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Ecological assessment of French Atlantic lakes based on phytoplankton, phytobenthos and macrophytes

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Abstract

Biological elements, including phytoplankton, phytobenthos, macrophytes, benthic invertebrates and fish, are employed by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC as ecological indicators for the assessment of surface waters. The use of primary producers (phytoplankton, phytobenthos and macrophytes) for water quality assessment has a long history, and several methods have been developed worldwide. In this study, we used these three communities to assess the ecological status of five natural lakes located in the Aquitaine region (southwest France). Several biological indices used in lakes from other European countries or in French rivers were employed and compared among the three communities. Each primary producer provided complementary information about the ecological status of the lakes, including the invasiveness of exotic taxa. Regardless of the producer community used, the response to the environment, as reflected by the indices (adequate for each community), was similar: Lakes Cazaux, Lacanau and Hourtin showed the best ecological status and Parentis and Soustons the worst. Phytoplankton diagnosis reflected and integrated unambiguously the water quality of the lakes, as demonstrated by the strong relationships between the phytoplankton index and the trophic status criteria. This community appeared as the best indicator, especially when macrophytes were absent. The methods applied here represent a potential tool for the assessment of the ecological status in the context of WFD, but they need to be refined. We propose modifications for phytobenthos index initially tailored for running waters for adequate use in lentic ecosystems. Indices for the three primary producers should be modified to incorporate exotic species which may provide information on potential biodiversity losses.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to C. Laplace-Treyture, A. Dutartre, V. Bertrin, F. Bonnin, C. Madigou, M. Torre, J. Grange, J. Huppert and S. Moreira for technical support (water sampling, diatom preparation, macrophyte surveys). C. Laplace-Treyture and E. Lambert are acknowledged for characean identifications. Thanks to M. Bonnet, M. Boudigues, B. Delest and B. Méchin for chemical analyses. We are grateful to P. de Tezanos Pinto for the helpful comments on the manuscript. We wish to thank an anonymous reviewer whose valuable comments substantially improved the manuscript. The present study was partially supported by the Regional Council of Aquitaine.

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  1. Cemagref, UR REBX, 50 avenue de Verdun, 33612, Cestas Cedex, France

    Maria Cellamare, Soizic Morin & Michel Coste

  2. AGROCAMPUS OUEST/INRA Rennes, Ecologie et Santé des Ecosystèmes, 65, rue de Saint-Brieuc, CS 84215, 35042, Rennes Cedex, France

    Jacques Haury

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  1. Maria Cellamare
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Cellamare, M., Morin, S., Coste, M. et al. Ecological assessment of French Atlantic lakes based on phytoplankton, phytobenthos and macrophytes. Environ Monit Assess 184, 4685–4708 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2295-0

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