Accep ed Manusc ip
Wa e quali y moni o ing in he Paul do Boquilobo Biosphe e Rese e
C. Bap is a, L. San os
PII: S1474-7065(15)00178-3
DOI: 10.1016/j.pce.2015.11.008
Re e ence: JPCE 2453
To appea in: Physics and Chemis y o he Ea h
Recei ed Da e: 20 Ma ch 2015
Re ised Da e: 6 Oc obe 2015
Accep ed Da e: 12 No embe 2015
Please ci e his a icle as: Bap is a, C., San os, L., Wa e quali y moni o ing in he Paul do Boquilobo
Biosphe e Rese e, Physics and Chemis y o he Ea h (2015), doi: 10.1016/j.pce.2015.11.008.
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Wa e quali y moni o ing in he Paul do Boquilobo Biosphe e Rese e
Bap is a, C.
a
; San os, L.
a
Ins i u o Poli écnico de Toma , Es ada da Se a, Quin a do Con ado ,
2300-313 Toma , Po ugal
[email p o ec ed]
[email p o ec ed]
a
– Poly echnic Ins i u e o Toma
Abs ac
The Paul do Boquilobo is an impo an we land ecosys em classi ied by Unesco as a
MAB Biosphe e ese e also awa ded Ramsa si e s a us, ep esen ing one o he mos
impo an habi a s o he esiden nes ing colony o Ca le Eg e (Bulbucus ibis). Ye
owing o i s loca ion, i su e s om human induced impac s which include indus ial
and domes ic e luen discha ges as well as ag icul u al land use which ha e nega i ely
impac ed wa e quali y. The cu en s udy epo s he esul s ob ained om he
in oduc o y moni o ing p og amme o su ace wa e quali y in he Na u e Rese e o
emphasize he de imen al impac o he an h opogenic ac i i ies in he wa e quali y o
such an impo an ecosys em. The s udy in ol ed physicochemical and bio ic a iables,
mic obial pa ame e s and biological indica o s. Resul s a e 3 yea s o moni o ing b ing
o e idence a poo wa e quali y u he impai ed by seasonal pa e ns. S a is ical
analysis o da a a ibu ed wa e quali y a ia ion o 3 main pa ame e s - pH, dissol ed
oxygen and ni a es, indica ing hea y con amina ion loads om bo h o ganic and
ag icul u al sou ces. Seasonali y plays a ole in wa e low and clima ic condi ions,
whe e sampling si es p esen ed a iable wa e quali y da a, sugges ing a depu a i e
unc ion o he we land.
In oduc ion
Du ing he las decades na u al in eg i y o i e basins and low le els o an h opogenic
impac wi hin p o ec ed a eas ose in socie y awa eness o he social-economical alue
o eshwa e esou ces (Nichols e al., 2006; Ve donscho e al., 2013). Ne e heless
ac i i ies, such as i iga ion o ag icul u e and ca chmen s o ene gy p oduc ion pose
a ious h ea s o wa e quali y, low educ ion and ecosys em in eg i y (Wa d and
S an o d, 1995; Po e al., 1997; Rich e e al., 2003; Ches e and No is, 2006). Many
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na u al aspec s o i e s ecosys em a e h ea ened, o example loods and wa e
empe a u e changes cue ish o spawn (James e al., 2009; Pankhu s and Munday,
2011), igge insec s o begin a new phase o hei li e cycle, while e y low lows may
be c i ical o ipa ian ege a ion, cause eu ophica ion and consequen ly dea h o aqua ic
e eb a es.
Moni o ing plays a key ole in he unde s anding o an h opogenic impac s on na u al
ecosys ems, hus o e ing an impo an ool in he managemen o na u al a eas. The
Eu opean Union Wa e F amewo k Di ec i e (EC, 2000, 2011, 2013) es ablishes a
amewo k o Communi y ac ion in he ield o wa e policy o implemen wa e
esou ces and ecological assessmen as main con ibu o s o wa e analysis, hus
p o iding he basis o managemen and es o a ion o hyd ological ne wo ks (He ing e
al., 2010). The USA, show a long use o biological su eys o egula e wa e quali y
which become a widesp ead app oach since 1987 (Mebane, 2001). Aus alia ollowed
he end, using na ionwide wa e quali y analysis h ough biological indica o s since
he mid 1990s, o guide wa e managemen agencies as well as he Na ional Wa e
Ini ia i e in 2004. In Sou h A ica a na ional moni o ing p og am has also been
de eloped (Roux e al., 1999) using ecological assessmen , and u he de eloping hei
knowledge o he biological indica o s.
