SoE Guidance – Biological reporting sheets Sheet 5: Benthic invertebrates in rivers Sheet 6: Phytoplankton in lakes Sheet 7: Macrophytes in lakes

Status for intercalibration of classification systems New sheet? Red circles: Missing elements in rivers: Macrophytes and fish Missing elements in lakes: Macroinvertebrates, phytobenthos and fish Sheet 5 Sheet 6 Sheet 7

General characteristics: Why biological data and how will data be used? Develop a European picture of ecological status of water bodies and identify potential problem areas at the European level WFD-requirements (Annex V) Added value for other directives (Habitat) Well suited to monitor progress in reaching good ecological status in an overall European perspective How will reported data be used? Time-series of common metrics and derived national indices aggregated at country level and at water body type level within a country Proportion of water bodies within each country with increases, decreases or no changes over time of the common metric or derived national indices Summaries of classification results at the national level

General characteristics (to be reported only once): Information on sites and class boundaries Unique site code and link to associated physico-chemical site, if not the same site for biological data – see SOER sheet ”Geographic information” Reference conditions (reference value) for the common metric or derived national metrics for each site or for the type to which the site belongs Methodological explanation of the metric reported If national metrics are used, the conversion factor or correlation equation (including r2) between the national metric and the common metric is requested Values of national class boundaries for the metric reported (absolute values and EQR): H/G, G/M, M/P, P/B Type data for water body (size, depth, altitude, alkalinity, water colour) – see SOER sheet STA_CHA_PRE for details Proxy pressure information – see SOER sheet STA_CHA_PRE for details

General characteristics: When and What data should be reported? Annually, if metric measured every year In the year the data become available (every 2 years, 3 years or 6 years) What data should be reported? For each site and date of sampling: Date of sampling Value of common metric or correlated national metric National classification result (EQR) For the first reporting of the metric: Time-series of the metric (to be reported only once, but can be re-submitted if errors are found and corrected by the country)

What metrics should be reported? Element / Reporting sheet code Metrics / determinands Benthic invertebrates in rivers / BIO_INV_RV Integrated common metric (ICMi) or national metric intercalibrated against ICM Phytoplankton in lakes / BIO_PHY_LK Chlorophyll a, Total phytoplankton biomass % Cyanobacteria (bluegreens) Macrophytes in lakes / BIO_AQU_LK Macrophyte depth limit

Specific characteristics: Benthic invertebrates in rivers ICMi (Integrated Common Metric used for intercalibration) (STAR-project) or national metrics based on sensitive and tolerant taxa, abundance and species diversity ICMi explanation and soft-ware: Explanation: Buffagni et al. 2006. Hydrobiologia 566: 357-364 + 379-399 Software: Buffagni, A. and C. Belfiore (2006). ICMeasy 1.0. Intercalibration Common Metrics and Index Easy calculation. CNR-IRSA and UniTuscia-DECOS, Rome, Italy, August 2006. Buffagni A. & C. Belfiore 2007. ICMeasy 1.2: A Software for the Intercalibration Common Metrics and Index easy calculation. User guide. Notiziario dei Metodi Analitici, CNR-IRSA Marzo 2007(1): (in press). Conversion factor or correlation equation including r2 for the relationship between the ICMi and the national metric should be reported

Specific characteristics Phytoplankton in lakes (1) Chlorophyll a in mg/L, extraction method should be given (aceton, methanol, ethanol), refer to CEN standard Total biomass in mg/L or mm3/m3 (CEN standard under development) Cyanobacteria (bluegreens) biomass or % of total biomass: Only genera increasing with eutrophication should be included (Microcystis, Anabaena, Planktothrix etc., full list of relevant taxa will be included in annex to reporting sheet) Future revisions: Common metrics or national metrics intercalibrated against the common metric

Specific characteristics Phytoplankton in lakes (2) Aggregation of data before reporting: Temporal aggregation: annual and summer (June-Sept) average values Spatial aggregation: Integrated values for euphotic zone of the lake water body (euphotic zone ~secchi depth x 2.5) and/or surface sample (1 m depth) Additional data requested: Depth of euphotic zone (m) Mean depth of thermocline during summer stratification (only in stratified lakes) (m) Number of samples used to calculate the annual or summer average values Median and standard deviation of values of determinands

Specific characteristics: Macrophytes in lakes Macrophyte depth limit (m), i.e. maximum depth where macrophytes are observed Number of monitoring sites / sub-sites used to calculate the depth limit Detailed description of macrophyte survey method (refer to CEN standard currently under development) Future revisions: Common metrics or national metrics intercalibrated against the common metric The earlier proposed determinand: macrophyte coverage have been taken out because this determinand does not respond to pressure in any uniform way (unimodal response curve for eutrophication, multiple stable states in shallow lakes, high macrophyte cover is beneficial to birds and wild-life, so potential conflict between WFD and Habitat Dir)

More biological elements? Benthic algae in rivers (diatoms) can be added as a new reporting sheet, since this element is currently intercalibrated in most GIGs; common metrics have been developed and national metrics have been tested against this common metric Other elements must wait untill further development and intercalibration of classification systems