🌊 Beane
eDNA Biodiversity Report Card
13 EPT families
Outstanding diversity of pollution-sensitive invertebrates indicating pristine water quality.
Top 15 families detected by eDNA analysis:
| Species | Family | Sites | ESVs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasterosteus aculeatus (Three-spined Stickleback) | Gasterosteidae | 10 | 41 |
| Barbatula barbatula (Stone Loach) | Nemacheilidae | 8 | 55 |
| Phoxinus phoxinus (Minnow) | Cyprinidae | 7 | 49 |
| Salmo trutta (Brown Trout / Sea Trout) | Salmonidae | 7 | 19 |
| Squalius cephalus (Chub) | Cyprinidae | 4 | 10 |
| Carassius auratus (Goldfish) | Cyprinidae | 4 | 7 |
| Gobio gobio (Gudgeon) | Cyprinidae | 3 | 3 |
| Leuciscus leuciscus (Dace) | Cyprinidae | 1 | 1 |
| Species | Family | Sites | ESVs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baetis rhodani (Large Dark Olive) | Baetidae | 9 | 19 |
| Serratella ignita (Blue Winged Olive) | Ephemerellidae | 6 | 12 |
| Paraleptophlebia submarginata (Turkey Brown) | Leptophlebiidae | 4 | 11 |
| Cloeon dipterum (Pond Olive) | Baetidae | 4 | 8 |
| Baetis scambus (Small Dark Olive) | Baetidae | 3 | 5 |
| Ephemera danica (The Mayfly) | Ephemeridae | 3 | 5 |
| Procloeon pennulatum (Large Spurwing) | Baetidae | 2 | 4 |
| Baetis vernus (Medium Olive) | Baetidae | 2 | 2 |
| Caenis horaria (Angler's Curse) | Caenidae | 1 | 3 |
| Ephemera vulgata (Drake Mackerel) | Ephemeridae | 1 | 2 |
| Species | Family | Sites | ESVs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leuctra fusca (Late Needle Fly) | Leuctridae | 2 | 5 |
| Leuctra digitata (Rolled-winged Stoneflies) | Leuctridae | 2 | 3 |
| Nemurella pictetii (Pictet's Stonefly) | Nemouridae | 1 | 1 |
| Species | Family | Sites | ESVs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glyphotaelius pellucidus (Northern Caddisflies) | Limnephilidae | 8 | 22 |
| Silo nigricornis (Humpless Case-maker Caddisflies) | Goeridae | 6 | 7 |
| Limnephilus extricatus (Northern Caddisflies) | Limnephilidae | 4 | 7 |
| Leptocerus tineiformis (Long-horned Caddisflies) | Leptoceridae | 3 | 8 |
| Limnephilus marmoratus (Northern Caddisflies) | Limnephilidae | 3 | 4 |
| Rhyacophila dorsalis (Free-living Caddisflies) | Rhyacophilidae | 3 | 3 |
| Micropterna lateralis (Northern Caddisflies) | Limnephilidae | 2 | 3 |
| Goera pilosa (Humpless Case-maker Caddisflies) | Goeridae | 2 | 2 |
| Hydroptila sparsa (Microcaddisflies) | Hydroptilidae | 2 | 2 |
| Hydroptila vectis (Microcaddisflies) | Hydroptilidae | 2 | 2 |
| Halesus radiatus (Northern Caddisflies) | Limnephilidae | 2 | 2 |
| Enoicyla pusilla (Northern Caddisflies) | Limnephilidae | 1 | 2 |
| Halesus digitatus (Northern Caddisflies) | Limnephilidae | 1 | 2 |
| Agapetus fuscipes (Saddle-case Makers) | Glossosomatidae | 1 | 1 |
| Hydroptila martini (Microcaddisflies) | Hydroptilidae | 1 | 1 |
| Drusus annulatus (Northern Caddisflies) | Limnephilidae | 1 | 1 |
| Limnephilus flavicornis (Northern Caddisflies) | Limnephilidae | 1 | 1 |
| Site | Location | Species | Genera | EPT Families | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B8 | Woodhall lower | 557 | 373 | 12 | 🌟 |
| B9 | Stapleford Church | 417 | 288 | 8 | |
| B4 | Frogmore Hall - Rookery | 362 | 243 | 2 | |
| B2 | Walkern - Greenway | 294 | 217 | 8 | |
| B6 | Woodall Estate | 282 | 204 | 8 | |
| B3 | Aston End (Aston Ford) | 274 | 203 | 3 | |
| B1B | Walkern Ford (upstream site) | 165 | 135 | 2 | |
| B1A | Newell Lane (extra site) | 140 | 106 | 1 | |
| B5 | Watton Lamas Control (upriver)... | 133 | 108 | 4 | |
| B10 | Waterford Marsh (downstream si... | 57 | 49 | 5 |
🌟 = Most diverse site on river
The Beane flows through the Upper Lea (Hertfordshire) catchment, where our eDNA survey sampled 10 sites along its length. Analysis of water samples revealed a rich invertebrate community with 1,013 distinct genetic sequences (Species) representing 1011 identified species and 270 families.
Compared to other chalk streams surveyed, the Beane shows one of the most biodiverse rivers in the study, ranking #1 of 11. The river supports 13 families of mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies (EPT) - key indicators of water quality.
Notable findings include the detection of conservation priority species (Water vole, Water shrew) and invasive species requiring management attention.
1013 Species detected across 10 sites — CSV format, opens in Excel
