Ecology: Macroinvertebrates, Periphyton + Cyanobacteria & Habitat | Rivers Water Quality and Ecology monitoring programme

Ecology: Macroinvertebrates, Periphyton, Cyanobacteria & Habitat

Macroinvertebrates

MCI class

Calculations use macroinvertebrate community index (MCI). MCI class and PNRP objectives are based on the 3 year median MCI score, see macroinvertebrate benchmarking for information on MCI classes. n = number of samples.

QMCI

All calculations use quantitative macroinvertebrate community index (QMCI) scores.

% EPT taxa

All calculations use the percentage of taxa that are Ephemeroptera (mayfly), Plecoptera (stonefly) and Trichoptera (caddisfly).

Periphyton + Cyanobacteria

Periphyton Biomass

All calculations use Chlorophyll α (mg/m²). NOF = National Objectives Framework, see National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management for more information. n = number of samples.

Periphyton Cover

Periphyton cover is calculated using a weighted composite cover (PeriWCC) with a nuisance guideline of 30%. See benchmarking for more details.

Cyanobacteria Cover

All calculations use percent coverage of cyanobacteria mats. n = number of samples.

Habitat

Overall

Habitat quality scores range from 1 (“poor”) to 10 (“excellent”) with an overall score out of 100. See habitat quality for more information.