Utilização de índices bióticos para avaliação da qualidade ecológica d’água e integridade de igarapés amazônicos

Abstract

Freshwater aquatic ecosystems are important in ecological, social and economic aspects, and benthic macroinvertebrates are extremely important for maintaining the structure and functioning of these ecosystems. In this sense, some studies relate agricultural production, especially those based on monocultures, to negative impacts on the ecosystems where they are installed, resulting in environmental degradation and deterioration of natural resources. Thus, the study investigates the ecological quality of water and the integrity of streams in oil palm cultivation areas. Using the application of biotic and abiotic indices, such as genus richness, BMWP, ASPT and HII, and also the application of Generalized Linear Models (GLM) to detect environmental changes. The results demonstrate a high richness of EPT taxa, measuring good ecological water quality in the streams, confirmed by the BMWP and ASPT analyses. The GLM model showed negative relationships between temperature and taxon richness and BMWP, and a positive relationship between BMWP and HII. In conclusion, the results support the view that the joint use of indices (biotic and abiotic) offers a broader approach to the assessment of aquatic ecosystems, helping to understand the health and integrity of these environments.