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Fritz KM, Schofield KA, Alexander LC, McManus MG, Golden HE, Lane CR, Kepner WG, LeDuc SD, DeMeester JE, Pollard AI. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CONNECTIVITY OF STREAMS AND RIPARIAN WETLANDS TO DOWNSTREAM WATERS: A SYNTHESIS. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION 2018; 54:323-345. [PMID: 30245566 PMCID: PMC6145469 DOI: 10.1111/1752-1688.12632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Streams, riparian areas, floodplains, alluvial aquifers and downstream waters (e.g., large rivers, lakes, oceans) are interconnected by longitudinal, lateral, and vertical fluxes of water, other materials and energy. Collectively, these interconnected waters are called fluvial hydrosystems. Physical and chemical connectivity within fluvial hydrosystems is created by the transport of nonliving materials (e.g., water, sediment, nutrients, contaminants) which either do or do not chemically change (chemical and physical connections, respectively). A substantial body of evidence unequivocally demonstrates physical and chemical connectivity between streams and riparian wetlands and downstream waters. Streams and riparian wetlands are structurally connected to downstream waters through the network of continuous channels and floodplain form that make these systems physically contiguous, and the very existence of these structures provides strong geomorphologic evidence for connectivity. Functional connections between streams and riparian wetlands and their downstream waters vary geographically and over time, based on proximity, relative size, environmental setting, material disparity, and intervening units. Because of the complexity and dynamic nature of connections among fluvial hydrosystem units, a complete accounting of the physical and chemical connections and their consequences to downstream waters should aggregate over multiple years to decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken M Fritz
- Respectively, Research Ecologist (Fritz), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Ecologist (Schofield), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Research Ecologist (Alexander), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Ecologist (McManus), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Physical Scientist (Golden), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Lane), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Kepner), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; Ecologist (LeDuc), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Director of Water Resources (DeMeester), North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina; Research Ecologist (Pollard), Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460 (26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Fritz: )
| | - Kate A Schofield
- Respectively, Research Ecologist (Fritz), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Ecologist (Schofield), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Research Ecologist (Alexander), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Ecologist (McManus), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Physical Scientist (Golden), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Lane), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Kepner), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; Ecologist (LeDuc), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Director of Water Resources (DeMeester), North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina; Research Ecologist (Pollard), Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460 (26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Fritz: )
| | - Laurie C Alexander
- Respectively, Research Ecologist (Fritz), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Ecologist (Schofield), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Research Ecologist (Alexander), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Ecologist (McManus), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Physical Scientist (Golden), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Lane), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Kepner), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; Ecologist (LeDuc), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Director of Water Resources (DeMeester), North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina; Research Ecologist (Pollard), Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460 (26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Fritz: )
| | - Michael G McManus
- Respectively, Research Ecologist (Fritz), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Ecologist (Schofield), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Research Ecologist (Alexander), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Ecologist (McManus), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Physical Scientist (Golden), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Lane), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Kepner), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; Ecologist (LeDuc), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Director of Water Resources (DeMeester), North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina; Research Ecologist (Pollard), Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460 (26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Fritz: )
| | - Heather E Golden
- Respectively, Research Ecologist (Fritz), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Ecologist (Schofield), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Research Ecologist (Alexander), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Ecologist (McManus), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Physical Scientist (Golden), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Lane), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Kepner), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; Ecologist (LeDuc), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Director of Water Resources (DeMeester), North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina; Research Ecologist (Pollard), Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460 (26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Fritz: )
| | - Charles R Lane
- Respectively, Research Ecologist (Fritz), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Ecologist (Schofield), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Research Ecologist (Alexander), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Ecologist (McManus), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Physical Scientist (Golden), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Lane), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Kepner), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; Ecologist (LeDuc), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Director of Water Resources (DeMeester), North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina; Research Ecologist (Pollard), Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460 (26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Fritz: )
| | - William G Kepner
- Respectively, Research Ecologist (Fritz), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Ecologist (Schofield), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Research Ecologist (Alexander), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Ecologist (McManus), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Physical Scientist (Golden), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Lane), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Kepner), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; Ecologist (LeDuc), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Director of Water Resources (DeMeester), North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina; Research Ecologist (Pollard), Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460 (26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Fritz: )
| | - Stephen D LeDuc
- Respectively, Research Ecologist (Fritz), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Ecologist (Schofield), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Research Ecologist (Alexander), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Ecologist (McManus), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Physical Scientist (Golden), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Lane), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Kepner), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; Ecologist (LeDuc), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Director of Water Resources (DeMeester), North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina; Research Ecologist (Pollard), Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460 (26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Fritz: )
| | - Julie E DeMeester
- Respectively, Research Ecologist (Fritz), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Ecologist (Schofield), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Research Ecologist (Alexander), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Ecologist (McManus), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Physical Scientist (Golden), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Lane), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Kepner), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; Ecologist (LeDuc), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Director of Water Resources (DeMeester), North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina; Research Ecologist (Pollard), Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460 (26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Fritz: )
| | - Amina I Pollard
- Respectively, Research Ecologist (Fritz), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Ecologist (Schofield), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Research Ecologist (Alexander), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Ecologist (McManus), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Physical Scientist (Golden), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Lane), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Research Ecologist (Kepner), National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; Ecologist (LeDuc), National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; Director of Water Resources (DeMeester), North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina; Research Ecologist (Pollard), Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460 (26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; Fritz: )
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Cohen MJ, Creed IF, Alexander L, Basu NB, Calhoun AJK, Craft C, D'Amico E, DeKeyser E, Fowler L, Golden HE, Jawitz JW, Kalla P, Kirkman LK, Lane CR, Lang M, Leibowitz SG, Lewis DB, Marton J, McLaughlin DL, Mushet DM, Raanan-Kiperwas H, Rains MC, Smith L, Walls SC. Do geographically isolated wetlands influence landscape functions? Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:1978-86. [PMID: 26858425 PMCID: PMC4776504 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1512650113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs), those surrounded by uplands, exchange materials, energy, and organisms with other elements in hydrological and habitat networks, contributing to landscape functions, such as flow generation, nutrient and sediment retention, and biodiversity support. GIWs constitute most of the wetlands in many North American landscapes, provide a disproportionately large fraction of wetland edges where many functions are enhanced, and form complexes with other water bodies to create spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the timing, flow paths, and magnitude of network connectivity. These attributes signal a critical role for GIWs in sustaining a portfolio of landscape functions, but legal protections remain weak despite preferential loss from many landscapes. GIWs lack persistent surface water connections, but this condition does not imply the absence of hydrological, biogeochemical, and biological exchanges with nearby and downstream waters. Although hydrological and biogeochemical connectivity is often episodic or slow (e.g., via groundwater), hydrologic continuity and limited evaporative solute enrichment suggest both flow generation and solute and sediment retention. Similarly, whereas biological connectivity usually requires overland dispersal, numerous organisms, including many rare or threatened species, use both GIWs and downstream waters at different times or life stages, suggesting that GIWs are critical elements of landscape habitat mosaics. Indeed, weaker hydrologic connectivity with downstream waters and constrained biological connectivity with other landscape elements are precisely what enhances some GIW functions and enables others. Based on analysis of wetland geography and synthesis of wetland functions, we argue that sustaining landscape functions requires conserving the entire continuum of wetland connectivity, including GIWs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Cohen
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611;
| | - Irena F Creed
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Laurie Alexander
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460
| | - Nandita B Basu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1
| | - Aram J K Calhoun
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469
| | - Christopher Craft
- School of Public Health and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405
| | | | - Edward DeKeyser
- School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108-6050
| | - Laurie Fowler
- Odum School of Ecology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
| | - Heather E Golden
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268
| | - James W Jawitz
- Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
| | - Peter Kalla
- Region 4, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, GA 30605
| | | | - Charles R Lane
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268
| | - Megan Lang
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Scott G Leibowitz
- Western Ecology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR 97333
| | - David Bruce Lewis
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620
| | | | - Daniel L McLaughlin
- Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - David M Mushet
- Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, United States Geological Survey, Jamestown, ND 58401
| | - Hadas Raanan-Kiperwas
- Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460
| | - Mark C Rains
- School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 3362
| | - Lora Smith
- Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, Newton, GA 39870
| | - Susan C Walls
- Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, United States Geological Survey, Gainesville, FL 32653
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