Common biomoni o ing app oaches and bioindica o s used o i e ecosys ems in ol e
pe iphy on, ben hic mac oin e eb a es and ish. Howe e , because mac oin e eb a e
communi ies in i e s and s eams espond o a ious dis u bances and iden i ica ion is
becoming e e mo e gene alised, o e ing a solu ion o immedia e biomoni o ing needs
(F ibe g e al., 2011). The mos unde s ood ela ionships a e he esponses o
mac oin e eb a es o o ganic pollu ion (Rosenbe g and Resh, 1993), howe e ,
mac oin e eb a es also espond o o he s esso s including lows and sedimen
(Ex ence e al., 2011), acidi ica ion (Mu phy e al., 2013), oxins in sedimen s and
sil a ion (Colas e al., 2011) and mo phological deg ada ion (F ibe g e al., 2011).
Biological measu emen s p o ide di ec in o ma ion on he condi ion o bio a esiden
in he wa e esou ce, and he e o e on he o e all ecosys em condi ion. The ob ious
impo ance o managemen issues, wi h di ec analy ical in o ma ion, can p o ide a
mo e sensi i e ime-in eg a ed assessmen o i e condi ion, whe eas, physical o
chemical a iables ha e in many s udies been de e mined as an insu icien
me hodological app oach in ce ain en i onmen al condi ions. Repea edly s udies
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emphasize he imp ac icabili y o unde ake chemical moni o ing o e sho imescales
wi hou conside ing bio a which can p o ide diagnos ics o wa e quali y p oblems
beyond ha necessa y o ecological s a us assessmen in i s own (Obe do e al.,
2002; Da is e al., 2006; Nichols e al., 2006; Feld e al., 2014).
The Paul do Boquilobo ma sh achie ed he p o ec ed a ea s a us, as dec eed by
he Po uguese go e nmen on he 24
h
o June 1980. By i ue o i s uniqueness aised
in e na ional in e es , he e o e classi ied as a Biosphe e Rese e on 1981, he i s
p o ec ed a ea in Po ugal o ecei e such dis inc ion (MaB P og amm, by UNESCO).
In 1996, i was conside ed a we land o In e na ional Impo ance, unde he Ramsa
Con en ion, and in 1999, u he classi ied as a Special P o ec ion A ea unde he
Council Di ec i e 92/43/EEC o 21 May 1992 on he conse a ion o na u al habi a s
and wild auna and lo a. This ma sh shel e s he la ges colony o he ons o he Ibe ian
Peninsula and unc ions as a p ime s op o nes ing and win e ing concen a ion o
endange ed wa e owl.
We lands a e amongs he mos h ea ened habi a s (MEA, 2005). Fo ha
ma e , in i s cu en condi ion, Paul do Boquilobo ma sh makes empha ic he e idence
o hea y an h opogenic p essu es and agmen ed landscape.
The Paul do Boquilobo Biosphe e Rese e and he Poly echnic Ins i u e o
Toma , conside ed s akeholde o educa ion and esea ch unde he new Biosphe e
Rese e Managemen Commi ee, gua an ee he moni o ing e o s in e ms o su ace
wa e quali y analysis, soil analysis, land co e analysis and landuse e olu ion.
The unde lying objec i e is he sea ch o he mos adequa e moni o ing s a egy,
no wi hs anding he assessmen o he wa e quali y in he di e en aqua ic
en i onmen s o he Na u e Rese e, as a con ibu ion o he cu en managemen and
u u e s a egies. The p esen moni o ing p og amme e alua es physical, chemical and
mic obiological pa ame e s, as well as ben hic mac oin e eb a es as i s s age
bioindica o s.
2. Me hodology
2.1 S udy a ea
The s udy a ea, Paul do Boquilobo Na u e Rese e (PBNR) loca ed 30º23’6” N -
8º, 31’59” W (Figu e 1) adminis a i ely in ol ing he municipali ies o To es No as
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and Golegã, suppo ed by a ibu a y o he igh ma gin o he Tagus i e , he
Almonda Ri e . The p i ileged geog aphic loca ion in he cen e o Po ugal awa ds
special cha ac e is ics making his ese e one we land o excellence, also unpa alleled
by he sca ci y o such ecosys ems in Po ugal.
Figu e 1 – Geog aphic loca ion o Paul do Boquilobo Na u e Rese e in he
cen e o Po ugal, wi h he indica ion o he Almonda Ri e ha c osses he s udy a ea
and he sampling si es ( om 1 o 6).
The a ea comp ises he allu ial plain, cu by ipa ian co ido s wi h he p edominance o
F axinus and Salix species ollowing a complex ne wo k o empo a y s eams and
d ainage di ches beyond he Almonda Ri e , which uns h ough he ese a ion a ea.
Paul do Boquilobo ma sh is subjec ed o la ge seasonal luc ua ions o wa e le el,
keeping ce ain a eas pe manen ly o seasonally looded. The ma sh plays an impo an
ole in he egion’s wa e egula ion - e en ion a ea du ing loods and echa ge o
g oundwa e in d y pe iod.

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Rega ding he Rese e, he 817 ha o Paul do Boquilobo a e s a i ied in a
con en ional ipa i e zona ion: a ea o o al p o ec ion (co e a ea), a ea o pa ial
p o ec ion, a ea o complemen a y p o ec ion, unde he managemen o ICNF - Ins i u e
o Na u e Conse a ion and Fo es s.
2.2 Sampling Si es
Sampling si es we e chosen in unc ion o hei hyd ological ele ance in o de o allow
an o e iew o he Rese e’s wa e quali y (Figu e 1). Almonda Ri e s ands o he
mos impo an con ibu ion o his we land, hence he p e e en ial choice o si e
selec ion (si es 1, 2 and 3). Fu he mo e collec ing s a ions e lec sequen ially en ance,
midpoin and exi o he Na u e Rese e, g an ing an o e iew o he wa e quali y
s a us. Si es we e pa ially chosen by accessibili y cha ac e is ics, conside ing he
looded pe iod (si e 4). Wi h he in en o co e ing mos habi a s wa e quali y o he
na u al lake, len ic en i onmen , which unde looding condi ions con ibu es o he
wa e quali y o he Almonda Ri e (si e 5). Besides he Almonda Ri e , ano he
impo an hyd ological con ibu ion o he ma sh exhibi ing e idence o pollu ion
p oblems demanded a new sampling loca ion, ou side o he Rese e a ea wi hin Vala
das Co das d ainage di ch (si e 6).
Geog aphical loca ion o si es (Figu e 1) is di e en ia ed by:
Si e 1- Almonda Ri e , a he en ance o he Rese e, lo ic en i onmen wi h high low,
and se e e seasonal luc ua ions;
Si e 2- Almonda Ri e , as an in e media e poin be ween si es 1 and 3, coinciden ly he
beginning o he co e ese a ion zone;
Si e 3- Almonda Ri e , he lowe mos poin and exi o he ese e, lo ic en i onmen
obse ing high seasonal a ia ion be ween win e and summe , agg a a ed du ing he
summe due o i iga ion wa e demand;
Si e 4- One o he main ibu a ies o he Almonda Ri e wi hin he Rese e,
cha ac e ized by 2 a i icial d ainage di ches, egula ly looded which condi ioned he
sampling in his si e;
Si e 5- Na u al lake, len ic en i onmen on he igh ma gin o he Almonda Ri e ;
Si e 6- This is he only si e ou side he Rese e a ea, howe e one o he main d ainage
di ches buil o gain ag icul u al land, and cha ac e ized by he se e e appa en
pollu ion.
