) and is named IBCH.

The objective is to obtain a rough estimate of the biological state of the water course of a larger region through the assessment of macroinvertebrates who spend the majority of their lifecycle in for the water body typical habitats. The method uses simple sampling techniques, such as kick-sampling and picking off sedentary organisms from hard substrates. The data analysis is based on the standardized calculation of a quality index. It is assumed that anthropogenically caused effects lead to a decrease in biological diversity of insects. For the biological quality assessment, the calculated index points are assigned to one of five quality classes. This numerical assessment is amended by a verbal characterization of the biological state of the water body.

Download of theModul Makrozoobenthos Level I Stucki P. 2010: Methoden zur Untersuchung und Beurteilung der Fliessgewässer. Makrozoobenthos Stufe F. Bundesamt für Umwelt, Bern. Umwelt-Vollzug Nr. 1026: 61 S. PDF, 2.4 MB (French or German only)