Evaluation of ecological health and driving factors in Ching River Basin based on biological integrity of benthic macroinvertebrates

ZHANG Yu-rong; PAN Bao-zhu; FENG Zhi-yuan; HOU Yi-ming; HU En; ZHENG Hao-wei; CHE Mei-xue

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China Environmental Science ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (10) : 5706-5717.

Evaluation of ecological health and driving factors in Ching River Basin based on biological integrity of benthic macroinvertebrates

ZHANG Yu-rong¹, PAN Bao-zhu¹, FENG Zhi-yuan¹, HOU Yi-ming¹, HU En², ZHENG Hao-wei¹, CHE Mei-xue¹

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Abstract

As an important indicative organism of river ecological health, benthic macroinvertebrates are an ideal choice for constructing the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI).This study is based on data from 41mainstem and tributary monitoring sites in the Ching River Basin, which were collected in November 2021 (autumn) and May 2022 (spring). Using a stepwise selection method, five core parameters were identified for the autumn (total biomass, relative abundance of Ephemeroptera individuals, relative abundance of sensitive taxa, BI, and Simpson's diversity index), and six core parameters were identified for the spring (number of Chironomidae taxonomic units, total biomass, relative abundance of scraper individuals, relative abundance of sensitive taxa, Hilsenhoff Biotic Index, and ASPT index). Health evaluation results showed that among the 41 sampling sites, 15 were classified as healthy, 7 as sub-healthy, 14as fair, and 5as poor in the autumn; in the spring, 8were healthy, 10were sub-healthy, 15 were fair, and 8were poor. Spearman's correlation analysis of core parameters and environmental factors showed that, in the autumn, NO₃⁻-N was significantly negatively correlated with the BI index (P=0.003); in the spring, COD was significantly negatively correlated with total biomass (P=0.007), and pH was significantly positively correlated with the number of Chironomidae taxonomic units (P=0.007). Random forest model analysis of land use types and B-IBI values at different scales indicated that in the autumn, the proportion of grassland had a significant effect on B-IBI in smaller-scale buffers (100~500m), whereas the proportion of cropland and forest had a significant effect in larger-scale buffers (1000~1500m). In the spring, the proportion of cropland significantly affected B-IBI in smaller-scale buffers, and as the buffer scale increased, the proportion of forest had a progressively significant effect, with the most significant effect observed in the 500m buffer. Comprehensive analysis indicates that the combined effects of land use types and environmental factors influence the B-IBI of benthic macroinvertebrates in the Ching River Basin, and that rational land use planning can contribute to the improvement of water ecological health in the basin.

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Ching River Basin / benthic integrity index / environmental factors / different buffer zones / land use types

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ZHANG Yu-rong, PAN Bao-zhu, FENG Zhi-yuan, HOU Yi-ming, HU En, ZHENG Hao-wei, CHE Mei-xue. Evaluation of ecological health and driving factors in Ching River Basin based on biological integrity of benthic macroinvertebrates[J]. China Environmental Science. 2025, 45(10): 5706-5717

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