Development of a Multimetric Index Based on Benthic Macroinvertebrates for Downstream Jajrud River in Tehran Province, Iran
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Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences 19(1) 286-296 2020 DOI: 10.22092/ijfs.2019.118321 Development of a multimetric index based on benthic macroinvertebrates for downstream Jajrud River in Tehran province, Iran Mehrjo F.1; Abdoli A.2; Hashemi S.H.1*; Hosseinabadi F.1 Received: September 2017 Accepted: October 2017 Abstract Jajrud River is the main source of drinking water in the East of Tehran. The river originates from heights of the Alborz Mountain in Northern Tehran. In this study, five stations were sampled for water quality assessment in downstream. Brgjhan and Afjeh stations were considered as reference stations. Benthic macroinvertebrate sampling was repeated 3 times at each station with a Surber sampler device and an area of 900 square cm and a mesh size of 250 microns, in four seasons. For the development of MMIDJ (Multimetric Macro-invertebrate Index Downstream Jajrud-MMIDJ) multimetric index based on benthic macro-invertebrate, 25 bio-indicators were compared in the reference stations with the data of two years, 2013 and 2014. The features of the bio-indicators included measurement of components tolerance, composition, richness, and trophic. MMIDJ multimetric index was developed from 6 indices including HFBI (Hilsenhoff Family Biotic Index), BMWP/ASPT (Biological Monitoring Working Party/Average Score per Taxon), NJIS (New Jersey Impairment Score), MMIF (Multimetric Macro- invertebrate Index Flanders), % Ephemeroptera, and BBI (Belgian Biotic Index). Indices selected were significantly correlated with at least one physicochemical parameter and low degree of changes like % Chironomidae, % non-insects, the ratio of Downloaded from jifro.ir at 18:49 +0330 on Tuesday September 28th 2021 EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) individuals to Chironomidae, and high density. Water quality in MMIDJ multimetric index was classified into four. Index values were from 6 to 30. The water quality improved from 6 to 30. With regard to water quality assessment of Jajrud River using MMIDJ multimetric index, Jajrud River did not have a good quality. Appropriate management actions should be considered in Jajrud River for improvement of the water quality. Keywords: Jajrud River, Water quality, Benthic macro-invertebrate, MMIDJ multimetric Index 1- Department of Environmental Pollutants Research, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. 2-Department of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. *Corresponding author's Email: [email protected] 287 Mehrjo et al., Development of a multimetric index based on benthic macroinvertebrates for… Introduction affected by environmental factors such The recognition and evaluation of the as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen quality and quantity of water resource (DO) and pollution (Mehdipour et al., form major factors in resource 2018). According to multimetric management, which has its work base indices, benthic macro-invertebrates are as recognition of aquatic ecosystem and important tools for the assessment of ecological study (Robinson et al., biological resources quality. 2001). Different methods have been Multimetric indices consist of a number developed for the determination of of biological and/or ecological water quality based on biological indicators (often called metrics because indicators. All these methods were they are measures of the system) which developed and used as biological combine as a one-dimensional indicator monitoring methods. Bio-monitoring or of the biological or ecological condition biological monitoring is generally of a system (Karr and Chu, 1997). In defined as “the systematic use of living developing multimetric indices using organisms or their responses to benthic macro-invertebrates in various determine the condition or changes in streams of environments worldwide, a the environment” (Li et al., 2010). great number of metrics have been Benthic macro-invertebrates are one of examined accordingly and evaluated in the most important and most useful streams (Whittier et al., 2007; Macedo organisms in biological monitoring. At et al., 2016; Liu et al., 2017). It seems least one of the stages of its life is spent that use of biological indicators in a in the aquatic environment and is program monitoring the state of water visible to the naked eye (Rosenberg et in Iran has received less attention in al., 1997). Benthic macro-invertebrates only a few studies, most of which rely are one of most important component of on a metrics of biological indicators, Downloaded from jifro.ir at 18:49 +0330 on Tuesday September 28th 2021 the aquatic ecosystem and have been including