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2.3 Sampling equency and analysed pa ame e s
Sampling ook place on a mon hly basis, be ween Ap il 2011 and Ap il 2012, ollowed
by a new sampling sequence om Ma ch o May 2013, accoun ing o an o e all
amoun o 16 sampling sessions and 96 indi idual samples.
2.3.1 Physical, chemical and mic obiological pa ame e s
Du ing he cu en s udy 13 pa ame e s we e analysed and summa ised in able 1.
Me hodologically wa e sampling analysis ollowed eal ime “in si u” analysis, and
sampling emo al, ollowed by labo a o ial analysis (A iola e al., 2004).
Table 1 – Me hods and equipmen s used in en i onmen al essays.
Pa ame e (uni ) Me hod/ Equipmen
pH “In si u” – Hanna Ins umen s HI 98103
Tempe a u e (ºC) “In si u” – Hanna Ins umen s HI 98103
Conduc i i y (
µ
S/cm) “In si u” – Hanna Ins umen s HI 98129
Solids: To al Dissol ed Solids – TDS;
To al Suspended Solids – TSS; (mg/L)
Fil a ion (0,45
µ
m il e ); S anda d
Me hod 2540
Dissol ed Oxygen, DO (mg/L) Winkle iodome ic me hod wi h sodium
azide modi ica ion; S anda d Me hod
4500-O (C)
Chemical Oxygen Demand, COD (mg/L) Po assium dich oma e open e lux
me hod, 2h diges ion, 150ºC; S anda d
Me hod 5220
Biochemical Oxygen Demand, BOD
5
(mg/L)
5-day BOD es ; S anda d Me hod 5210
Phospha es (mg/L) S anda d Me hod 4500-P (E); Asco bic
acid me hod
Ni a es (mg/L) Po uguese S anda d NP 4338-1/96; 2,6-
dime hylphenol colo ime ic me hod
Cul u able mic oo ganisms, 22
°
C and
36°C (CFU/mL)
ISO 6222:1999; pou -pla e me hod; yeas
ex ac aga (YEA)
Coli o m bac e ia and E. coli ISO 9308-1:2000; memb ane il a ion
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(CFU/100mL) me hod; Memb ane Lau yl Sul a e Aga
pla e (MLSA); Oxidase and indol
con i ma i e es s
The sampling, anspo , p ese a ion, s o age and analysis ollowed he me hods
desc ibed in S anda d Me hods o he Examina ion o Wa e and Was ewa e , sec ion
1060 A, B, C and Table 1060: I o physical and chemical analysis, and sec ion 9060 A
and B o mic obiological analysis (G eenbe g e al., 1992). Manual single samples
we e collec ed in he middle o he s eam a mid-dep h, using 1,5L plas ic con aine s
o all pa ame e s, excep OD and phospha es (Winkle bo les and Scho lasks,
espec i ely).
2.3.2 Bioindica o s o wa e quali y
Wi h he p ima y a ge o sampling lo ic en i onmen s, ben hic mac oin e eb a es
sampling was ca ied ou using a 25cm D ame hand ne 500µm (35 mesh) (Ba bou e
al., 1996). Sampling was pe o med mos ly in i le habi a s o allow esul compa ison,
ollowing Wa e F amewo k Di ec i e (WFD), also e lec ed in he Na ional Wa e
Ins i u e p o ocol’s (INAG, 2008).
Mac oin e eb a es we e collec ed o indi idual anspo con aine s, and p ese ed wi h
70% e hylic alcohol un il labo a o y so ing and iden i ica ion. Mac oin e eb a es
we e iden i ied o amily le el (Tache e al., 2002). Specimens we e analyzed and
classi ied using a BMS s e eo-op ical mic oscope (magni ica ion X140) and an
Olympus op ical mic oscope (magni ica ion X400), up o amily le el o all axa.
Sampling unde wen he pe iod Ap il 2011 and Ap il 2012 collec ed mon hly excep o
he mon h o Oc obe whe e wea he condi ions and lash loods condi ioned sampling.
