The use of benthic communities in environmental health assessment

Quality classification of water bodies commonly hinges upon the results of biotic indices. Biotic indices should reliably detect environmental change caused by anthropogenic stress; distinguish between different levels of disturbance; and be applicable in different areas. This study assesses current methods used in the assessment of benthic ecosystem health in transitional and coastal waters. Specifically, this study considers the performance of macrozoobenthos based biotic and diversity indices. Data utilised in the assessment covered a range of sites and environmental gradients including long term monitoring sites in Scotland; sites impacted by fish farms, organic waste discharge, and chemical effluent; estuarine sites; and sites from Galway Bay, Ireland, one of which was impacted by river discharge. Currently used indices of environmental status are based mainly on structural ecosystem properties and may not encompass all aspects of ecosystem health, such as functioning. Structural and functional based assessment methods were evaluated by comparing the performance of a range of standard benthic abundance indices and approaches focussing on intrinsic biological characteristics. Indices did not perform consistently in response to different types of impact – organic, chemical and physical, indicating some indices are unsuitable for the detection of multiple stressors. Index quality classifications agreed best in the most impacted sites but performed unpredictably in moderate conditions. Variability of indices increased as disturbance increased, decreasing the statistical certainty and confidence in the index values. Structural indices were found to be more variable than functional indices but the sensitivity of functional indices to anthropogenic disturbance needs further testing to determine whether they are able to detect low level disturbance. Functional indices may not be advantageous in regular monitoring over traditional methods but may provide a more informative assessment of ecosystem health. Use of biological traits may also give an indication of the type or cause of disturbance. Classification of moderate-good conditions using benthic indices is particularly ambiguous and distinguishing natural from anthropogenic disturbance remains one of the biggest challenges. The results indicate that complementarity of approaches is important in the assessment of quality of coastal and transitional benthic aquatic systems.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The use of benthic communities in environmental health assessment

Quality classification of water bodies commonly hinges upon the results of biotic indices. Biotic indices should reliably detect environmental change caused by anthropogenic stress; distinguish between different levels of disturbance; and be applicable in different areas. This study assesses current methods used in the assessment of benthic ecosystem health in transitional and coastal waters. Specifically, this study considers the performance of macrozoobenthos based biotic and diversity indices. Data utilised in the assessment covered a range of sites and environmental gradients including long term monitoring sites in Scotland; sites impacted by fish farms, organic waste discharge, and chemical effluent; estuarine sites; and sites from Galway Bay, Ireland, one of which was impacted by river discharge. Currently used indices of environmental status are based mainly on structural ecosystem properties and may not encompass all aspects of ecosystem health, such as functioning. Structural and functional based assessment methods were evaluated by comparing the performance of a range of standard benthic abundance indices and approaches focussing on intrinsic biological characteristics.Indices did not perform consistently in response to different types of impact – organic, chemical and physical, indicating some indices are unsuitable for the detection of multiple stressors. Index quality classifications agreed best in the most impacted sites but performed unpredictably in moderate conditions. Variability of indices increased as disturbance increased, decreasing the statistical certainty and confidence in the index values. Structural indices were found to be more variable than functional indices but the sensitivity of functional indices to anthropogenic disturbance needs further testing to determine whether they are able to detect low level disturbance. Functional indices may not be advantageous in regular monitoring over traditional methods but may provide a more informative assessment of ecosystem health. Use of biological traits may also give an indication of the type or cause of disturbance. Classification of moderate-good conditions using benthic indices is particularly ambiguous and distinguishing natural from anthropogenic disturbance remains one of the biggest challenges. The results indicate that complementarity of approaches is important in the assessment of quality of coastal and transitional benthic aquatic systems

Response of a marine benthic invertebrate community and biotic indices to organic enrichment from sewage disposal

