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Miliša M, Stubbington R, Datry T, Cid N, Bonada N, Šumanović M, Milošević D. Taxon-specific sensitivities to flow intermittence reveal macroinvertebrates as potential bioindicators of intermittent rivers and streams. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 804:150022. [PMID: 34517322 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
As complex mosaics of lotic, lentic, and terrestrial habitats, intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) support high biodiversity. Despite their ecological importance, IRES are poorly represented in routine monitoring programs, but recent recognition of their considerable-and increasing-spatiotemporal extent is motivating efforts to better represent IRES in ecological status assessments. We examine response patterns of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities and taxa to flow intermittence (FI) across three European climatic regions. We used self-organizing map (SOM) to ordinate and classify sampling sites based on community structure in regions with continental, Mediterranean and oceanic climates. The SOM passively introduced FI, quantified as the mean annual % flow, and visualized its variability across classified communities, revealing a clear association between community structure and FI in all regions. Indicator species analysis identified taxa indicative of low, intermediate and high FI. In the continental region, the amphipod Niphargus was indicative of high FI and was associated with groundwater-fed IRES, whereas indicators of Mediterranean IRES comprised Odonata, Coleoptera and Heteroptera taxa, which favor lentic conditions. In the oceanic region, taxa indicative of relatively high FI included leuctrid stoneflies and a limnephilid caddisfly, likely reflecting the colonization of IRES by aerial adults from nearby perennial reaches. The Diptera families Chironomidae and Simuliidae showed contrasting FI preferences among regions, reflecting environmental heterogeneity between regions and the coarse taxonomic resolution to which these organisms were identified. These region-specific community and taxon responses of aquatic biota to FI highlight the need to adapt standard biotic indices to enable effective ecological status assessments in IRES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Miliša
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Rachel Stubbington
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Thibault Datry
- INRAE, UR RiverLy, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, 5 rue de la Doua CS20244, 69625 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Núria Cid
- INRAE, UR RiverLy, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, 5 rue de la Doua CS20244, 69625 Villeurbanne Cedex, France; FEHM-Lab (Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management), Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Núria Bonada
- FEHM-Lab (Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management), Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marina Šumanović
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Djuradj Milošević
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Višegradska 33, 18000 Niš, Serbia.
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Sakai M, Iwabuchi K, Bauman D. Unique habitat and macroinvertebrate assemblage structures in spring-fed stream: a comparison among clastic lowland tributaries and mainstreams in northern Japan. COMMUNITY ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s42974-021-00048-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Hydrological, Environmental and Taxonomical Heterogeneity during the Transition from Drying to Flowing Conditions in a Mediterranean Intermittent River. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10040316. [PMID: 33918970 PMCID: PMC8068964 DOI: 10.3390/biology10040316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary In recent decades, the riverine ecosystems have been considered to evaluate the aquatic biological diversity, hydrological variations, and ecosystem services. However, climatic change scenarios and anthropogenic interventions are expected to shift from perennial to intermittent rivers with possible repercussion on aquatic biodiversity and human well-being. Our study identified a significant reduction in the Mediterranean intermittent river streamflow with an increase of zero flow days in the last decades. Furthermore, the aquatic invertebrates showed variations during the transition from drying to rewetting with a significantly changing species adapted to the flowing conditions (rheophilic taxa) to non-flowing water. The importance of the disconnected pools as refuges during the dry condition was recognised to protect some endemic species and contribute to the recolonisation after the rewetting events. Include these important aquatic ecosystems in management and conservancy policies is a challenge that will contribute to preserving the freshwater resources and the biological diversity for our future generations. Abstract Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) are increasingly studied because of their often-unique aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, biogeochemical processes and associated ecosystem services. This study is the first to examine the hydrological, physicochemical and taxonomic variability during the dry-wet transition of an intermittent river in the Chilean Mediterranean Zone. Based on 30-years of river monitoring data and the TREHS tool, the hydrology of the river was characterised. Overall, the river shows a significant reduction in streamflow (−0.031 m3/s per year) and a substantial increase of zero flow days (+3.5 days per year). During the transition of hydrological states, variations were observed in the environmental conditions and invertebrate communities. During the drying phase, abundance, richness, and diversity were highest, while species turn-over was highest during base flow conditions. The disconnected pools and the flow resumption phases were characterised by high proportions of lentic taxa and non-insects, such as the endemic species of bivalves, gastropods, and crustaceans, highlighting the relevance of disconnected pools as refuges. Future climatic change scenarios are expected to impact further the hydrology of IRES, which could result in the loss of biodiversity. Biomonitoring and conservation programmes should acknowledge these important ecosystems.
