macroalgae
Following a consultation that ended on 28th February 2013, UKTAG has finalised its recommendations on 1) biological standards for rivers, lakes, coastal and estuaries and 2) phosphorus standards for rivers.
Macroalgae are good indicators of general pressures including, toxic substances and disturbance. They are ideally suited to monitoring as many are large, widespread and relatively easily identified.
Opportunistic macroalgae are able to utilise excess nitrogen in the environment and outcompete other seaweed species. They are easy to identify and sample so are good for monitoring the effects of nutrient enrichment.
This method has been designed primarily to detect the impact of toxic substances on the distribution of certain species of macroalgae (seaweeds belonging to the group known as 'wracks', and principally members of the genus 'Fucus''). This method monitors the upstream limit of t