Nutrient enrichment is a significant cause of ecosystem change in coastal habitats worldwide. This study focuses on the change in a benthic macroinvertebrate community and environmental quality as assessed through different biotic indices following the construction of a sewage outfall pipe in the west of Scotland, from first implementation to seven years after operation of the pipe. Benthic macroinvertebrates are an important part of marine ecosystems because they mediate ecosystem processes and functions, are a key part of food webs and they provide many ecosystem services. Results indicated a clear change in benthic communities over time with an increase in species richness and changes to benthic community composition (specifically feeding type, bioturbation mode and ecological group) towards those indicative of organic enrichment. No clear spatial zonation was observed because organic carbon content increased over the entire area. According to a suite of benthic indices calculated, some negative changes were detectable following the start of sewage disposal, but largely negative community changes, and a change from 'good' to 'moderate' quality, only occurred seven years after implementation. The increase in species richness in response to increasing disturbance reduced the utility of a multi-metric index, the Infaunal Quality Index, which, instead of amplifying the signal of negative impact, dampened it. We suggest that any change in communities, regardless of direction, should be heeded, and species richness is a particularly sensitive and early warning indicator for this, but a suite of approaches is required to understand benthic community changes

Drivers of change and pressures on aquatic ecosystems : guidance on indicators and methods to assess drivers and pressures

The AQUACROSS project, funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, seeks to improve the management of aquatic ecosystems, thereby supporting the achievement of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. According to the structure of the AQUACROSS project, Work Package (WP) 4 builds on and forms part of the Assessment Framework (AF) developed in WP3. Task 4.1 builds the basis for the analysis of drivers of change and pressures on aquatic ecosystems (WP4) and should provide guidance for the analyses performed within the case studies. Hence, this Deliverable (D4.1) aims at the AQUCROSS consortia partners, in order to help guide their work going forward under Task 4.2. Within this deliverable, the following objectives are addressed: Conceptualise how drivers, pressures and environmental states are interwoven across the aquatic realms and in relation to complex social-ecological systems Define the role of drivers that directly or indirectly act on different levels, the interacting effects of these drivers, related human activities and the resulting pressures along the freshwater-marine continuum Deepen the understanding of the Driver-Pressure-State (D-P-S) part of the AF by exploring the existing qualitative and quantitative approaches of D-P-S assessment systems Identify the most suitable set of pressure-sensitive indicators, including indicators for ecosystem state Propose integrative indicators especially for newly emerging drivers and pressures based on currently used cost-effective indicator

Effectiveness of interventions to improve the health and housing status of homeless people: a rapid systematic review

Background: Research on interventions to positively impact health and housing status of people who are homeless has received substantially increased attention over the past 5 years. This rapid review examines recent evidence regarding interventions that have been shown to improve the health of homeless people, with particular focus on the effect of these interventions on housing status. Methods: A total of 1,546 articles were identified by a structured search of five electronic databases, a hand search of grey literature and relevant journals, and contact with experts. Two reviewers independently screened the first 10% of titles and abstracts for relevance. Inter-rater reliability was high and as a result only one reviewer screened the remaining titles and abstracts. Articles were included if they were published between January 2004 and December 2009 and examined the effectiveness of an intervention to improve the health or healthcare utilization of people who were homeless, marginally housed, or at risk of homelessness. Two reviewers independently scored all relevant articles for quality. Results: Eighty-four relevant studies were identified; none were of strong quality while ten were rated of moderate quality. For homeless people with mental illness, provision of housing upon hospital discharge was effective in improving sustained housing. For homeless people with substance abuse issues or concurrent disorders, provision of housing was associated with decreased substance use, relapses from periods of substance abstinence, and health services utilization, and increased housing tenure. Abstinent dependent housing was more effective in supporting housing status, substance abstinence, and improved psychiatric outcomes than non-abstinence dependent housing or no housing. Provision of housing also improved health outcomes among homeless populations with HIV. Health promotion programs can decrease risk behaviours among homeless populations. Conclusions: These studies provide important new evidence regarding interventions to improve health, housing status, and access to healthcare for homeless populations. The additional studies included in this current review provide further support for earlier evidence which found that coordinated treatment programs for homeless persons with concurrent mental illness and substance misuse issues usually result in better health and access to healthcare than usual care. This review also provides a synthesis of existing evidence regarding interventions that specifically support homeless populations with HIV.Partial funding for this paper was provided to the Effective Public Health Practice Project by the Region of Peel, Canada

Estimating the impact of new high seas activities on the environment: the effects of ocean-surface macroplastic removal on sea surface ecosystems

