Abstract
The goal of this study was a harmonization of diatom identification and counting among diatomists from the Scandinavian and Baltic countries to improve the comparison of diatom studies in this geographical area. An analysis of the results of 25 diatomists following the European standard EN 14407 during an intercalibration exercise showed that a high similarity was achieved by harmonization and not because of a long experience with diatoms. Sources of error were wrong calibration scales, overlooking of small taxa, especially small Navicula s.l., misidentifications (Eunotia rhomboidea was mistaken for Eunotia incisa) and unclear separation between certain taxa in the identification literature. The latter was discussed during a workshop with focus on the Achnanthes minutissima group, the separation of Fragilaria capucina var. gracilis from F. capucina var. rumpens, and Nitzschia palea var. palea from N. palea var. debilis. The exercise showed also that the Swedish standard diatom method tested here worked fine with acceptable error for the indices IPS (Indice de Polluo-sensibilité Spécifique) and ACID (ACidity Index for Diatoms) when diatomists with a low similarity (Bray–Curtis <60%) with the auditor in at least one of the samples are excluded.
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Acknowledgements
The course was partly funded by Nordplus Neighbour, a program of the Nordic Council of Ministers. We thank the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency for funding of part of the auditor’s work. Microscopes were kindly provided by Olympus (Olympus Sverige AB) and Nikon (Tekno Optik AB Skärholmen). Some literature was kindly provided by Koeltz Scientific Books and E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung. The Estonian river sampling and the participation of the Estonian diatomists was funded by Estonian target funding project SF 0170011508, and by grant 6580 from Estonian Science Foundation. We thank also Martyn Kelly for the constructive comments on the manuscript.
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Appendix
Appendix
Added* and changed** indicator values in OMNIDIA 4.2 according to the SE standard (valid September 2008. List is regularly updated)
|
| IPS sensibility value | IPS indicator value | acidity value |
code | S | I |
| |
Achnanthes abundans | AABU | 5* | 1* | 3* |
Achnanthes altaica | AALT | 5* | 2* |
|
Achnanthes curtissima | ACUR | 3* | ||
Achnanthes didyma | ADID | 5* | 1* | 3* |
Achnanthes kriegeri | AKRG |
|
| 3* |
Achnanthes lanceolata ssp. dubia | ALDU |
|
| 4* |
Achnanthes lanceolata ssp. frequentissima var. rostratiformis | ALFF |
|
| 4* |
Achnanthes microscopica | AMCP |
|
| 3* |
Achnanthes minutissima group I (<2,2 μm) | AMI1 | 5* | 2* | 3* |
Achnanthes minutissima group II (2,2-2,8 μm) | AMI2 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
Achnanthes minutissima group III (>2,8 μm) | AMI3 | 4* | 1* | 3* |
Achnanthes nodosa | ANOD | 5* | 2* | 3* |
Achnanthes saccula | ASCL | 3* | ||
Achnanthes scotica | ASCT | 5* | 1* | 2* |
Amphipleura kriegeriana | AKRI | 5* | 3* |
|
Amphipleura pellucida | APEL | 4** | 1** |
|
Aulacoseira muzzanensis | AMUZ |
|
| 4* |
Aulacoseira “pseudodistans” | AUPD |
|
| 3* |
Aulacoseira valida | AUVA |
|
| 2* |
Brachysira procera | BPRO |
|
| 2* |
Brachysira zellensis | BZEL |
|
| 3* |
Cyclotella rossii | CROS |
|
| 3* |
Cymbella excisiformis | CEXF | 5* | 1* | 4* |
Cymbella laevis | CLAE |
|
| 3* |
Cymbella lange-bertalotii | CLBE |
|
| 4* |
Cymbella perparva | CPPV |
|
| 4* |
Cymbella subhelvetica | CSBH |
|
| 4* |
Encyonema lange-bertalotii | ENLB | 4** | 1** | 3* |
Encyonema minutiforme | ENMF | 5* | 1* |
|
