The performance of three approaches for macrobenthic classification in distinguishing communities subjected to different environmental conditions was compared: i) the traditional species-based approach; ii) a tolerance-based approach according to ecological groups of the AMBI index; and iii) a character-based approach using biological traits. We used a hierarchical sampling design including three progressively smaller spatial scales, considering that the environmental degradation influence benthic communities at the larger spatial scale. Despite small-scale spatial variations, all approaches performed similarly, distinguishing eutrophic from non-eutrophic benthic communities as they varied significantly at the larger scale, corresponding to the scale at which human induced changes act. Our results suggest that all three methodological approaches could be used as operational criteria to assess estuarine environmental quality, and despite more meaningful, there is still a degree of subjectivity in functional approaches, associated to the lack of more detailed information on macrofaunal life-cycles and levels of tolerance to disturbance.

比较了三种大型底栖动物分类方法在区分遭受不同环境条件的群落中的效果：i）传统的基于物种的方法；ii）根据AMBI指数的生态群体采取基于容忍的方法；iii）利用生物特征的基于角色的方法。考虑到环境退化在较大的空间尺度上影响底栖生物群落，我们使用了包括三个逐渐减小的空间尺度的分层抽样设计。尽管空间变化小，但所有方法的执行方式相似，将富营养化底栖生物与非富营养化底栖生物区分开来，因为它们在较大的尺度上发生了显着变化，这与人类诱发的变化所起作用的尺度相对应。