title: Modeling the chemical and toxic water status of the Scheldt basin (Belgium), using aquatic invertebrate assemblages and an advanced modeling method.
abstract: Self-Organizing Maps have been used on monitoring sites in several Scheldt sub-basins to identify the main aquatic invertebrate assemblages and relate them to the physico-chemical and toxic water status. 12 physico-chemical variables and 2 estimates of toxic risk were available for a dataset made up of a total of 489 records. Two of the five defining clusters reflecting a relatively clean environment were composed by very well diversified functional feeding groups and sensitive taxa. The cleanest assemblage was mainly linked to the sites from the Nete sub-basin. The three other clusters were inversely described with a dominance of oligochaetes and deposit feeders as well as a bad water quality. Such an analysis can be used to support ecological status assessment of rivers and thus might be useful for decision-makers in the evaluation of chemical and toxic water status, as required by the EU Water Framework Directive.
authors.affiliation: CNRS, Lab Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), UMR 5174 CNRS-UPS, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse cedex 4, France. gevrey@cict.fr
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gevrey
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Comte
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Zwart
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Deckere
authors.forename: Sovan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects; D001530:Belgium; D044822:Biodiversity; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects; D008956:Models, Chemical; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical