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Determination of the biological diatom index (IBD NF T 90–354): results of an intercomparison exercise

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Abstract

A diatom intercomparison exercise on sampling, slide preparation, countsand identification has been carried out in September 1999 with 24French-speaking diatomists on the River Loup (Alpes Maritimes, France). Fewoperators strictly respected the standard, especially for the number ofindividuals to be counted. It has however been demonstrated this had a very lowimpact on the index value and that old counts can be used for indexcalculation,if there are at least 300 frustules or valves. Counts higher than 400 did notlead to a better precision. The total variability largely depended on theoperator and was distributed unevenly between sampling, which appears to be acritical stage, slide preparation and counting. For those who strictlyrespectedthe standard procedure, the natural variability can be estimated to about oneunit value of the Biological Diatom Index. This intra-operator variability canbe considered as very low, as the IBD scale is from 0 to 20, and notsignificantin assessing water quality. Despite this, the inter-operator variability isgreater. When comparing operators' results, after excluding those who did notrespect the standard requirements, the main source of variability is due tomisidentifications, especially for small Achnanthes(A. minutissima and A. biasolettiana)and Cocconeis (C. placentula var.placentula, var. euglypta and var.lineata). Intercomparison exercises, internet exchangesforchecking and reference material collections should be encouraged both tosatisfythe internal and external quality controls and to acquaint biologists with theimportance of field and laboratory protocols, as well as to allow progress indiatom identification.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agence de l'Eau Artois-Picardie, 200 rue Marceline, 59508, Douai cedex, France

    Jean Prygiel & Christophe Lesniak

  2. 39 rue Auguste Lerouge, 59650, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France

    Patrice Carpentier

  3. Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, 3800, Portugal

    Salomé Almeida

  4. Division des Eaux-Algologie, Cemagref Groupement de Bordeaux, 50 Avenue de Verdun, 33612, Cestas Cedex, France

    Michel Coste

  5. INRA–Station d'Hydrobiologie Lacustre, 75 avenue de Corzent, 74203, Thonon-les-Bains, France

    Jean-Claude Druart & Isabelle Mercier

  6. Centre de Recherche Public–Gabriel Lippmann, 162a avenue de la Faïencerie, 1511, Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxemburg

    Luc Ector, Frédéric Rimet & Loïc Tudesque

  7. Service de l'Eau et des Milieux Aquatiques, DIREN Pays de la Loire, 3 rue Menou, 44012, Nantes Cedex 1, France

    Didier Guillard & Maxence Nazart

  8. Service des Eaux et Environnement, Institut Pasteur de Lille, 1 rue du Prof. Calmette, 59019, Lille Cedex, France

    Marie-Ange Honoré

  9. U.C.L., Unité d'Ecologie et de Biogéographie, 5 Place Croix du Sud, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Robert Iserentant

  10. Département Biologie, Section Ecologie Polaire, Limnologie et Paléobiologie, Université d'Anvers, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Anvers, Belgium

    Peter Ledeganck & Bart Van de Vijver

  11. Service de l'Eau et des Milieux Aquatiques, DIREN Ile de France, 18 avenue Carnot, 94234, Cachan Cedex, France

    Christian Lalanne-Cassou

  12. Eau Milieu Vivant, 4 impasse du Bout du Moulin, 49800, La Bohalle, France

    Philippe Moncaut

  13. Bi-Eau, 15 rue Lainé-Laroche, 49000, Angers, France

    Nathalie Nouchet

  14. Florence Peres, Le Viaduc, 31350, Boulogne-sur-Gosse, France

    Florence Peres

  15. Service de l'Eau et des Milieux Aquatiques, DIREN Bourgogne, 10 boulevard Carnot, 21000, Dijon, France

    Valérie Peeters

  16. Conseil Supérieur de la Pêche, 3 rue Sainte Marie, 60200, Compiègne, France

    Alain Rumeau

  17. Departament d'Ecologia, Facultat de Biologia, Avgda, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Sergi Sabater

  18. Laboratoire d'Algologie, Lycée Blaise-Cendrars, 2300, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

    François Straub

  19. Centre de Recherche Public–Gabriel Lippmann, 162a avenue de la Faïencerie, 1511, Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxemburg

    Mariacristina Torrisi

  20. Direction de l'Aménagement du Territoire Départemental et de l'Environnement, Conseil Général des Alpes Maritimes, 06201, Nice Cedex 3, France

    Henri Vidal

  21. Aquascop, 1 avenue du Bois l'Abbé, 49070, Beaucouzé, France

    Jessica Vizinet

  22. Service de l'Eau et des Milieux Aquatiques, DIREN Nord-Pas-de-Calais, 81 avenue de Soubise, 59831, Lambersart Cedex, France

    Nathalie Zydek

Authors
  1. Jean Prygiel
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  2. Patrice Carpentier
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  3. Salomé Almeida
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  4. Michel Coste
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  5. Jean-Claude Druart
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  6. Luc Ector
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  7. Didier Guillard
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  8. Marie-Ange Honoré
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  9. Robert Iserentant
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  10. Peter Ledeganck
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  11. Christian Lalanne-Cassou
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  12. Christophe Lesniak
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  13. Isabelle Mercier
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  14. Philippe Moncaut
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  15. Maxence Nazart
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  16. Nathalie Nouchet
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  17. Florence Peres
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  18. Valérie Peeters
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  19. Frédéric Rimet
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  20. Alain Rumeau
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  21. Sergi Sabater
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  22. François Straub
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  23. Mariacristina Torrisi
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  24. Loïc Tudesque
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  25. Bart Van de Vijver
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  26. Henri Vidal
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  27. Jessica Vizinet
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  28. Nathalie Zydek
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Prygiel, J., Carpentier, P., Almeida, S. et al. Determination of the biological diatom index (IBD NF T 90–354): results of an intercomparison exercise. Journal of Applied Phycology 14, 27–39 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015277207328

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