Benthic macrophytes as a tool for delineating, monitoring and assessing ecological status: The case of Slovenian coastal waters

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 56; no. 4; pp. 666 - 676
• Main Authors: Orlando-Bonaca, Martina, Lipej, Lovrenc, Orfanidis, Sotiris
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-04-2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Cluster Analysis; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Ecological Evaluation Index – EEI; Ecological status; Ecology - methods; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Eukaryota - physiology; European water framework directive; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Macroalgae; Marine and brackish environment; Mediterranean; Monitoring; Oceans and Seas; Population Density; Slovenia; Slovenia; MED, Western Mediterranean; Europe; European water framework directive; Mediterranean; Monitoring; Macroalgae; Ecological status; Ecological Evaluation Index – EEI; Status; Water Framework Directive; Ecology; Coastal zone; Marine environment; Aquatic environment; Surveillance; European directive; Coastal water; Water pollution; Aquatic plant; EEI; European water framework directive; Monitoring; Mediterranean; Macroalgae; Ecological status; Ecological Evaluation Index; Seawater; Benthic zone
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.12.018

Benthic macrophytes from 51 sites in the upper infralittoral zone along the Slovenian rocky coast were sampled (randomly stratified) in order to (1) confirm water body (WB) boundaries, (2) select sampling points for a surveillance monitoring programme, and (3) assess preliminary Ecological Status Classes (ESC) within the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Coverage data of macrophytes were analyzed by using cluster analysis, Simper analysis and the Ecological Evaluation Index (EEI). The vegetation was rather homogenously classified into two
Cystoseiretum crinitae subassociations:
Halopithetosum incurvae, and
Cystoseiretosum compressae, and into
Cystoseiretum barbatae association. Seven monitoring sites at a kilometer scale were selected in two significant sized WBs following the mixing zone principle and the EEI successional model. The preliminary assessment of the ESC with the EEI was in agreement with existing human pressures in the area. In view of the present results, benthic macrophytes and EEI could be valuable tools for the implementation of the WFD within the Mediterranean eco-region.