Research and analysis

Relationship between the lotic-invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation (LIFE) and river invertebrate prediction and classification system (RIVPACS)

An assessment was made of the potential to use the RIVPACS reference sites and methodology to standardise LIFE across all physical types of site.

From:
Environment Agency
Published
1 January 2003

Documents

Investigation of the Relationship between the LIFE Index and RIVPACS: Putting LIFE into RIVPACS

Ref: ISBN 1844321495, LIT 1723

PDF, 2.99 MB, 182 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

In the UK, there are competing demands for both surface and groundwater resources. Sustained or repeated periods of low flows and/or slow flows are expected to impact on the plant and animal communities within rivers. To assess the potential impact of flow-related stresses on lotic macroinvertebrate communities, the Environment agency developed the Lotic-invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation (LIFE). Extence et al. (1999) showed that for several individual sites, temporal variation in LIFE could be correlated with recent and preceding flow conditions.

RIVPACS (River InVertebrate Prediction And Classification System) is the principal methodology currently used by the UK government environment agencies to assess the biological condition of UK rivers. RIVPACS assesses biological condition at a site by comparing the observed macroinvertebrate fauna with the fauna expected at the site if it is unstressed and unpolluted, as predicted from its environmental characteristics.

Published 1 January 2003