Evaluation of habitat diversity and water quality preferences of macroinvertebrates through fuzzy coding

Hydrology evaluates habitat diversity and quality by identifying where living organisms prefer the environment through habitat information. This information significantly influences biodiversity conservation and the survival of various organisms. Moreover, understanding the types and characteristics of aquatic organisms contributes to determining water quality. This study used a hydrological approach to understand the interaction between the environment and organisms with data on the geographical distribution of freshwater organisms and the various water quality conditions in their respective habitats. Specifically, fuzzy coding was applied to integrate the geographical distribution of over 200 macroinvertebrates in Korea with various water quality conditions (i.e., pH, total phosphates, total nitrogen, etc.) in their preferred habitats. Fuzzy coding quantified the affinity of species for various water quality parameters (e.g., pH) composed of ambiguous or overlapping modalities (e.g., acidic, neutral, and base), constructing fuzzy-coded species x environmental gradient matrices for each species. The resulting database will be critical in evaluating habitat diversity and quality for aquatic organisms from a hydrological perspective. It can be used as an indicator for habitat and biodiversity conservation. It will also provide important information for assessing organisms' adaptability to environmental changes based on their preferences for water quality conditions. Moreover, the database can contribute to establishing policies on water pollution and conservation by understanding the water characteristics preferred by a given organism. Further study is needed to understand the ecological impact of habitat changes due to environmental variations and appropriate modeling to predict water quality changes.