Are hydrogeological and hydrochemical settings informative of the aquatic ecological situation? An extended and comprehensive framework

Alqaragholi S, Kanoua W, Göbel P

Abstract

This paper discusses exclusively the dependency betweenthe ecological and hydro-geochemical criteria used to classifyhydrogeological formations and provides an overview of the mostmeasurable environmental factors characterizing the groundwaterecosystem. Compact, porous, fractured and karstic formationsare complex hydro-geomorphological units which store variableamounts of water. They are considered the main habitats forstygofauna in many regions worldwide. The hydrogeologicalsituation of a groundwater system varies spatially (both laterallyand vertically) and temporally at different scales. Moreover,different factors (e.g. surface and groundwater interaction(hydrological exchange), precipitation, land use, land cover) playan active role in classifying groundwater systems. Therefore, manyconcepts have already been proposed to classify these systems.This paper focuses on the relationships between communities ofgroundwater invertebrates (occurrence, distribution and diversity ofstygofauna) and special hydrogeological indicators, by examiningthe hypotheses and results of previous literature.