benthic macroinvertebrates

Table 9-1 Some potential metrics for periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish that could be considered for streams.

Benthic macroinvertebrates (primarily aquatic insects, crustaceans, and mollusks) are useful for biological monitoring programs.

Currently there are between 150 and 200 species of benthic macroinvertebrates, but with few plant species (due to the greatly changing flow of the river).

More specific data exists on benthic macroinvertebrates, or larger organisms that depend on the sediment on the stream floor.

When working with benthic macroinvertebrates, both water and benthic sediments may contain chemical that affects the organism.

"Freshwater biomonitoring and benthic macroinvertebrates."

They reported on the quality of lagoon water, benthic macroinvertebrates and waterbird communities characterising these wetlands obtained from samples collected between September 2005 and April 2006.

The Southern African Scoring System (SASS) method is a biological water quality monitoring system based on the presence of benthic macroinvertebrates.

Find out more about: fish benthic macroinvertebrates periphyton macrophytes marine/tidal bioindicators If you are interested in learning more about freshwater ecosystems check out the following web sites:

In South Africa, the Southern African Scoring System (SASS) method was developed as a rapid bioassessment technique, based on benthic macroinvertebrates, and is used for the assessment of water quality in Southern African rivers.