Report on Harmonisation of freshwater biological methods

Plants sampled per GIG1008060%40EmergentFloatingSubmerged200AL AT BA CE ME NOFigure 20. Groups of Macrophytes sampled in the GIGs.20. In Table 4 the sampling methods and metrics for Macrophytes are presented.Composition and abundance are recorded from visual inspections in the field from theshore. In cases when the whole lake is monitored this is done by boat. One countryuses an aqua-scope to monitor plant growth underneath the water surface. Rakes andgrapnels are used to remove the plants, along transects, for estimation of abundanceand taxonomic identification. In most countries the plants are identified to species andabundance and/or diversity determined.Table 4. Macrophytes sampling and metrics used in different countries within the GIGs.GIG/ Sampling Method Composition Metric Quantity MetricCountryALPINEIT rake species listAT Jager et al. (2002, 2004)Melzer et al. (1986).plant massSI combined geobotanical quadrate species diversity relative abundance,estimation by degrees 1-5DEIEGBtransect method with boat andrake/grab; mapping of ecologicallyhomogenous sections of the wholelittoral zoneshoreline examinations and samplingat 6m intervals along transects fromshoreline using rake and underwatercameras Recording of abundance andspecies in littoral zone of the lakeaugmented with emergents readilyidentifiable at distance.inshore transects using rake;shoreline examinations and samplingat 6m intervals along transects fromshoreline using rake and underwatermapping speciescompositionATLANTICspecies, frequency ofoccurrence, indicator taxa,group ratiosspecies composition,frequency of occurrence,indicator taxa, group ratiosabundance(semiquantitative),5 point scale according toKohler (1978)abundance, weight ofdiscrete samples DAFORrelative abundance, weightof discrete samples,DAFOR59