Comparison of the effectiveness of kick and sweep hand net and Surber net sampling techniques used for collecting aquatic macroinvertebrate samples

Abstract

The objective of this work is to analyze the effectiveness of two widely used methods for collecting aquatic macroinvertebrate samples: the semiquantitative kick and sweep (K&S) and quantitative Surber net (SN) techniques. Based on our data, the methods were fully comparable as regards analysis of the macroinvertebrate metrics most often used in ecological status assessment (sensitivity/tolerance parameters), while K&S was found to be more successful in the evaluation of biodiversity. Thus, both methods could be used for routine monitoring of the status of water bodies, according to the recommendation of the EU Water Framework Directive, while for research, K&S is more advanced. K&S is also more effective timewise for material collecting. SN sampling is a quantitative method and could thus be used in studies of aquatic ecosystem productivity.