▪ Abstract Aquatic insects and other benthic invertebrates are the most widely used
organisms in freshwater biomonitoring of human impact. Because of the high monetary …

Species traits have been frequently used in ecological studies in an attempt to develop a
general ecological framework linking biological communities to habitat pressures. The trait …

Water quality agencies and scientists are increasingly adopting standardized sampling
methodologies because of the challenges associated with interpreting data derived from …

The use of species traits to characterize the functional composition of benthic invertebrate
communities has become well established in the ecological literature. This approach holds …

Species' ecological preferences are progressively important for understanding distribution
patterns, for conserving biodiversity or for assessing and evaluating the status of freshwater …

Accurately assessing the effects of multiple human‐caused stressors on freshwater (and
other) ecosystems is an essential step in the development of efficient decision support tools …

It is critical that the impacts of environmental stressors on natural systems are detected,
monitored and assessed accurately in order to legislate effectively and to protect and restore …

Most bioassessment programs rest on the assumption that species have different niches,
and that abiotic environmental conditions and changes therein determine community …

Feeding strategies are typical traits reflecting the adaptation of species to environmental
conditions. This concept is currently developed in some water quality systems (eg Index of …

Streams in mediterranean regions have highly seasonal discharge patterns, with predictable
torrential floods and severe droughts. In contrast, discharge is less variable in temperate …