The open ocean beyond national jurisdiction covers nearly half of Earth’s surface and is largely unexplored. It is also an emerging frontier for new types of human activity. Understanding how new activities interact with high seas ecosystems is critical for our management of this other half of Earth. Using The Ocean Cleanup (TOC) as a model, we demonstrate why it is important to account for uncertainty when assessing and evaluating impacts of novel high seas activities on marine ecosystems. TOC’s aim is to remove plastic from the ocean surface by collecting it with large nets. However, this approach also results in the collection of surface marine life (neuston) as by-catch. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we explore the social-ecological implications of this activity. We use population models to quantify potential impacts on the surface ecosystem; we determine the links between these ecosystems and society through an ecosystem services approach; and we review the governance setting relevant to the management of activities on the high seas. We show that the impact of ocean surface plastic removal largely depends on neuston life histories, and ranges from potentially mild to severe. We identify broader social-ecological implications that could be felt by stakeholders both beyond and within national jurisdiction. The legal framework applicable to TOC’s activities is insufficiently specific to address both the ecological and social uncertainty we describe, demonstrating the urgent need for detailed rules and procedures on environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment to be adopted under the new International Agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction which is currently being negotiated

Structural and functional indices show similar performance in marine ecosystem quality assessment

Reliable ecosystem quality assessment of marine environments is increasingly important due to mounting pressures attributable to human activities. Biotic indices are widely used in studies to describe communities and indicate the ecological state of systems. This study focuses on benthic macroinvertebrate-based biotic indices for the assessment of ecosystem health. Indices used in ecosystem health assessment in the marine environment have mainly focussed on measuring structural components of the system while more recently the measurement of functional components has been highlighted. In this study the performance of traditional diversity indices based on structural components of benthic macroinvertebrate communities, indices developed for the EU Water Framework Directive, and indices which are based on functional biological traits of species were compared. The results indicated that while functional indices may provide a more detailed assessment of the benthic communities than structural indices, the overall outcome is broadly similar for both types of indices. This suggests measurement of functional indices may be unnecessary for routine monitoring purposes, although they may have value in revealing more specific aspects of change in a system. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.AB - Reliable ecosystem quality assessment of marine environments is increasingly important due to mounting pressures attributable to human activities. Biotic indices are widely used in studies to describe communities and indicate the ecological state of systems. This study focuses on benthic macroinvertebrate-based biotic indices for the assessment of ecosystem health. Indices used in ecosystem health assessment in the marine environment have mainly focussed on measuring structural components of the system while more recently the measurement of functional components has been highlighted. In this study the performance of traditional diversity indices based on structural components of benthic macroinvertebrate communities, indices developed for the EU Water Framework Directive, and indices which are based on functional biological traits of species were compared. The results indicated that while functional indices may provide a more detailed assessment of the benthic communities than structural indices, the overall outcome is broadly similar for both types of indices. This suggests measurement of functional indices may be unnecessary for routine monitoring purposes, although they may have value in revealing more specific aspects of change in a system

An integrated risk-based assessment of the North Sea to guide ecosystem-based management

This study provides an integrated perspective to ecosystem based management (EBM) by considering a diverse array of societal goals, i.e. sustainable food supply, clean energy and a healthy marine ecosystem, and a selection of management measures to achieve them. The primary aim of this exercise is to provide guidance for (more) integrated EBM in the North Sea based on an evaluation of the effectiveness of those management measures in contributing to the conservation of marine biodiversity. A secondary aim is to identify the requirements of the knowledge base to guide such future EBM initiatives.Starting from the societal goals we performed a scoping exercise to identify a “focal social-ecological system” which is a subset of the full social-ecological system but considered adequate to guide EBM towards the achievement of those societal goals. A semi-quantitative risk assessment including all the relevant human activities, their pressures and the impacted ecosystem components was then applied to identify the main threats to the North Sea biodiversity and evaluate the effectiveness of the management measures to mitigate those threats.This exercise revealed the need for such risk-based approaches in providing a more integrated perspective but also the trade-off between being comprehensive but qualitative versus quantitative but limited in terms of the “focal” part of the SES that can be covered. The findings in this paper provide direction to the (further) development of EBM and its knowledge base that should ultimately allow an integrated perspective while maintaining its capacity to deliver the accuracy and detail needed for decision-making