Ecology and management of subsurface groundwater dependent ecosystems in Australia - a review

Tomlinson, Moya; Boulton, Andrew J.

doi:10.1071/mf09267

Cited by 54 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 119 publications

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“…doi:10.1016/j.limno.2011.08.002 Subsurface aquatic fauna act as a biological sentinel for aquifer condition (Malard et al, 1996;Dumas et al, 2001;Humphreys, 2008) and are seen as promoters of ecosystem goods and services (Boulton et al, 2003;Danielopol and Griebler, 2008). In Western Australia, the occurrence of little-known groundwater species delayed mining because of concerns the species would become extinct, and groundwater ecological surveys are now required by government legislation for many developments that impact on aquifers (Boulton et al, 2003;Tomlinson and Boulton, 2010;Stein et al, 2010). However, fauna's distribution often appears patchy so a better understanding is needed of the conditions under which we can possibly expect fauna.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is groundwater and what does this mean to fauna? – An opinion

Schmidt

Hahn

2012

Limnologica

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a b s t r a c tMany subsurface waters are considered groundwater but are influenced in shallow depths by hyporheic, parafluvial and/or soil interception water to such a degree that groundwater fauna (stygofauna) communities may be significantly altered. Recharge, even if spatially and temporally distinct, delivers input of dissolved oxygen, organic matter (OM), and nutrients that caters sustainably for ubiquists such as stygophiles and hyporheic fauna, but renders the life of uncompetitive stygobites difficult or impossible. The impact of recharge at shallow groundwater thus needs to be taken into account when determining groundwater fauna reference communities and when evaluating monitoring studies.One of the main characteristics of groundwater is low OM concentration. In contrast, high OM concentrations are typical of hyporheic or parafluvial waters, which are enriched by OM from the river, the riparian soils and from interflow, and which contribute significantly to river OM balance. Consequently, for ecological studies on subsurface waters, both the origin of the water and OM, and the intensity of surface water interactions should be considered. Here, we discuss how groundwater spatial and temporal heterogeneity translates into faunal distribution patterns. In terms of the origin of water and OM, and from an ecological point of view, we need to distinguish between (i) shallow groundwater characterized by infiltrating precipitation and soil recharge, (ii) shallow groundwater interacting with surface water bodies such as continuously flowing and ephemeral streams and rivers, and (iii) "old" groundwater which has no recent connections to the surface and is thus largely secluded from input of nutrients and carbon. Water in the first two groups is characterized by high amounts of OM of varying quality, while water in the third group is characterized by low amounts of low quality OM. Consequently, stygophiles dominate in groups 1 and 2, with hyporheic fauna taking up a considerable proportion in group 2, while stygobites only dominate in group 3. Thus, for studies aiming to assess impacts on groundwater, only sampling sites of the third group should be used for reference sites as these are the most likely sites to have little surface impact and a stygofauna representative of the deeper aquifer.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is groundwater and what does this mean to fauna? – An opinion

Schmidt

Hahn

2012

Limnologica

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“…Groundwater in oasis and riparian zone is charactered by modern age, shallow depth, and low salinity. The study on the relationship between vegetation coverage and groundwater circulation is of great importance for recovering degraded ecosystem and managing groundwater dependent ecosystems in the (semi)arid areas, such as other arid areas in NW China [53], southwestern United States [54] and Australia [55,56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater circulation relative to water quality and vegetation in an arid transitional zone linking oasis, desert and river

et al. 2013

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In groundwater-dependent ecosystems, groundwater circulation controls the overall water quality and ecosystem dynamics. Groundwater and vegetation across a 30-km groundwater transect linking oasis, desert and river in an extremely arid area were investigated with a series of soil profiles drilled into the unsaturated zone to understand groundwater circulation and its control on groundwater quality and surface vegetation in the extremely arid Lower Tarim River, NW China. Measurements have included water-table depth, water chemistry and water isotopes ( 2 H, 18 O, 3 H) for 15 water samples, soil moisture and chloride content for 11 soil profiles, and vegetation investigation. Results show that the groundwater in desert zone is characterized by slow recharge rate (pre-modern water), great water-table depth (6.17-9.43 m) and high salinity (15.32-26.50 g/L), while that in oasis (uncultivated land) and riparian zone is characterized by relatively fast recharge rate (modern water), small groundwater-table depth (3.56-8.36 m) and low salinity (1.25-1.95 g/L). Stable isotopes show that secondary evaporation takes place during irrigation in oasis. The vegetation characteristics (coverage, richness, evenness and number of plants) are closely related to soil moisture and water-table depth. Groundwater recharge from irrigation in oasis and from river in riparian zone sustains a better ecosystem than that in the desert area, where lateral and vertical groundwater recharge is limited. The more evapotranspirative enrichment may occur in the vegetated and water-rich riparian zone as compared to desert. This study also demonstrates the effectiveness of environmental tracers in studying ecohydrological processes in arid regions.isotope, soil profile, riparian zone, ecosystem, salinity, arid zone hydrology Citation:Huang T M, Pang Z H, Chen Y N, et al. Groundwater circulation relative to water quality and vegetation in an arid transitional zone linking oasis, desert and river.

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“…Widespread assumptions about the suitability of groundwater systems to support eco systems based on physicochemical characteristics may bias the diversity of ground water habitats sampled to date (Tomlinson and Boulton 2010). Groundwater systems with a wide range of physicochemical conditions have been recorded as supporting groundwater ecosystems in Queensland (Table 1).…”

Section: Correlation Between Stygofauna Discovery and Environmental Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity and biogeography of groundwater invertebrates in Queensland, Australia

Glanville¹,

Schulz²,

Tomlinson³

et al. 2016

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Groundwater systems, traditionally considered lifeless conduits of water Boulton 2008, Schulz et al. 2013), are now known to provide critical habitat for a diverse range of fauna collectively called stygofauna. Stygofauna communities can have significant conservation value as exemplified by rela tively high levels of endemism and biodiversity. Despite this the biogeography and taxonomic diversity of stygofauna communities largely remains undocumented. This paper describes the development and interrogation of a statewide database of 755 samples from 582 sites, and reviews the current knowledge of stygofauna biodiversity and biogeography across Queensland (northeastern Australia).Queensland is known to host 24 described families of stygofauna with stygofauna composition broadly consistent with other regions around the world. However Queensland assemblages tend to be unusually rich in both oligochaetes (16% cf. 2%) and syncarids (12% cf. 4%). Associations between stygofauna taxonomic richness and key environmental variables were consistent with many general as sumptions of habitat suitability. However there were also notable exceptions, including stygofauna records from: groundwater 60 meters below ground level; groundwater with electrical conductivity above 50,000 μS/cm, and; both highly acidic (pH 3.5) and alkaline (pH 10.3) environments. These exceptions clearly demonstrate that strict adherence to general assumptions about habitat suitability when planning sam pling activities may mask the true diversity of groundwater ecosystems.

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Ecology and management of subsurface groundwater dependent ecosystems in Australia - a review

Cited by 54 publications

References 119 publications

What is groundwater and what does this mean to fauna? – An opinion

What is groundwater and what does this mean to fauna? – An opinion

Groundwater circulation relative to water quality and vegetation in an arid transitional zone linking oasis, desert and river

Biodiversity and biogeography of groundwater invertebrates in Queensland, Australia

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