A e he analysis o his pe iod i was decided ha biomoni o ing esul s we e mos
signi ican o he pe iod be ween Ma ch and May whe e mac oin e eb a e specimens
we e mos abundan (Nichols e al., 2006).
Immedia e calcula ions conside ed he usage o he AMIIB@ so wa e om Po uguese
En i onmen al P o ec ion Agency (APA) and e ie ed: o al numbe o indi iduals,
o al numbe o axa, BMWP, ASPT, IBMWP, IASPT, Shannon-Wienne di e si y,
E enness, and he Po uguese Index IP IN (Alba Te cedo e al., 2002; INAG, 2009).
Bo h IBMWP and IP IN class IV i e s we e calcula ed o wa e s a us classi ica ion.
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So wa e es ic ions and p oblems we e o e come by so ing mon h da a in o seasonal
da a. Fo ha ma e he mon hs o Decembe , Janua y and Feb ua y co espond o
win e ; he mon hs o Ma ch, Ap il and May – sp ing; he mon hs o June, July and
Augus – summe and he mon hs o Sep embe and No embe o au umn.
2.4 S a is ical analysis
S a is ical analysis, in ol ed he indi idualisa ion o a iables in Excel ollowed by
explana o y s udy o a iables, mul i a ia e analysis using Mini ab 14. S epwise clus e
analysis enabled he iden i ica ion o pa e ns di iding co e a iables in o la ge g oups,
whe e he Euclidean dis ance e ealed simila i y be ween e e y wo samples. The
Clus e ing o Va iables was used o classi y a iables in o g oups when he g oups we e
ini ially no known, hus educing hei numbe . This echnique is an agglome a i e
hie a chical me hod ha begins wi h all a iables sepa a ely, each o ming i s own
clus e . In he i s s ep, he wo a iables closes oge he a e joined. In he nex s ep,
ei he a hi d a iable joins he i s wo, o wo o he a iables join oge he in o a
di e en clus e . This p ocess will con inue un il all clus e s a e joined in o one,
enabling sel decision on g oups ha a e logical o he da a. The p ocedu e allowed
iden i ica ion o new a iables ha a e mo e in ui i ely unde s ood han hose ound
using P incipal Componen Analysis (PCA).
De ended Co espondence Analysis (DCA) was used o selec he app op ia e esponse
model o subsequen di ec g adien analysis ( e B aak and Šmilaue , 2002; Lepš and
Šmilaue , 2003). Fo he g adien analysis, bo h Redundancy Analysis (RDA)
(linea me hod) and Canonical Co espondence Analysis (CCA) (unimodal me hod)
we e applied on he da a, as DCA e ealed ha he dominan g adien leng h was
be ween 3 and 4 (Lepš and Šmilaue , 2003). RDA and CCA showed simila esul s, bu
RDA explained mo e a iance in he species-en i onmen ela ionship.
Consequen ly, only RDA esul s a e going o be p esen ed. Sepa a e RDAs we e applied
o each g oup o desc ip o a iables. Each un o RDA was made a ge ing one
g oup a e pa celling ou he e ec s o he pa ame e s in he emaining g oups,
which we e used as co- a iables (i.e. pa ial RDA). Pa ial RDA was un o each
possible combina ion o a ge ed desc ip o and co a iables using CANOCO 4.5, based
on species co ela ions and s anda dized species sco es ( e B aak and Šmilaue , 2002).
Signi ican desc ip o s o each g oup we e iden i ied using CANOCO’s o wa d
selec ion p ocedu e and Mon e Ca lo pe mu a ion es (499 pe mu a ions) (Feld and
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Va iables
Simila i y
COD
TSS
Ni a e
DO
Conduc i i y
pH
TDS
BOD5
Cul u able 22ºC
Coli o ms
Cul u able 36ºC
Phospha e
Tempe a u e
59,30
72,87
86,43
100,00
Figu e 6 – Dend og am o simila i y analysis o a iables wi h single linkage-dis ance
measu ed by co ela ion coe icien dis ance and inal pa i ion
F om all simila i ies in he analyzed a iables, g oup 1 is easily explained by he
mic obial ac i i y, nu ien (P and TDS) and empe a u e needs, limi ed by he BOD and
possibly by u bidi y (TDS). On he o he hand, g oup 2 exhibi s simila i y o
co ela ion coe icien be ween DO and N (86%), which in u n p esen simila i y (79%)
wi h pH and conduc i i y whe e limes one ma ix con ibu es o alkaline alues.
