Taxonomic and non-taxonomic responses of benthic macroinvertebrates to metal toxicity in tropical reservoirs. The case of Cantareira Complex, São Paulo, Brazil.

Benthic macroinvertebrates are organisms that are recognized as water quality bio-indicators. A wide variety of indices and metrics have been shown to respond to a variety of anthropogenic impacts, usually under a general condition of environmental impairment. The absence of a clear distinction in the relations between specific pollutants and biotic variables is very common and can lead to biased interpretation of biomonitoring.