The application of traditional metrics in temporary rivers can lead to mistakes in the evaluation process of the biological quality, the authors warn.
Functional metrics in ecology –indicators based on the biological features of the organisms, in this case, water invertebrates– could help researchers to detect the impacts of human origins in temporary rivers, according to a new study carried out by experts from the Research Group Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management (FEHM) of the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the Faculty of Biology of the UB and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio).
The study also counts on other participating experts from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), the University of the Balearic Islands and the University of Parma (Italy).
The new study, published in Journal of Applied Ecology, presents a series of functional metrics that can contribute to the improvement of the assessment and management of temporary rivers. Some of these can even be applied regardless of the intermittence of the water flow. Moreover, these functional metrics seem to be more precise in the detection of environmental degradation of the ecosystem compared to the ones so far used, which will be more and more important regarding the context of climate change.
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