title: Ecological quality assessment of small estuaries from the Portuguese coast based on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages indices.
abstract: Benthic macroinvertebrates communities are the most consistently emphasized biotic component of aquatic ecosystems and are one of the biological indicators required for assessment by the European Water Framework Directive. In this context, several indices based on these communities have been developed in order to assess ecological quality of estuarine systems. In the present work we used AMBI, M-AMBI, BENTIX and BAT to distinguish ecological status of five small estuarine systems of the Portuguese south and southwest coasts. Although indices outputs did not differ between systems and sampling seasons, results indicated that the metrics in which these indices are based could differentiate community structures as a result of two main gradients that force these communities: the natural variability, and the anthropogenic impact.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal. ipcardoso@fc.ul.pt
authors.forename: Inês
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cancela da Fonseca
authors.forename: Henrique N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Cabral
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development; D011174:Portugal; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D060753:Water Quality / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical