Bringing new knowledge to an old problem: Building a biotic index from lotic macroinvertebrate traits

Despite the potentially contentious issues of trait selection and trait weighting, the concept of trait complementarity is arguably more scientifically justifiable than regarding traits as isolated entities. It may offer the most pragmatic means to elaborate biotic indices where empirical methods are problematic. The subsequent ability to deconstruct sensitivity scores to verify their appropriateness would greatly facilitating moves towards harmonized assessment.