Machangara river basin
Model-Based Analysis of the Potential of Macroinvertebrates as Indicators for Microbial Pathogens in Rivers
March 2018 In this research, the relationship between microbial pathogens and macrobenthic invertebrate taxa was examined in the Machangara River located in the southern Andes of Ecuador. Decision tree models (DTMs) were used to generate rules that link the presence and abundance of some benthic families to microbial pathogen standards. As a result, two different and reliable models were obtained, which could be used as proxy indicators in a preliminary assessment of pollution of microbial pathogens in rivers. Furthermore, the presence of selected macroinvertebrate taxa in conjunction with the decision trees can be used as a screening tool to evaluate sites that require additional follow up analyses to confirm whether microbial water quality standards are met. |
A Methodology to Model Environmental Preferences of EPT Taxa in the Machangara River Basin (Ecuador)
March 2017 Rivers have been frequently assessed based on the presence of the Ephemeroptera— Plecoptera—Trichoptera (EPT) taxa in order to determine the water quality status and develop conservation programs. This research evaluated the abiotic preferences of three families of the EPT taxa Baetidae, Leptoceridae and Perlidae in the Machangara River Basin located in the southern Andes of Ecuador. Using generalized linear models (GLMs), the relation between the probability of occurrence of these pollution-sensitive macroinvertebrates families and physicochemical water quality conditions was analysed. The results indicated that the GLMs can be applied to predict either the presence or the absence of the invertebrate taxa and moreover, to clarify the relation to the environmental conditions of the stream. In this manner, these modeling tools can help to determine key variables for river restoration and protection management. |