Con aminan s con ibu e o lowe he pH and DO and o inc ease conduc i i y, hence
he coe icien o co ela ion. Rega ding he week simila i y o co ela ion coe icien
he o me men ioned pa ame e in his g oup and TSS and COD (63% and 59%
espec i ely), may be explained by he pollu ion e en s spo adically obse ed h ough
discha ges in o he sys em, whe e COD indica es o ganic, non biodeg adable
con aminan s in he sys em.
These obse a ions conco dan ly associa e poo wa e quali y and eu ophica ion p one
condi ion o his impo an Na u e Rese e, especially when empe a u e ises.
Canonical analysis deli e ed a gene al RDA o all da a whe e cumula i e pe cen age o
a iance o species-en i onmen ela ionships explains 47.1% o all a iabili y, while
axis 2 explains 22.2% o a iabili y, oge he ep esen ing 69.3% o all a iabili y. The

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esul is conside able i analyzing axis 3 and 4 which ep esen 12.9% and 12%,
espec i ely.
When analyzing esul s o he canonical co espondence analysis (RDA) plo ed alues
o ma ginal e ec s (λ-1) and condi ional e ec s (λ-A) i is easily unde s ood he
impo ance o pH, DO and N wi h p alues o 0.016, 0.044 and 0.042 espec i ely
(Figu e 7). The impo ance o such a iables o he comple e canonical analysis is also
e lec ed in he p e iously p esen ed simila i y analysis placing hese a iables in g oup
2.
0 0,05 0,1 0,15 0,2
pH
DO
Conduc i i y
Ni a e
Cul u able 22ºC
BOD5
Tempe a u e
Coli o ms
TDS
TSS
Phospha e
Cul u able 36ºC
COD
Lambda1
LambdaA
Figu e 7 – Resul s o he canonical co espondence analysis (RDA) plo ed alues o
Lambda 1 (ma ginal e ec s) and Lambda A (condi ional e ec s).
Bo h ma ginal e ec s and condi ional e ec s a e well explained by pH and DO as in
many lo ic sys ems (Mu phy e al., 2013), howe e bo h N and cul u able bac e ia a
22ºC p esen adequa e explana ions o condi ional e ec s as a p obable esul o
pollu ion episodes. Ano he a iable o conside om he da ase , despi e he p alue o
0.842, is Conduc i i y whe e ma ginal e ec s (λ-1=0.04) also emphasize a p obable
pollu ion episode esul .
G aphical biplo o species and en i onmen al a iables (RDA-MDS) enables a isual
ela ionship be ween en i onmen al a iables and sampled amilies (Figu e 8).
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F om he cen al dis ibu ion o he amilies, da ase common in e p e a ion o a lo ic
i e sys em (Nichols e al., 2006), i is impo an o emphasize he ma sh connec i i y
and o ganic load. Odona a, C us acea and Oligochae a axonomic g oups a e associa ed
and b ough o e idence by he amilies Nepidae, A yidae and Tubi icidae, espec i ely.
Hea y mic obiological ac i i y p omo ed by empe a u e inc ease and lowe low le els
do c ea e oppo uni ies o Oligochae a and C us acea g oups, which in u n will
p o ide oppo unis ic condi ions o Odona a (Feld e al., 2014).
Figu e 8 – Resul s o he canonical co espondence analysis (RDA) based on he
in e eb a es assemblages wi h espec o en i onmen al a iables. A ows ep esen he
en i onmen al a iables and iangles ep esen amilies.
Dip e a amilies a e clea ly sepa a ed by he i s axis (explaining 47% o en i onmen -
species a iabili y) wi h posi i e co ela ions wi h TSS, T, DO and BOD
5,
al hough
nega i ely co ela ed o he emaining a iables. Pa icula emphasis should be gi en o
pH, he d i ing a iable whe e lowe alues inc ease less sensi i e amilies e ealing a
possible con amina ion p oblem.