Encyonema pergracile | EPRG |
|
| 2* |
Encyonema reichardtii | ENRE |
|
| 3* |
Encyonema simile | ENSI | 5* | 2* | 3* |
Encyonema ventricosum | ENVE |
|
| 3* |
Encyonopsis cesatii var. geitleri | ECGE | 5* | 2* | 3* |
Encyonopsis krammeri | ECKR | 5* | 2* | |
Encyonopsis minuta | ECPM | 4** | 2** | 4* |
Encyonopsis perborealis | ECPB | 5* | 3* |
|
Eucocconeis alpestris | EUAL | 5* | 3* |
|
Eunotia bilunaris | EBIL |
|
| 2** |
Eunotia boreotenuis | EBOR |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia chelonia | ECHE |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia circumborealis | ECIR |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia curtagrunowii | ECTG |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia eurycephaloides | EECP |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia exsecta | EEXS |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia formica | EFOR |
| 1** |
|
Eunotia genuflexa | EGEN |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia hexaglyphis | EHEX |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia iatriensis | EIAT |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia inflata | EINF |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia muscicola | EMUS |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia muscicola var. perminuta | EMPE |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia muscicola var. tridentula | EMTR |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia pectinalis var. ventralis | EPVE |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia pseudoparallelloides | EPDP | 5* | 1* | 2* |
Eunotia rhomboidea | ERHO | 5** | 1** |
|
Eunotia seminulum | ESEM | 5* | 1* | 2* |
Eunotia steineckii | ESTK |
|
| 2* |
Eunotia sp. | EUNS |
|
| 2* |
Fragilaria nanoides | FNNO |
|
| 3* |
Fragilaria oldenburgioides | FODD |
|
| 3* |
Fragilaria opacolineata | FOPA |
|
| 3* |
Fragilaria pinnata var. intercedens | FPII | 4* | 1* | 4* |
Fragilaria pseudoconstruens | FPCO |
|
| 3* |
Frustulia erifuga | FERI | 5** | 2** |
|
Frustulia krammeri | FKRA | 5* | 2* | 2* |
Frustulia quadrisinuata | FQDS | 5* | 2* | 2* |
Gomphonema angustatum | GANG | 3* | ||
Gomphonema coronatum | GCOR | 5** | 3* | |
Gomphonema cymbelliclinum | GCBC | 4* | ||
Gomphonema pseudobohemicum | GPBO | 5* | 1* | 2* |
Gomphonema pumilum group | GPUM | 4.5** | 4* | |
Hippodonta coxiae | HCOX | 4* | ||
Melosira distans var. tenella | MDTE | 2* | ||
Navicula arctotenelloides | NATT | 5* | 1* |
|
Navicula germainii | NGER | 4* | ||
Navicula maceria | NMCE | 5* | 1* | 2** |
Navicula minima | NMIN | 2.2** |
| |
Navicula schmassmanni | NSMM | 3* | ||
Navicula subalpina | NSBN | 4.5* | 1* | 4* |
Navicula subhamulata | NSBH | 4** | 1** |
|
Navicula suchlandtii | NSUC | 1** | 3* | |
Navicula upsaliensis | NUSA | 4* | 4* | |
Naviculadicta sp. (Icon 2. 27:17-18, 28:6-9, 28:21-23) | NVDI** | 5* | 1* |
|
Naviculadicta litos | NLTO** | 5* | 1* |
|
Nitzschia agnita | NAGN |
|
| 4* |
Nitzschia alpina | NZAL |
|
| 3* |
Nitzschia bavarica | NBAV |
|
| 3* |
Nitzschia palea var. debilis | NPAD | 3** | 1** |
|
Nitzschia parvula | NPAR |
|
| 4* |
Peronia fibula | PFIB |
|
| 2* |
Pinnularia ivaloensis | PIVA | 5* | 2* | 2* |
Pinnularia perirrorata | PPRI | 5* | 2* | 2* |
Pinnularia silvatica | PSIL |
|
| 2* |
Pinnularia sinistra | PSIN |
|
| 2* |
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Kahlert, M., Albert, RL., Anttila, EL. et al. Harmonization is more important than experience—results of the first Nordic–Baltic diatom intercalibration exercise 2007 (stream monitoring). J Appl Phycol 21, 471–482 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-008-9394-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-008-9394-5