Implementing a novel biomonitoring tool to detect the biodiversity impacts of fine sediment stress in streams and rivers

细粒沉积物由河流向海洋的运输是(i)全球剥蚀系统的重要组成部分，（ii）全球生物地球化学循环的重要组成部分，以及（iii）淡水生态系统的重要组成部分，对生境异质性和生态功能至关重要（Turley et al., 2014）。然而，当人类活动导致细沉积物的动态明显偏离“自然”或“参考”条件时，这可能导致生态退化。因此，细沉积物是全球水质损害最常见的原因之一（Richter et al., 1997），必须加以管理，以尽量减少这些影响。越来越多的淡水管理者和政策制定者要求采取保护和改善生物多样性的措施，同时尽量减少成本和对集水区用户和居民的社会影响（Turak & Linke, 2011）。这包括尽量减少与传统的水质参数监测（如悬浮和沉积沉积物）相关的成本。常规的理化水质参数监测相对昂贵且耗时；有几十个参数可以分析，采样必须足够频繁，以确保获得的值是长期暴露的代表。最近，从这些传统的监测方法转向侧重于低频（低成本）生物监测技术的方法，其广义定义为“利用生物群来测量和跟踪环境变化”（Friberg et al., 2011）。这种类型的方法依赖于能够预测一个地点的预期动物和/或植物群，如果它处于或接近参考条件（最小的人为干扰）。如果观察到的群落组成与预期的群落没有明显偏差，则不需要进行重大监测或缓解方案。如果生物群落组成明显偏离预期，那么某些物种或物种组合的存在或丰度可以提供偏离参考条件的可能原因的信息，从而使监测和管理资源成为目标。经验加权沉积物敏感无脊椎动物比例（E-PSI）指数是一种生物监测工具，由Gary Bilotta博士监督，通过NERC案例奖学金开发，用于检测溪流和河流中细沉积物对生物多样性的影响（Turley等人，2016）。这种生物监测工具已被英国水框架指令技术咨询小组选中，供英国环境机构使用，以评估溪流和河流地点受沉积物压力影响的程度。NERC创新实习的目的是将这种新的生物监测工具整合到机构建模和报告系统中，确保并展示该工具的适用性。E-PSI工具一旦整合到机构系统中，将提高生态状况评估和压力源识别的效率和有效性，作为国家和国际水资源立法的一部分，对于压力源（沉积物），估计在英国约25%的水体中导致未能达到良好的生态状态。参考文献：Friberg et al. (2011) Advances in ecology Research 44, 1-68。Richter et al.（1997）保护生物学11,1081-1093。Turak & Linke（2011）淡水生物学56,1-5。Turley et .（2014）淡水生物学59(11),2268-2277。Turley等（2016）生态指标70,151-165。

The transport of fine sediments by rivers to the oceans, represents (i) an important part of the global denudation system, (ii) an important component of global biogeochemical cycles, and (iii) an essential constituent of freshwater ecosystems, critical to habitat heterogeneity and ecological functioning (Turley et al., 2014). However, when human activities cause a significant deviation in the dynamics of fine sediment from 'natural' or 'reference' conditions, this can cause ecological degradation. It is therefore essential that fine sediment, which is one of the most commonly attributed causes of water quality impairment globally (Richter et al., 1997), is managed in order to minimise these impacts.Increasingly, freshwater managers and policy-makers require conservation measures that will protect and improve biodiversity, whilst minimising the costs and societal impacts on users and inhabitants of catchments (Turak & Linke, 2011). This includes minimising the costs associated with conventional monitoring of water quality parameters such as suspended and deposited sediment. Conventional monitoring of physicochemical water quality parameters can be relatively expensive and time-consuming; there are tens of parameters that could be analysed, and sampling must be frequent enough to ensure that the values obtained are representative of long-term exposure. Recently, there has been a shift away from these conventional monitoring methods, towards approaches that focus on low-frequency (lower-cost) biomonitoring techniques, defined broadly as 'the use of biota to gauge and track changes in the environment' (Friberg et al., 2011). This type of approach relies on being able to predict the expected fauna and/or flora for a site if it were in, or close to reference condition (with minimal anthropogenic disturbance). Where the observed community composition does not deviate significantly from the expected community, no major monitoring or mitigation programmes are required. Where the biological community composition does deviate significantly from that expected, then the presence or abundance of certain species or assemblages of species can provide information on the likely causes of the deviation from the reference condition, allowing for monitoring and management resources to be targeted.The Empirically-weighted Proportion of Sediment-sensitive Invertebrate (E-PSI) index is a biomonitoring tool that was developed, through a NERC CASE Studentship supervised by Dr Gary Bilotta, to detect the biodiversity impacts of fine sediments in streams and rivers (Turley et al., 2016). This biomonitoring tool has been selected by the UK's Technical Advisory Group for the Water Framework Directive, for use by UK environment agencies to assess the degree to which stream and river sites are affected by sediment stress. The aim of this NERC Innovation Internship is to integrate this new biomonitoring tool into agency modelling and reporting systems, ensuring and demonstrating the tool's applicability. The E-PSI tool, once integrated into agency systems, will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of ecological status assessments and stressor-identification as part of national and international water resource legislation, for a stressor (sediment) which is estimated to contribute towards the failure to achieve good ecological status in ~25% of UK waterbodies.References:Friberg et al. (2011) Advances in Ecological Research 44, 1-68. Richter et al. (1997) Conservation Biology 11, 1081-1093.Turak & Linke (2011) Freshwater Biology 56, 1-5.Turley et al. (2014) Freshwater Biology 59(11), 2268-2277.Turley et al. (2016) Ecological Indicators 70, 151-165.