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White JC, Fornaroli R, Hill MJ, Hannah DM, House A, Colley I, Perkins M, Wood PJ. Long-term river invertebrate community responses to groundwater and surface water management operations. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 189:116651. [PMID: 33248332 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
River flow regimes have been transformed by groundwater and surface water management operations globally, prompting widespread ecological responses. Yet, empirical evidence quantifying the simultaneous effects of groundwater and surface water management operations on freshwater ecosystems remains limited. This study combines a multi-decadal freshwater invertebrate dataset (1995-2016) with groundwater model outputs simulating the effects of different anthropogenic flow alterations (e.g. groundwater abstraction, effluent water returns) and river discharges. A suite of flow alteration- and flow-ecology relationships were modelled that tested different invertebrate community responses (taxonomic, functional, flow response guilds, individual taxa). Most flow alteration-ecology relationships were not statistically significant, highlighting the absence of consistent, detectable ecological responses to long-term water management operations. A small number of significant statistical models provided insights into how flow alterations transformed specific ecological assets; including Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera taxa which are rheophilic in nature being positively associated with groundwater abstraction effects reducing river discharges by 0-15%. This represents a key finding from a water resource management operation perspective given that such flow alteration conditions were observed on average in over two-thirds of the study sites examined. In a small number of instances, specific invertebrate responses displayed relative declines associated with the most severe groundwater abstraction effects and artificial hydrological inputs (predominantly effluent water returns). The strongest flow-ecology relationships were recorded during spring months, when invertebrate communities were most responsive to antecedent minimum and maximum discharges, and average flow conditions in the preceding summer months. Results from this study provide new evidence indicating how groundwater and surface water resources can be managed to conserve riverine ecological assets. Moreover, the ensemble of flow alteration- and flow-ecology relationships established in this study could be used to guide environmental flow strategies. Such findings are of global importance given that future climatic change and rising societal water demands are likely to further transform river flow regimes and threaten freshwater ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C White
- River Restoration Centre, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK; Centre for Hydrological and Ecosystem Science, Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom.
| | - R Fornaroli
- DISAT, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano, Italy.
| | - M J Hill
- School of Applied Sciences University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK.
| | - D M Hannah
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
| | - A House
- Wessex Water, Claverton, Bath, BA2 7WW, United Kingdom.
| | - I Colley
- Wessex Water, Claverton, Bath, BA2 7WW, United Kingdom.
| | - M Perkins
- Environment Agency, Rivers House, Sunrise Business Park, Blandford, Dorset DT11 8ST, United Kingdom.
| | - P J Wood
- Centre for Hydrological and Ecosystem Science, Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom.
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Fornaroli R, Muñoz-Mas R, Martínez-Capel F. Fish community responses to antecedent hydrological conditions based on long-term data in Mediterranean river basins (Iberian Peninsula). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 728:138052. [PMID: 32361104 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades many studies have proven the paramount impact of flow regimes on the structure of lotic ecosystems, both through extreme events (i.e. floods and droughts) but also during intermediate flows, which temporarily and spatially regulate the habitat availability. Human demand for water is steadily increasing and scientists are challenged to define ecosystem needs clearly enough to guide policies and management strategies. However, field studies demonstrated that a variety of interacting factors, such as, presence of barriers (e.g. dams) and temporal changes in habitat structure affect the abundance, composition and distribution of fish assemblages. This work based on quantile regression tested hypotheses to elucidate the effect of antecedent hydrological conditions on fish communities. A large monitoring database collecting and homogenizing the existing information on fish fauna in the Júcar River Basin District (Eastern Iberian Peninsula) was gathered and used to evaluate biological metrics (species richness, Capture Per Unit Effort-CPUE, and CPUE ratio over the total CPUE) related to life history strategies (i.e. periodic, opportunistic or equilibrium) and species origin (i.e. native, translocated or alien). The resulting dataset was complemented with diverse indicators of the measured daily discharge at the nearest gauging site. Most of the significant relationships confirmed the role of antecedent hydrological conditions as limiting factors, although other environmental factors likely play additional roles. In general, richness and abundance of alien species showed the higher proportion of significant associations, particularly spring flows and annual minima and maxima. These flow-ecology relationships shall be particularly useful to manage ecological responses to hydrological alteration. They also provide with clear ecological foundations for developing environmental flows assessments in Mediterranean river basins worldwide, using holistic approaches which can harmonise eco-hydrological approaches with smaller-scale and habitat-based ecohydraulics methods, especially under the current climate trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Fornaroli
- Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Ambiente e della Terra, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano, Italy.
