Defining criteria to select reference sites in Mediterranean streams

Sánchez-Montoya, M. M.; Gutiérrez, María Rosario Vidal-Abarca; Puntí, Tura; Poquet, José Manuel; Fornells, Narcís Prat; Rieradevall, María; Alba‐Tercedor, Javier; Zamora‐Muñoz, Carmen; Toro, Manuel; Robles, Sandra; Álvarez, Maruxa; Suárez, María Luisa

doi:10.1007/s10750-008-9580-0

Cited by 78 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Pressures include agricultural land use, alien species, grazing, rubbish disposal, release of effluents, and habitat destruction such as through the use of NPRS as roads (Gómez et al, 2005;Suárez and Vidal-Abarca, 2008;Sánchez-Montoya et al, 2009). The response of various macroinvertebrate metrics to multiple stressor gradients typical for EU-Med streams, including NRPS ones, has been also studied (Munné and Prat, 2009;Sánchez-Montoya et al, 2010).…”

Section: Pressures and Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other recent studies focused on the mechanisms allowing species to cope with recurrent drying as well as to produce quantitative relationships between drying duration and frequency (Datry et al, 2014b). In most cases, taxa richness of aquatic macroinvertebrates was lower in NPRS than in PRS (Muñoz, 2003;Morais et al, 2004;Sánchez-Montoya et al, 2009, 2010Belmar et al, 2012;Datry, 2012;Datry et al, 2014b), but see Bonada et al (2007bBonada et al ( , 2008 and Skoulikidis et al (2011). The seasonal community composition differed between PRS and NPRS (Bonada et al, 2008); in NPRS, invertebrates exhibiting low dissolved oxygen requirements and pool-like strategies dominate during the contracting phase (Pires et al, 2000;Acuña et al, 2005;Bonada et al, 2007b;García-Roger et al, 2013), whereas resilient taxa and species with riffle-like strategies dominate during the expansion phase (Bonada et al, 2007b;Datry et al, 2014b).…”

Section: Biotic Responses To Flow Intermittencymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Non-perennial Mediterranean rivers in Europe: Status, pressures, and challenges for research and management

Skoulikidis

Sabater

Datry

et al. 2017

Science of The Total Environment

223

134

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Non-perennial rivers and streams (NPRS) cover N 50% of the global river network. They are particularly predominant in Mediterranean Europe as a result of dry climate conditions, climate change and land use development. Historically, both scientists and policy makers underestimated the importance of NRPS for nature and humans alike, mainly because they have been considered as systems of low ecological and economic value. During the past decades, diminishing water resources have increased the spatial and temporal extent of artificial NPRS as well as their exposure to multiple stressors, which threatening their ecological integrity, biodiversity and ecosystem services. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the structural and functional characteristics of NPRS in the European Mediterranean, and discuss gaps and problems in their management, concerning their typology, ecological assessment, legislative and policy protection, and incorporation in River Basin Management Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Science of the Total Environment j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / s c i t o t e n vPlans. Because NPRS comprise highly unstable ecosystems, with strong and often unpredictable temporal and spatial variability -at least as far as it is possible to assess -we outline the future research needs required to better understand, manage and conserve them as highly valuable and sensitive ecosystems. Efficient collaborative activities among multidisciplinary research groups aiming to create innovative knowledge, water managers and policy makers are urgently needed in order to establish an appropriate methodological and legislative background. The incorporation of NPRS in EU-Med River Basin Management Plans in combination with the application of ecological flows is a first step towards enhancing NPRS management and conservation in order to effectively safeguard these highly valuable albeit threatened ecosystems.

