Environmental Sciences

2. M.Faisal 13031560-048
M.Fahad 13031561-050
M.Mohtishim 13031561-053
Faha Tahir 13031561-040
Arbab Sikander 13031561-035

3. Bio Markers in Water Monitoring

4. Biomonitoring
Biological monitoring, or biomonitoring is the use of
biological responses to assess changes in the
environment generally changes due to anthropogenic
causes. Biomonitoring programs may be qualitative,
semi-quantitative, or quantitative.Biomonitoring is a
valuable assessment tool that is receiving increased use
in water quality monitoring programs of all types.

5. Biomarkers
Biomarkers are species, populations or
groups of species, which due to their
variability (biochemical physiological,
ethological or ecological) allow the
description of an ecosystem status and
reveal as early as possible, the natural
or anthropogenic modifications thereof

6. Types of Biomonitoring
Surveillance before and after a project is
complete or before and after a toxic
substance enters the water.
The other type of biomonitoring is to
ensure compliance with regulations or
guidelines or to ensure water quality is
maintained.

7. Biomonitoring involves the use of indicators,
indicator species or indicator communities
> benthic macroinvertebrates
> fish
> algae
> aquatic plants

8. Sentinel organisms
• Sentinel organisms, or indicator species
that accumulate pollutants in their tissues
from the surrounding environment or from
food, are important biomonitoring devices

9. Extreme Uptake
• Barnacles Zinc (Zn)
• Bivalve mollusks Copper (Cu), iron
(Fe) manganese
• Gastropod mollusks Cu, Zn
• Isopods, amphipods Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn
• Polychaetes Cu

10. Moderate Uptake
• Macroalgae (seaweeds) Most metals
• Mussels other bivalves Metals,
metallothioneins
• Polychaetes Cadmium (Cd), Pb
• Decapods (crayfish) Cd, Pb
• Finfish Cd, Pb

11. Assessment
Assessment involves the monitoring of
indicators and behavioral changes of
organisms.Indicators must display a
biochemical genetic morphological or
physiological change.
Behavioral indices are determined by
particular species, populations dynamics
or community changes.

12. Levels and Associated Biomonitoring
Measures
Individual
Genetic mutations
Reproductive success
Physiology
Metabolism
Oxygen consumption
Photosynthesis rate
Enzyme/protein activation/inhibition
Hormones (growth and development)
Disease resistance
Tissue/organ damage
Bioaccumulation

13. Population
Survival rate or mortality
Sex ratio
Abundance/biomass
Behavior (migration)
Predation rates
Population decline/increase

14. Community
Abundance of an organism or organisms -
Biomass Density of an organism or
organisms
Richness (variety)
Number of species size classes, or other
functional groups per unit area or volume
or per number of individuals

15. Common Organisms used for
Biomonitoring
Invertebrate indicators
Increased ratio of aquatic worms (oligochaetes)
Increased ratio of midges (chironomids)
Increase of herbivorous mayflies
(ephemeropterans)
Loss of snails, clams, mussels, daphnids,
mayflies, midges

16. Algae
• Algal growth is dependent on sunlight and
nutrient concentrations. An abundance of
algae is indicative of nutrient pollution
• Algae are sensitive to some pollutants at
levels which may not visibly affect other
organisms in the short term or may affect
other communities at higher
concentrations.

17. Advantages of Algae
• Algae have very short life cycles and rapid
reproduction. This can also be a disadvantage.
• Algae tend to be most directly affected by
physical and chemical environmental factors.
• Sampling is easy and inexpensive, requires few
people and minimally impacts other organisms.
• Standard methods exist.

18. Benthic macroinvertebrates
Advantages
• Benthic macroinvertebrates are found in most aquatic
habitats.
• There are a large number of species, and different
stresses produce different macroinvertebrate
communities.
• Small order streams often do not support fish but do
support extensive macroinvertebrate communities.
• Macroinvertebrates generally have limited mobility. Thus
they are indicators of localized environmental conditions.
• Since benthic macroinvertebrates retain (bioaccumulate)
toxic substances, chemical analysis will allow detection
in them where levels are undetectable in the water
resource.

