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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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 Hydrobiologia 566:
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 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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)

11. 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