The Use of Bryophytes for Fluvial Assessment of Mountain Streams in Portugal - River Conservation and Management - page 137

Table 12.1 Ecological variables assessed in stream segments and respective abbreviations and discriminated classes.

n ◦ of classes (minimum to maximum) Description

1 REGIONAL
EROS Soil erosion in the valley 3 classes (null erosion-high erosion)

ESCO Runoff 8 classes (300 to > 2200 mm)

HUMI Mean annual air humidity 4 classes (70 to > 85%)

INSO Solar incidence 10 classes ( < 1800 to 2700 h yr −1 )

3001 mm yr −1 ) PRELP Summer precipitation (PRELPs), Winter

precipitation (PRELPw) and total annual
precipitation (PRELP)

16 classes (0 to >

RESI Water dry residue 3 classes (0 to 400 mg L −1 CaCo 3 )

TISO Soil acidity 5 classes ( < 4.5 to 8.5 pH units)

2.5 to 22.5 ◦ C) TMAR Annual average temperature (TMART); maximum

temperature of coldest month (TMARM);
minimum temperature of coldest month
(TMARm); Average temperature of warmest
month (TMARMax); Average temperature of
warmest month (TMARMin);

10 classes ( −

2 LOCAL
ALTI Altitude 8 classes (0 to 1600 m)

CAUD Water discharge 5 classes (minimum to high)

CMAR Overhanging trees 4 classes (0 to 100%)

COND Conductivity (WTW pH/Cond340i) 15 classes (0 to 1300 scm −1 )

4 classes (null to 180 ◦ ) DECL Stream-bed average slope

3 classes (0 to 400 mg L −1 DURZ Hardness CaCO 3 )

ESTA Stream-bed stability 5 classes (low to high)

FONV Degree of conservation of natural vegetation in

river banks and adjacent slopes

5 classes (absent to intact formations)

HETC Number of fluvial morphodynamic habitats 5 classes (1 to 5 habitats present)

HETS Substrate heterogeneity 5 classes ('one size' to 'several sized rocks')

INSU Stability Index of the substrate (weighted sum of

the percentages of classes of substrate) (Suren
1996)

6classes(0to6)

LARG Average width 5 classes (0 to > 5m)

LUMI Shade 3 classes (shaded to exposed)

MINE Water mineralization 3 classes (low to high mineralization)

5 classes (1 st to 5 th ORDE Strahler segment order order)

PERM Flow regime seasonality 3 classes (constant to highy seasonal)

pH Water pH (WTW pH/Cond340i) 7 classes (4.5 to 8.0 pH units)

PROF Average depth 6 classes (1 to > 100 cm)

SEDI Embeddedness 5 classes (no sediment to humus/earthy

elements)

SITU Water turbulence 5 classes (lagoon to cascade)

SUBM Size classes of substrate 6 classes (0-0.01 cm diameter to bedrock

slabs)

4 classes (5 to 25 ◦ C) TEMP Water temperature (WTW pH/Cond340i)

TURB Flow type 5 classes ('laminar flow' to

'white water')

3ms −1 ) VELO Water velocity (Geopacks 'Flowmeter 1') 12 classes (null to >