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A emp ing o u he explain unique e ec s in he a iabili y o he sys em, g oup
canonical analysis wi h pa ial RDA o bo h g oups 1&2 wi h co a iables se
espec i ely as 2&1, (Figu e 9) e ealed ha g oup 1 sum o axis 1 and 2 explain
68.6%, while g oup 2 explains 83.4% o he o al a iabili y in he sys em (Figu e 10).
Figu e 9 – Pa ial RDA o G oup 1 wi h co a iables as G oup 2.
G oup 1 es ablishes clea condi ions o o ganic pollu ion wi h he de elopmen o a
conside able bac e ial load, he e o e de e io a ing condi ions and deple ing oxygen
which globally in luences he p esence o biodi e si y. The pe cen age o explana ion
(68.6%) is lowe han he o e all pe cen age (Figu e 8) p obably due o he equency
and du a ion o such condi ions, which may be associa ed o o ganic pollu ion e en s.
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Figu e 10 – Pa ial RDA o G oup 2 wi h co a iables as G oup 1.
On he o he hand g oup 2 comp ehending he mos impo an a iables in he sys em
pH, DO and Ni a es, in his way explaining 83.4% o he a iabili y (Figu e 10),
o e whelmingly con i ms he impo ance o hese a iables o he ecosys em’s heal h,
hence he conse a ion impo ance. I is a known ac ha Dissol ed Oxygen is one o
he mos impo an d i ing ac o s in ecosys em quali y (Po e al., 1997; Rich e e al.,
2003; Nichols e al., 2006; F ibe g e al., 2011; Feld e al., 2014) whe e
hyd omo phologic cha ac e is ics can play an impo an ole and may no necessa ily
mean con amina ion impac . On he o he hand pH is commonly a s ong
en i onmen al g adien o acid–base s a us, associa ed o impai men despi e sensi i i y
o na u al a ia ions. Fo he Almonda Ri e pH’s impo ance s ands on he s ong
bu e e ec o he alkaline wa e s which wi hs and high le els o impac wi h li le
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luc ua ion. One would expec pH o alkaline i e s o be a weak indica o assuming
pollu ion emains a a e age le els (Mu phy e al., 2013), none heless in his s udy pH
ep esen s he main d i ing a iable pinpoin ing a s ong pollu ion impac .
4. CONCLUSIONS
Th ough he s udy o ecological indica o s and chemical pa ame e s, i was ound ha
he su ace wa e s ha e a e y poo quali y; high Biochemical Oxygen Demand alues
indica e a se e e o ganic biodeg adable con amina ion; s a is ical analysis sugges s pH
and dissol ed oxygen as he d i ing a iables, whe e highe le els e eal be e
biological quali y.
Ni a es may b ing o e idence he common landuse by ag icul u e whe e impac is
e iden , despi e he seasonal end o his ac i i y.
Wa e quali y is s ongly in luenced by he geog aphic a iable o sampling si es which
p esen s di e en pollu ion le els and also appea s condi ioned by seasonali y.
Mos c i ical si e co espond o Vala das Co das di ch (si e 6), bu he ups eam
con ibu ions a e globally de imen al.
Main a ge a iables o a i s e o in ecosys em conse a ion should ocus on
Ni a es, Dissol ed Oxygen and pH.
The pollu ion le el mus be con olled a once in o de o allow he na u al beha io o
he ecosys em and he p ese a ion o ha impo an we land.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The au ho s wish o hank he ollowing en i onmen al enginee ing’ s uden s in ol ed
in he labo a o ial wo k: Adélia Mo ais, Cláudia Oli ei a, Sa ah Oli ei a, Palmi a
Hilá io (2010/11); Ana Godinho, And é F óis, And é Oli ei a, José Ma ôco, Vasco
Lopes (2011/12); Júlia Aze edo, Luísa Cab al, P iscila Galizes, Rena a Sampaio,
Thalissa Mesqui a (2012/13).
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