Sampling Freshwater Macroinvertebrate

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Freshwater invertebrates are relatively common within rivers and burns. They include groups such as insects, molluscs (snails), crustaceans (shrimps) and annelids (worms), amongst others.

Invertebrates provide a vital role in aquatic ecosystems with the invertebrates’ present providing a reliable indication of water quality.  Their accuracy in indicating water quality, combined with their ease of sampling has resulted in the widespread use of freshwater invertebrates in water quality analysis.  As a result, there have been several scoring systems (known as Biotic Indices) developed that can 'rate' water quality based on the types of invertebrates that are present or absent.  Such is the widespread availability of invertebrate sampling data that the Freshwater Biological Association has been able to develop a programme that can predict what invertebrates should be found within a river or burn based on location and some simple environmental data (known as RICT, the River Invertebrate Prediction and Classification Tool).  In addition to RICT biotic indices have been developed that can be used to assess different water quality variables such as siltation, acidification, reduced oxygen levels, pesticides and much, much more.

GFT routinely use freshwater invertebrates to monitor water quality as part of our work.  Current invertebrate sampling and monitoring includes:

Upper Bladnoch Scallop Shell Project

GFT is currently undertaking a trial project designed to see if scallop shells can be used to mitigate acidification in areas where there is unlikely to be any change in land use in the medium to long term.  As part of the project scallop shells will be placed on forestry roads and in drainage ditches to see if the calcium leached from the shells can mitigate against the low pH levels within the surrounding watercourses.  The project is being monitored extensively with invertebrate monitoring forming a key component.

Annan and Esk Water Quality and Temperature Monitoring

GFT is involved in a D&G Council funded project to gather baseline water quality data from the River Annan and Border Esk to help guide future restoration efforts.  The project collects a variety of water quality data with widespread invertebrate sampling from both river systems forming a key component of the work.

Contract Work

Invertebrate monitoring can form a vital component of monitoring development works such as inshore windfarms and other infrastructure development works.  Potential impacts from developments such as disturbance, siltation and pollution can all be picked up by monitoring invertebrates and as a result invertebrate monitoring is often a requirement for the approval of developments (along with other forms of ecological monitoring, including fish).