| | - R Muñoz-Mas
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, M. Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut d'Investigació per a la Gestió Integrada de Zones Costaneres (IGIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, C/Paranimf 1, 46730 Grau de Gandia, València, Spain
| | - F Martínez-Capel
- Institut d'Investigació per a la Gestió Integrada de Zones Costaneres (IGIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, C/Paranimf 1, 46730 Grau de Gandia, València, Spain
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Colls M, Timoner X, Font C, Sabater S, Acuña V. Effects of Duration, Frequency, and Severity of the Non-flow Period on Stream Biofilm Metabolism. Ecosystems 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-019-00345-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Abstract
Headwaters, the sources of all stream networks, provide habitats that are unique from other freshwater environments and are used by a specialised subset of aquatic species. The features of headwaters that provide special habitats include predator-free or competitor-free spaces; specific resources (particularly detrital based); and moderate variations in flows, temperature and discharge. Headwaters provide key habitats for all or some life stages for a large number of species across just about all freshwater phyla and divisions. Some features of headwaters, including isolation and small population sizes, have allowed for the evolutionary radiation of many groups of organisms within and beyond those habitats. As small and easily engineered physical spaces, headwaters are easily degraded by streambank development, ditching and even burial. Headwater streams are among the most sensitive of freshwater ecosystems due to their intimate linkage with their catchments and how easily they are impacted. As a unique ecosystem with many specialist species, headwater streams deserve better stewardship.
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Hill MJ, Milner VS. Ponding in intermittent streams: A refuge for lotic taxa and a habitat for newly colonising taxa? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 628-629:1308-1316. [PMID: 30045552 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Intermittent rivers are temporally dynamic, shifting between lotic, lentic (ponding) and dry habitat phases, yet almost all research effort has focussed on the lotic phase, with limited research attention on the lentic and dry phases. Information regarding the biological diversity of the lentic phase is vital to quantify the total aquatic biodiversity, their use as flow refugia, and the long-term conservation and management of intermittent rivers. In this study, we compared the diversity and composition of macroinvertebrates from perennial, intermittent and ponded sites in two intermittent rivers in the United Kingdom. We examined whether instream ponding provided refugia for lotic taxa and a habitat for newly colonising taxa. A total of 129 taxa (perennial - 86, intermittent - 82, ponding - 78) were recorded. Instream ponds were found to support heterogeneous communities compared to flowing sites. Twenty-two percent of taxa were recorded only from ponded sites, many of which were lentic specialists, while 38% of taxa persisted in instream ponds after flow had ceased. Results from this study highlight that instream ponds provide an important flow refuge for macroinvertebrates including rheophilic taxa, which move into instream ponds when channels become longitudinally disconnected, and makes a significant contribution to aquatic diversity in intermittent rivers, providing suitable habitat for newly colonising taxa. Aquatic diversity in intermittent rivers may have been underestimated historically, failing to acknowledge the ecological contribution of the lentic phase. Incorporating the ponding phase alongside the lotic phase will ensure the total aquatic biodiversity of intermittent rivers is quantified and effective biodiversity conservation and management strategies are employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Hill
- Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester WR2 6AJ, UK.
| | - Victoria S Milner
- Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester WR2 6AJ, UK
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