The use of the SPEAR index to link ecological status to chemical · PDF fileMODELKEY...

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The use of the SPEAR index to link ecological status to

chemical pollution

Peter C. von der Ohe



Directive 2000/60/ECestablishing a framework for Community action in

the field of water policy

(WRRL)

Directive 2000/60/ECof the European

parliament and of the council establishing a

framework for community action in

the field of water policy

Major challenge

Good Ecological Status: Only slight changes in the composition and abundance from type-specific reference communities.

Good Chemical Status:Compliance with Environ-

mental Quality Standards (EQS) of 41 substances

aims to achieve until 2015 at leastGood Ecological

and Good ChemicalStatus



WFD Article 5 Reports

COM(2007)

Majority of water bodies at ris

k not to

achieve the goals of WFD or no data



at risk

not at risk

insufficient data





Preliminary conclusions:

Three Gorge Dam (China)

are the major driving forces for insufficient ecological status!

Agriculture (particularly nitrate)

Hydromorphological alterations (channelisation,

damming, regulation of water flow ...)

What about chemicals?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Dreischluchtendamm_hauptwall_2006.jpg



EQS

Environmental Concentration

selecteffect-threshold

choosesafty-factor

Chemical Status: EQS for 41 PS

Effe

ct Step 1: compile

acuteor

chronic

effect-data

Step 2:

Step 3:



Risk

AA-EQS

?goodstatus

failing to achieve goodstatus

Assessment of Chemical Status

AA-EQS are

also available

for

a set

of river

basin

specific compounds! Effects on Ecological Status?



AQEM Software PERLODES uses three modules

1. Organic

pollution

2. Acidification

3. General degradation

(multimetric indicators

recommended!)• Morphological

degradation

• Pesticides• Hormon equivalent

compounds

Assessment of Ecological Status

Biological Quality Element (BQE) based indicators

(fish, algae, plants and macroinvertebrates)



Classification

as SPecies At Risk

(SPEAR):

1.

high relative sensitivity

Sorganic

(based

on acute

LC50)

2.

long

generation

time, low

reproductivity

SPEAR indicator*

* M. Liess, von der Ohe P.C. 2005. Predicting Effects of Pesticides on Invertebrate Communities in Streams. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 24: 954-965.



Sensitivity distribution

Generel Problem:Many species are tested for different chemicals


http://www.modelkey.orgDaphnia magna is

tested

for

many

substances!

S = relative sensitivityi = species

⎟⎟⎠

⎞⎜⎜⎝

⎛=

iLC50LC50

log D. magnaS

Generel Problem:Many species are tested for different chemicals

Relative sensitivity distribution



whole community could be assessed!

relative Sensitivity

S -2.0 -1.5 -1.0 -0.5 0.0 0.5

1

10

30

5070

90

99P

erce

ntR

ank

CrustaceansInsects

PlathelminthesAnnelidsMolluscs

n = 92 Taxa

Daphnia magna

* P.C. von der Ohe & Liess M. 2004. Relative Sensitivity Distribution of Aquatic Invertebrates to Organic and Metal Compounds. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 23: 150-156.

SPEAR

SPEAR - relative Sensitivity S*

SPEnot

AR

Ø

sensitivity - 0.36



Example: reference community

relative Sensitivity S



at risk not at risk

SPEAR ~ 50%

Example: reference community

number of broods



Reference conditions in Europe*

Llobregat(ACA 2004)

Scorff(R.B. Schäfer et al. 2007)

Scheldt(VMM 2004)

Weser(NLWK 2000)

Porvoonjoki(R.B. Schäfer et al. 2007)

* P.C. von der Ohe et al. 2007. Water quality indices across Europe -

a comparison of the good ecological status of five river basins. J. Environ. Monit. 24: 954-965.



SP

EA

R [%

]

Llobregat Scorff Scheldt Weser Porvoonjoki0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Good Ecological Status (GES)

* P.C. von der Ohe et al. 2007. Water quality indices across Europe -

a comparison of the good ecological status of five river basins. J. Environ. Monit. 24: 954-965.

