ISS Phytoplankton

The ISS-Phyto represents a new size spectra sensitivity-based approach to ecological status assessment in transitional waters (ISS-Phyto). This index integrates simple size structure metrics with phytoplankton biomass, taxonomic richness thresholds and models of phytoplankton size class sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbance.

ISS-Phyto has practical advantages that promote its widespread use as a monitoring tool in transitional waters: body-size is indeed simple to measure, does not require great expertise to be measured because it is independent of taxonomical classification, and can be easily inter-calibrated among differ ent laboratories.

ISS-Phyto gives a fairly precise assessment of anthropogenic pressures on marine and transitional ecosystems that cause organic loading or nutrient enrichment- ISS-Phyto describes various pressure–impact relationships, which are mechanistically decoded in accordance with metabolic theory from the resource availability responses of phytoplankton guilds to anthropogenic pressures.

The phyto-ISS was calculated using the following formula:

ISS-phyto = Σ p (CLi) * ωi * si * bi

where CLi = ith size class; ωi = sensitivity value assigned to the ith size class, i = descriptor of size classes, from class 1 to 6; si = correction factor on number of different species found; bi = correction factor on chl a value.

References

• Bae et al., 2010;
• Blanco et al., 2007;
• Borja et al., 2009;
• Douglas et al., 2009;
• Henriksen et al., 2011;
• Hill et al., 2003;
• Hooper et al., 2005;
• Lacouture et al., 2006;
• Mulder et al., 2001;
• Rodríguez et al., 2001;
• Rothrock et al., 2008;
• Salmaso et al., 2006;
• Serra et al., 2003;
• Spatharis et al., 2011;
• Sprules and Munawar, 1986;
• Tang et al., 2006;
• Vadrucci et al., 2007;
• Vollenweider et al., 1998;
• Wang et al., 2005;
• Weis et al., 2007;
• Winter and Duthie, 2000;
• Wu et al., 2011;
• Zalack et al., 2010.

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