Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Feb;163:111933. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111933. Epub 2021 Jan 20.
This paper aims to compare two foraminiferal based biotic indices generally used to evaluate the ecological quality status (EcoQS): the Foram-AMBI and the Foram Stress Index (FSI). For this purpose, we report the distribution and diversity of living foraminiferal assemblages and the environmental variables from a bathymetric transect in the Southern Adriatic Sea. The two indices agree well with the detected organic enrichment but indicate conflicting EcoQS as the Foram-AMBI detects good environmental conditions, whereas the FSI describes a poor-moderate quality. Many species not assigned (including soft-shelled foraminifera) are to blame for the different results. Also, both foraminiferal-based indices neglect the heavy metal increase encountered in the deepest stations. These findings suggest the need for a more in-depth analysis to improve the ecological status evaluation of marine benthic systems, including other descriptors as chemical pollutants in combination with biotic indices sensitive to organic matter enrichment.
本文旨在比较两种常用于评估生态质量状况（EcoQS）的基于有孔虫的生物指数：AMBI 有孔虫指数和 FSI（Foram Stress Index）。为此，我们报告了在亚得里亚海南部的一个水深剖面上，活有孔虫组合的分布和多样性以及环境变量。这两个指数与检测到的有机富集会很好地吻合，但指示了相互冲突的生态质量状况，因为 AMBI 有孔虫指数检测到良好的环境条件，而 FSI 则描述了较差到中等的质量。许多未被分配的物种（包括软壳有孔虫）是造成这种差异的原因。此外，这两种基于有孔虫的指数都忽略了在最深的站位遇到的重金属增加。这些发现表明需要进行更深入的分析，以改善海洋底栖系统的生态状况评估，包括将其他描述符与对有机物富集会敏感的生物指数结合起来，以评估化学污染物。
