 |
Eutrophication
|
 |
Acid Mine Drainage |
Water Quality Assessments
Sometimes you can find different fungi growing on macroinvertebrates which can indicate nutrient pollution (fertilizer, sewage treatment effluent, etc.) Notice the "fuzzy growth" on the gills of caddisfly below.
Certain Chironomidae (midge) larvae can be used to assess organic or inorganic pollution. We look at deformities in head structures.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Antennae
|
Mandible
|
Mentum
|
Pecten
|
Look at the image below for an example of a deformity. Both sides should be symmetrical, however, as you can see below, symmetry is not the case. The underlying assumption is that chemical pollution causes these deformities.
Limestone Streams
When applying typical biological metrics and indices to limestone streams, most limestoners, regardless of health, will score as if they are impaired. On-going research is addressing the biological indices and metrics and adjusting them according to the physico-chemical uniqueness of a limestone stream. A preliminary biological scoring criteria has been developed and presently, more limestone streams are being sampled.
Local Stream Water Quality