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Section: Pressures and Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biotic Responses To Flow Intermittencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-perennial Mediterranean rivers in Europe: Status, pressures, and challenges for research and management

Skoulikidis

Sabater

Datry

et al. 2017

Science of The Total Environment

223

134

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“…Compared to perennial Mediterranean reference streams, intermittent ones present much higher variability in assemblages and biotic indices, complicating the validation of the reference condition criteria using biological communities across space [25,[106][107][108][109].…”

Section: Biomonitoring In Highly Variable Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Variability Is a Defining Component of Mediterranean-Climate Rivers and Their Biota

Cid

Bonada

Carlson

et al. 2017

Water

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Abstract:Variability in flow as a result of seasonal precipitation patterns is a defining element of streams and rivers in Mediterranean-climate regions of the world and strongly influences the biota of these unique systems. Mediterranean-climate areas include the Mediterranean Basin and parts of Australia, California, Chile, and South Africa. Mediterranean streams and rivers can experience wet winters and consequent floods to severe droughts, when intermittency in otherwise perennial systems can occur. Inter-annual variation in precipitation can include multi-year droughts or consecutive wet years. Spatial variation in patterns of precipitation (rain vs. snow) combined with topographic variability lead to spatial variability in hydrologic patterns that influence populations and communities. Mediterranean streams and rivers are global biodiversity hotspots and are particularly vulnerable to human impacts. Biomonitoring, conservation efforts, and management responses to climate change require approaches that account for spatial and temporal variability (including both intra-and inter-annual). The importance of long-term data sets for understanding and managing these systems highlights the need for sustained and coordinated research efforts in Mediterranean-climate streams and rivers.

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“…The same "filtering" approach was employed in regional assessments made by the same agency (Klemm et al, 2003;Whittier et al, 2007b). In a similar approach, a large set of criteria of human disturbances operating at both local and regional spatial scales were used to select least-and mostdisturbed sites on European streams (Nijboer et al, 2004;Pont et al, 2006;Sánchez-Montoya et al, 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining quantitative stream disturbance gradients and the additive role of habitat variation to explain macroinvertebrate taxa richness

Ligeiro

Hughes

Kaufmann

et al. 2013

Ecological Indicators

167

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Ligeiro, Raphael; Hughes, Robert M.; Kaufmann, Philip R.; Macedo, Diego R.; Firmiano, Kele R.; Ferreira, Wander R.; Oliveira, Déborah; Melo, Adriano S.; and Callisto, Marcos, "Defining quantitative stream disturbance gradients and the additive role of habitat variation to explain macroinvertebrate taxa richness" (2013 Currently, most rigorous methodologies designed to define those conditions are suited to large spatial extents (nations, ecoregions) and many sites (hundreds to thousands). The objective of this study was to describe a methodology to quantitatively define a disturbance gradient for 40 sites in each of two small southeastern Brazil river basins. The assessment of anthropogenic disturbance experienced by each site was based solely on measurements strictly related to the intensity and extent of anthropogenic pressures. We calculated two indices: one concerned site-scale pressures and the other catchment-scale pressures. We combined those two indices into a single integrated disturbance index (IDI) because disturbances operating at both scales affect stream biota. The local-and catchment-scale disturbance indices were weakly correlated in the two basins (r = 0.21 and 0.35) and both significantly (p < 0.05) reduced site EPT (insect orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera) richness. The IDI also performed well in explaining EPT richness in the basin that presented the stronger disturbance gradient (R 2 = 0.39, p < 0.001). Natural habitat variability was assessed as a second source of variation in EPT richness. Stream size and microhabitats were the key habitat characteristics not related to disturbances that enhanced the explanation of EPT richness over that attributed to the IDI. In both basins the IDI plus habitat metrics together explained around 50% of EPT richness variation. In the basin with the weaker disturbance gradient, natural habitat explained more variation in EPT richness than did the IDI, a result that has implications for biomonitoring studies. We conclude that quantitatively defined disturbance gradients offer a reliable and comprehensive characterization of anthropogenic pressure that integrates data from different spatial scales.

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Defining criteria to select reference sites in Mediterranean streams

Cited by 78 publications

References 51 publications

Non-perennial Mediterranean rivers in Europe: Status, pressures, and challenges for research and management

Non-perennial Mediterranean rivers in Europe: Status, pressures, and challenges for research and management

High Variability Is a Defining Component of Mediterranean-Climate Rivers and Their Biota

Defining quantitative stream disturbance gradients and the additive role of habitat variation to explain macroinvertebrate taxa richness

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