19. • A biologist experienced in macroinvertebrate
identification will, be able to determine relatively quickly
whether the environment has been degraded by
identifying changes in the benthic community structure of
the water resource.
• Benthic macroinvertebrates are small enough to be
easily collected and identified.
• Sampling of macroinvertebrates under a rapid
assessment protocol is easy, requires few people and
minimal equipment, and does not adversely affect other
organisms.
• Macroinvertebrates are the primary food source for
recreationally and commercially important fish.

20. Disadvantages
• Benthic macroinvertebrates do not respond to all
impacts.
• Seasonal variations may prevent comparisons of
samples taken in different seasons.
• Drifting may bring benthic macroinvertebrates
into waters in which they would not normally
occur. Knowledge of drifting behavior of certain
species can alleviate this disadvantage.
• Certain groups are difficult to identify to the
species level.

21. Fish
• Certain fish species such as salmon, trout,
perch and sculpins, are less tolerant of
pollution than others. Bottom dwellers are
more tolerant of organic pollution since
they are adapted to lower oxygen levels.
Predatory species that use sight to hunt,
such as pike, are sensitive to turbid
conditions

22. Fish Advantages:
• Fish are good indicators of long-term effects (several
years) and habitat conditions.
• Fish communities represent a variety of trophic levels;
toxic substances tend to biomagnify, and thus fish
community structure reflects community health.
• Fish are consumed by humans.
• Fish are relatively easy to collect and identify.
• Environmental requirements, life history information and
distribution are well known for most species.

23. Disadvantages
• Motility and migration cause difficulty in pinpointing a
pollutant as the cause of abnormalities in individuals or a
population.
• Monitoring only certain fish species will miss changes in
the benthic community or in other species in the
community that over time will affect the fish species.
• Fish are not as sensitive as their food
(macroinvertebrates) to pollution and monitoring of fish
may not reflect severe changes in the invertebrate
community.
• An assessment of fish alone will not ensure ecosystem
health.

24. Sampling Techniques
Kick seine
Requires 2 or more people.One
person places a four by four feet
nylon mesh screen seine is placed
along the bottom at an angle that
will allow riffle areas to be easily
sampled for benthic
macroinvertebrates. Another
individual kicks the stream bottom
down to 2 inches to loosen
macroinvertebrates for collection
upstream of the net.The net is
then removed from the water and
organisms are classified

25. • Sweep nets
Used to sample
invertebrates from the
water column as well as
communities attached to
wetland plants. The nets
are at the end of a pole
which is placed on the
bottom of the water body
and swept up vertically
through the water column
or swept a standard
length of vegetation.

26. Dredges or core
samplers
A specified area is
enclosed and
sediments and the
associated organisms
are retrieved. Fast
moving organisms can
and do escape. Core
samplers are
particularly useful in
wetlands that are dry.

27. Artificial substrates
Plastic plants or
other sterile surfaces
allow objective
sampling and sample
collection in locations
that are difficult to
sample.Such artificial
substrates should
remain in place for at
least a month and the
average is 8 weeks.

28. Emergence traps and
funnel traps
Nets or funnels
placed at or just
above the water
surface trap adult
aquatic insects
emerging from the
water.These will not
collect benthic
organisms such as
aquatic worms and
snails

29. Sampling Techniques
Sampling time considerations include
migration spawning and dispersal.
Nighttime sampling is suggested
particularly for catfish and perch.

30. Electrofishing
A technique which
stuns fish allowing
them to be caught
identified measured
and released quickly.
Permits are required.
Water body inlets and
outlets can be
blocked with nets to
prevent fish from
escaping the
electrical field

31. Seines
Nets pulled through
the water to capture
fish.Seines can allow
an estimate of
species richness. A
mesh size of 1/8 is
recommended for fish