indices Shannon–Wiener, used for so long to assess the quality of EPT, HFBI, BMWP, and Taxa streams water. Among members of the Richness, to mention a few. The aquatic ecosystem, they are probably purpose of this study is the the most suitable; because they are development of a multimetric index numerous in almost every stream, (Multimetric Macro-invertebrate Index readily collected and identified, not Downstream Jajrud-MMIDJ) based on very mobile and generally have life benthic macro-invertebrate cycles of a year or more (Hilsenhoff, communities for the water quality 1977), sensitivity in different chemical assessment in Jajrud downstream. condition, easy sampling and requiring low numbers of the taxon and they are Materials and methods reliable purposes that can respond to Study area stress and environmental changes Jajrud River with an approximate (Abbaspour et al., 2017). Also, benthic length of 140 km originates from macro-invertebrates fauna's structure is Alborz mountain range in the north of Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences 19(1) 2020 288 Tehran, Iran. It’s most important stations included areas the with function is as a source of drinking water minimum pollution, least need for for surrounding villages and the East of development and land use, less than Tehran. Because of the mountainous 30% agriculture, and less than 20% area and problem of waste disposal, the urban areas. Impaired stations also surrounding villages dump their wastes included areas with maximum pollution into Jajrud River. The river is located in and high turbidity. The 3 stations before the recreational area annually visited by Lake Latyan dam, Najarkola, and many people from this area and has its Saeadabad were referred to as the highest portion in the water supply of impaired stations and Bargejahan and Latyan dam (About 60%). Latyan dam Afjeh were the reference stations. in turn provides about 30% of Tehran’s Location of sampling stations and the water. In this study, five stations were land use around them can be seen in studied in downstream for assessment Fig. 1. Land use around stations of the river water quality. The stations included residential, commercial, were divided into groups of reference garden, and pasture. and impaired stations. Reference Downloaded from jifro.ir at 18:49 +0330 on Tuesday September 28th 2021 Figure 1: Location of sampling stations in downstream Jajrud River. Measurement of physicochemical (EC), total ammonia ( ), turbidity, parameters biological oxygen demand (BOD), fecal The physicochemical parameters were coliform, and phosphate ( ). evaluated during sampling and measurement in Jajrud River. These Benthic macroinvertebrate sampling parameters included dissolved oxygen Benthic macro-invertebrate organisms (DO), temperature, percent of dissolved in Jajrud River were sampled using oxygen (% DO), electrical conductivity Surber sampler device, with an area of 289 Mehrjo et al., Development of a multimetric index based on benthic macroinvertebrates for… 900 square centimeters and mesh size bed were poured into trays and benthic of 250 microns. Sampling was done in organisms were placed under a 3 repetitions in each station. For this microscope for identification and purpose, Surber floor framework was counting. Using identifier key, benthic made from materials including stone, macro-invertebrate organisms (Tachet rubble, gravel, and sand and was et al., 2000) were identified in the level positioned and in opposite direction of of orders, families, and genera. the flow of the river bed, thus preventing the bed from washing. Then, Biological indices for index benthic macro-invertebrate organisms development were guided by flowing water into a For developing multimetric index based Surber net. The contents of the Surber on benthic macro-invertebrate, 25 net were washed up into the pan and the biological indices were compared in the benthic macro-invertebrate organisms reference stations with two years data, were removed from the river bed. Then 2013 (in 4 seasons) and 2014 (in 4 by pence and sieve of 250 micron, the seasons). Biological indices feature benthic macro-invertebrate organisms included measurement of components obtained from the river bed were like tolerance, composition, richness, thrown into benthic storage containers. and trophic (Wiseman, 2003; Jun et al., The samples were fixed with 4% 2012) (Table 1). Some of the metrics formalin and transported to the and indicators increased in value with laboratory for isolation and increasing pollution and vice versa. The identification. To separate benthic increasing or decreasing values of these macro-invertebrate organisms, samples biological indices were used to were passed through a sieve of 250 determine their response to pollution microns and through flowing water and (Table 1) (Royer et al.,