Reference conditions in Europe*



Pesticides

Run‐off

Spray‐drift

Toxic Stress: Example pesticides

Effects expected!

• Deliberate output into the environment

• EC 1992-2004: annual pesticide usage between 200.000 t and 250.000 t (Eurostat

2007)

©

Schäfer 2008



∑=

=n

LCCTU

1i i

i

50log

with

Ci

= measured concentration

LC50i

= lethal concentration (48h)

N = number of compounds

Toxic Units Daphnia magna

Quantification of Toxic Stress

Correlations with biotic indicators



n = 2015 SitesS

apro

bic

Inde

x

-4 -3 -2 -1 0

2,0

2,1

2,2

2,3

2,4

2,5

Saprobic Index vs. Toxic Units

Toxic

UnitsDaphnia magna

GES

Toxic pressure

sublethal concentrations!

Effe

ct



n = 209 Sites

Toxic

UnitsDaphnia magna

-4 -3 -2 -1 00

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

SP

EA

R [%

]

SPEAR vs. Toxic Units *

GES

* M. Liess, von der Ohe P.C. 2005. Predicting Effects of Pesticides on Invertebrate Communities in Streams. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 24: 954-965.



Dřiteč

SrnojedyValy

Stretch 4 Stretch 3 Stretch 2

Stre

tch

1

Source

of map: www.mapy.cz

weir

Sampling site

Chemical Industry

Wastewatertreatment plant

flow

direcion

Pardubice: gradient study

GES

1,01,21,41,61,82,02,22,42,62,83,0

-100001000200030004000500060007000

Gradient [m]

Sapr

obie

nIn

dex

Effe

cts



Dřiteč

SrnojedyValy

Stretch 4 Stretch 3 Stretch 2

Stre

tch

1

weir

Sampling site

Chemical Industry

Wastewatertreatment plant

TU = -2.53GES

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

-100001000200030004000500060007000

Gradient [m]

SPEA

R [%

]

Effects




-4 -3 -2 -1 00

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80S

PE

AR

[%]

Toxic

UnitsDaphnia magna



http://www.modelkey.org* Schäfer

et al. 2007. Sci. Tot. Environ.

•

Comparison with countries of differing pesticide use

•

France (more)⇒ stronger

Reduction•

Finland (less) ⇒ No Reduction D

isap

pear

ance

of s

ensi

tive

spec

ies

Contamination

What drives Ecological Status?*


http://www.modelkey.org* Schäfer

et al. 2007. Sci. Tot. Environ.

Effects on Ecosystem functions*

•

Direct effects on ecosystem functions:

•

Disappearance of sensitive species ⇒ Reduction in litter decomposition Li

tter d

ecom

posi

tion

Disappearance of sensitive species



Toxic

UnitsDaphnia magna

Case-study Llobregat*

* Von der

Ohe

et al. 2009. Towards an Integrated Assessment of the Ecological

and Chemical Status of European River Basins. IEAM 5, 50-61.

-4 -3 -2 -1 00

20

40

60

80SP

EAR

[%]

n = 30



EQS

-4 -3 -2 -1 00

20

40

60

80SP

EAR

[%]

n = 30

AF 1000LC50

EQS: safe thresholds?

Daphnia magna

Toxic

UnitsDaphnia magna

* Von der

Ohe





EQS

-4 -3 -2 -1 00

20

40

60

80SP

EAR

[%]

Chlorfenvinphos

Chlorpyrifos

Mesocosm-based EQS

Toxic

UnitsDaphnia magna

* Von der

Ohe



EQS: safe thresholds?



Summary

Need for BQE-specific indicators of toxicity to detect effects (Toxic Units instead of EQS)

• Reduction

of SPEAR

species

might

be

linked

to biodiversity

loss

and effects

ecosystem

services

Need for stressor-specific biological indicators(toxicity, nutrification

or morphological degradation

• SPEAR

showed

strong

correlation

to Toxic

Units



Thank [email protected]

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