Assessing ecological quality of shallow lakes : Does knowledge of transparency suffice?

Peeters, Edwin T. H. M.; Franken, Rob J. M.; Jeppesen, Erik; Moss, Brian; Bécares, Eloy; Hansson, Lars-Anders; Romo, Susana; Kairesalo, Timo; Gross, Elisabeth; Donk, Ellen van; Nõges, Tiina; Irvine, Kenneth; Kornijów, Ryszard; Scheffer, Marten

Assessing ecological quality of shallow lakes : Does knowledge of transparency suffice?

Files

2009_Edwin_Peeters_etal_Assessing_ecological_quality.pdf(170 KB)

Date

2009

Authors

Peeters, Edwin T. H. M.

Franken, Rob J. M.

Jeppesen, Erik

Moss, Brian

Bécares, Eloy

Hansson, Lars-Anders

Romo, Susana

Kairesalo, Timo

Gross, Elisabeth

Donk, Ellen van

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Publication type

Journal article

Published in

Basic and Applied Ecology ; 10 (2009), 1. - pp. 89-96. - ISSN 1439-1791

Abstract

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires that all aquatic ecosystems in their member states should reach "good" ecological quality by 2015. To assess ecological quality, the WFD requires the definition of reference conditions using biological, physical and chemical indicators and the assignment of each water body to one of five quality classes using these indicators. Elaborate assessment schemes using large sets of variables are now being developed. Here we address the question whether all this is really needed and what the simplest assessment approach would be for the case of shallow lakes. We explore the relationships between the quality class assigned to a lake by experts in shallow lake ecology and a rich set of biological, physical, and chemical data. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were carried out based on data from 86 shallow lakes throughout Europe that were sampled in 2000 and/or 2001. Ecological quality of shallow lakes judged by experts was strongly correlated to physical and chemical variables associated with light regime and nutirients and much less to biological variables.
Our regression model showed that ecological quality of this set of shallow lakes judged by experts could be predicted quite well from water transparency expressed as Secchi depth and that other variables did not contribute to it significantly. According to the WFD, lakes should at least have a "good" ecological quality. Quality judged by experts and predicted quality were similar for 78 % of the lakes with respect to meeting this standard. As a cautionary note we stress that Secchi depth alone will be a less useful indicator if effects of stressors other than eutrophication (e.g. lake acidification and toxic pollution) are to be considered.

Summary in another language

Die Europäische Wasserrahmenrichtline (WRRL) fordert das Erreichen eines guten ökologischen Zustands aller aquatischen Ökosysteme in den EU-Mitgliedsländern bis zum Jahr 2015. Die ökologische Qualität wird nach der WRRL über Referenzsysteme basierend auf biologischen, physikalischen und chemischen Indikatoren in fünf Qualitätsstufen eingeteilt. Hierzu werden derzeit basierend auf umfangreichen Datensätzen Bewertungsschemata entwickelt. In diesem Artikel stellen wir die Frage, ob dieses Vorgehen so notwendig ist, und welches der einfachste Ansatz zur Bewertung von Flachseen ist. Wir haben den Zusammenhang zwischen der durch Experten zugewiesenen Qualitätsklasse eines Sees und einem umfangreichen Datensatz mit biologischen, physikalischen und chemischen Daten untersucht. Anschließend wurden basierend auf dem Datensatz von 86 Flachseen in ganz Europa aus den Jahren 2000 und 2001 multinominale logistische Regressionsanalysen durchgeführt. Die Einschätzung der Qualität durch Experten korrelierte stark mit physikalischen und chemischen Parametern, welche Licht- und Nährstoffverfügbarkeit widerspiegeln, bezog sich aber kaum auf biologische Parameter. Unser Regressionsmodell zeigt, dass sich die Experten-gestützte Qualitätseinstufung bei diesem Datenset gut aus der Secchitiefe vorhersagen lässt, und dass andere Variablen kaum zu einer verbesserten Prognose führen. Seen müssen nach der WRRL mindestens einen guten ökologischen Zustand aufweisen. Die Expertenmeinung und die Qualitätsprognose anhand der Messdaten waren für 78% der Seen deckungsgleich im Hinblick auf das Erreichen dieses Standards. Wir möchten aber darauf hinweisen, dass die Secchitiefe allein nicht ausreichend ist, wenn andere Einflüsse als Eutrophierung auf das Gewässer einwirken, wie z.B. Versauerung oder Belastung mit toxischen Substanzen.

Subject (DDC)

570 Biosciences, Biology

Keywords

ECOFRAME,Eutrophication,Expert judgement,Lake management,Modelling,Multinomial logistic regression,Prediction

Cite This

ISO 690

PEETERS, Edwin T. H. M., Rob J. M. FRANKEN, Erik JEPPESEN, Brian MOSS, Eloy BÉCARES, Lars-Anders HANSSON, Susana ROMO, Timo KAIRESALO, Elisabeth GROSS, Ellen van DONK, Tiina NÕGES, Kenneth IRVINE, Ryszard KORNIJÓW, Marten SCHEFFER, 2009. Assessing ecological quality of shallow lakes : Does knowledge of transparency suffice?. In: Basic and Applied Ecology. 10(1), pp. 89-96. ISSN 1439-1791. Available under: doi: 10.1016/j.baae.2007.12.009

BibTex

@article{Peeters2009Asses-7284,
  year={2009},
  doi={10.1016/j.baae.2007.12.009},
  title={Assessing ecological quality of shallow lakes : Does knowledge of transparency suffice?},
  number={1},
  volume={10},
  issn={1439-1791},
  journal={Basic and Applied Ecology},
  pages={89--96},
  author={Peeters, Edwin T. H. M. and Franken, Rob J. M. and Jeppesen, Erik and Moss, Brian and Bécares, Eloy and Hansson, Lars-Anders and Romo, Susana and Kairesalo, Timo and Gross, Elisabeth and Donk, Ellen van and Nõges, Tiina and Irvine, Kenneth and Kornijów, Ryszard and Scheffer, Marten}
}

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Bibliography of Konstanz

Yes