Ecosystem services of temporary streams differ between wet and dry phases in regions with contrasting climates and economies

Abstract

Temporary streams are dynamic ecosystems in which mosaics of flowing, ponded and dry habitats support high biodiversity of both aquatic and terrestrial species. Species interact within habitats to perform or facilitate processes that vary in response to changing habitat availability. A natural capital approach recognizes that, through such processes, the ‘natural assets’ of all ecosystems deliver services that benefit people. The ecosystem services of temporary streams remain largely unexplored, in particular those provided during ponded and dry phases. In addition, recent characterizations have focused on dryland systems, and it remains unclear how service provision varies among different climatic regions, or between developed and developing economies. We use evidence from interdisciplinary literature to examine the ecosystem services delivered by temporary streams, including the regulating, provisioning and cultural services provided across the continuum from flowing to dry conditions. We focus on service provision during dry phases and wet–dry transitions, across regions with contrasting climates and economic development. Provision of individual services in temporary streams may be reduced, enhanced or changed by surface water loss. Services enhanced by dry phases include provision of higher‐quality subsurface drinking water and unique opportunities for recreation. Shifts between dry and wet phases enable groundwater recharge that mitigates water scarcity, and grant dry‐phase access to sediments deposited during flowing phases. However, the accessibility and thus perceived value of these and other services varies considerably among regions. In addition, accessing provisioning services requires careful management to promote sustainable resource use and avoid ecological degradation. We highlight the need for environmental managers to recognize temporary streams as aquatic–terrestrial ecosystems, and to take actions promoting their diversity within functional socio‐ecological systems that deliver unique service bundles characterized by variability and differing availability in space and time. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Securing the Environmental Water Requirements of Seasonally Ponding Wetlands: Partnering Science and Management Through Benefit Sharing

“…These in turn co-determine the composition of the biological communities and ecosystem functioning (Camacho et al, 2016) as in the case of Laguna de Gallocanta (see Annex II of the Supplementary Material). Due to these climatic and hydrological characteristics, a mosaic of permanent and temporary wetland typologies coexist in the same landscape (Stubbington et al, 2020). Latitudinal and longitudinal gradients of local geomorphological factors (Ward, 1989) play a role in the seasonality of ooding patterns, and therefore of the environmental water requirements to be recommended when designing and managing allocations.…”

“…Although intermittent and ephemeral rivers, and temporal lakes, were little studied historically, they have been gaining traction in freshwater research and regional water policies with an expanded new focus (Arthington et al, 2018b). This is due to increasing disruptions to water resources causing previously perennial systems to become seasonal or intermittent as a result of development, land use and climate change (Leigh et al, 2016), but also due to the recognition of the value of these intermittent systems as providers of ecosystem services that differ from those produced by perennial systems (Stubbington et al, 2020). This perception is more pronounced in dry regions with developing economies due to the greater reliance of people's livelihoods on temporary streams and ponds for public water supply (e.g., Stubbington et al, 2020).…”

“…This is due to increasing disruptions to water resources causing previously perennial systems to become seasonal or intermittent as a result of development, land use and climate change (Leigh et al, 2016), but also due to the recognition of the value of these intermittent systems as providers of ecosystem services that differ from those produced by perennial systems (Stubbington et al, 2020). This perception is more pronounced in dry regions with developing economies due to the greater reliance of people's livelihoods on temporary streams and ponds for public water supply (e.g., Stubbington et al, 2020). Regions of the world that developed or are developing within an environment of water scarcity tend to already have different infrastructure, institutions, and societal attitudes that equip them to cope with high variability in available water (Gleick, 2010), including for protected wetland management (e.g., Downard et al, 2014).…”

“…Assessing environmental water requirements is further challenging for ecosystems shifting in time and space between aquatic and terrestrial phases. These dynamic environments, such as temporary streams and seasonal lakes and wetlands that can transition from owing (or ooding for lentic ecosystems) to dry through a ponded phase, create a mosaic of habitats and an alternation of ecosystem services (Stubbington et al, 2020). The correct delineation of these transitory wetlands is further complicated by the need to exclude occasional ooding over non-wetland habitats as well as long-term changes in inter-annual variability (Perennou et al, 2018).…”

Explorando los beneficios de los ríos secos para el bienestar humano: una perspectiva social

“…En este sentido, la literatura aporta muchos ejemplos sobre las oportunidades que los ríos secos están ofreciendo para la observación y el aprendizaje del medio natural (Alberdi, 2011;Safriel & Adeel 2015), para aumentar el conocimiento sobre especies presentes y procesos que ocurren en estos ecosistemas (Sánchez-Montoya et al, 2016;Arce et al, 2019) o como espacio de inspiración para escritores, poetas, pintores y otros artistas (Neruda, 1976;Región de Murcia Digital;Andreu-Lara & Ojeda-Rivera, 2019). Además, los ríos secos son espacios especialmente utilizados para desarrollar muchas actividades de recreo y ocio en contacto con la naturaleza (Gómez et al, 2005;Steward et al 2012;Stubbington et al, 2020) que son beneficiosas para la salud física y mental de las personas (Samakov, 2017), o simplemente para el disfrute de paisajes (Seely et al, 2003;Andreu-Lara & Ojeda-Rivera, 2019), algo que facilita la relajación y curación (Teff-Seker & Orenstein, 2019). Los ríos secos son espacios de conexión social, comunican pueblos cercanos (Gómez et al, 2005) y generan en las personas sentimientos de pertenencia, que ligan a tradiciones, leyendas, rituales o experiencias espirituales y religiosas (Safriel & Adeel, 2005).…”