Groundwater Macrocrustaceans as Natural Indicators of the Ariège Alluvial Aquifer

Abstract

The macrocrustacean fauna from an alluvial aquifer in the French Pyrénées was investigated using 15 wells scattered over the floodplain. Wells were sampled at three contrasting periods for faunal, phy-sical and chemical variables to investigate relationships between amphipod, isopod distributions and environmental factors. The assemblages, dominated by stygobite amphipod species, showed an overall persistence between the sampling dates. Groundwater quality exhibited between-site variations related to agriculturally-induced pollution. Low correlations existed between water quality and fauna distribution patterns. At the scale of the aquifer, groundwater contamination did not influence the macrocrustacean distribution. The spatial distribution of amphipods and isopods was clearly related to hydrogeology and hydrodynamics: strong relationships were found between the assemblages composition and the hydrological context of the stations (wells from the alluvial plain and from the alluvial terrace). With respect to spatial and temporal scales and providing adequate sampling methods, macrocrustaceans then constitute natural indicators of groundwater hydrodynamics in the Ariège aquifer.