Methods based on macrophytes populations to assess the ecological state of aquatic environments

Abstract

Studying living organisms in aquatic environments in order to obtain information on the conditions prevailing in their environment is the founding idea of the concept of bioindication. The first work in this direction, from the beginning of the 20th century, continued in Europe according to different conceptions and a history specific to each "school" and each biological compartment. Thus, the macrophytes were specifically examined to provide information on the morphodynamics of their habitat and the disturbances linked to the disturbances of the hydrochemical equilibria. With the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), promulgated in 2000, a new era began for research in the field of bioindication, with more precise methodological prescriptions and a desire for harmonization on a European scale. The "macrophyte element" then became the subject of new research and development work presented in this article.