Groundwater Ecosystems Vary with Land Use across a Mixed Agricultural Landscape

Korbel, Kathryn; Hancock, Peter; Serov, P.; Lim, Richard P.; Hose, Grant C.

doi:10.2134/jeq2012.0018

Cited by 49 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…These findings relate to habitat availability and hydrological conductivity and are consistent with previous studies in the region (Korbel and Hose 2011;Korbel et al 2013), and elsewhere (e.g. Dole-Olivier et al 2009a, 2009b.…”

Section: Geologysupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The catchments support the primary cotton-growing region in Australia, with large-scale cotton production ongoing since the 1960s. As a result of agricultural activities such as irrigation, both the Namoi and Gwydir regions have experienced reductions and fluctuations in groundwater levels (McLean 2003;Barrett 2009;Kelly and Carr 2010), as well as some contamination of surface-and groundwater by agricultural chemicals (Muschal and Warne 2003;Korbel and Hose 2011;Korbel et al 2013).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The EcoPlates were inoculated with 150 mL of the sample per well and incubated in the dark at 208C (Fliermans et al 1997). Colour development was measured at 590 nm after 6 days of incubation; see Korbel et al (2013) for detailed methods.…”

Section: Microbial Sampling and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Irrigation enhances the connectivity of surface practices to groundwater due to deep drainage (Korbel et al 2013). It is unclear whether the apparent differences in stygofauna communities between land uses are due to waterquality changes or periodic alterations in water levels often associated with irrigation (Tomlinson 2008), all of which are likely to influence stygofauna communities (Tomlinson 2008;Korbel et al 2013;Stumpp and Hose 2013).…”

Section: Land Usesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Geology and water quality influence biotic distribution as they determine water flow, energy exchange, and habitat structure Hahn 2006;Hancock and Boulton 2009;Griebler and Lueders 2009). Other influences on the distribution of groundwater biota include climate, vegetation, water quality, links with the hyporheic zone, and human activities (Galassi et al 1999a(Galassi et al , 1999bCho and Kim 2000;Jasinska and Knott 2000;Schmidt et al 2007;Tomlinson 2008;Griebler and Lueders 2009;Hahn and Fuchs 2009;Stein et al 2010; Korbel et al 2013). Consequently, aquifers with similar geology, history, and environment might be expected to have similar groundwater faunas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An inter-catchment comparison of groundwater biota in the cotton-growing region of north-western New South Wales

2013

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Abstract.Groundwater is essential to crop production in many parts of the world, and the provision of clean groundwater is dependent on healthy groundwater ecosystems. To understand better the functioning of groundwater ecosystems, it is necessary to understand how the biota responds to environmental factors, and so distinguish natural variation from human induced changes. This study compares the groundwater biota of the adjacent Gwydir and Namoi River alluvial aquifers, both in the heartland of Australia's cotton industry, and investigates the relative importance of environmental, anthropogenic, geological, and evolutionary processes on biotic distribution.Distinct differences in biotic assemblages were recorded between catchments at a community level. However, at a functional level (e.g. microbial activity, stygofauna abundances and richness) both ecosystems were similar. The distribution of biota in both catchments was influenced by similar environmental variables (e.g. geology, carbon availability, season, and land use). Broad trends in biotic distribution were evident: stygofauna responded most strongly to geological variables (reflecting habitat) and microbes to water quality and flow. Agricultural activities influenced biota in both catchments. Although possessing different taxa, the groundwater ecosystems of the two aquifers were functionally similar and responded to similar environmental conditions.

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Section: Geologysupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Microbial Sampling and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Land Usesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An inter-catchment comparison of groundwater biota in the cotton-growing region of north-western New South Wales

2013

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Terrestrial land use signals on groundwater fauna beyond current protection buffers

Knüsel,

Alther,

Altermatt

2024

Ecological Applications

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Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are tightly linked, with direct implications for applied resource management and conservation. It is well known that human land use change and intensification of terrestrial systems can have large impacts on surface freshwater ecosystems. Contrastingly, the study and understanding of such land use impacts on groundwater communities is lagging behind. Both the impact strength of land use on groundwater communities and the spatial extents at which such interlinkages are operating are largely unknown, despite our reliance on groundwater for drinking water extraction as a key ecosystem service. Here, we analyzed groundwater amphipod occurrence from several hundred shallow groundwater aquifers used for drinking water extraction across a region of varying agricultural intensity and human population density in Switzerland. Despite drinking water extraction sites being generally built at locations with expected minimal aboveground impacts on water quality, we found a direct correlation between land use type and intensity within the surrounding catchment area and the locally measured nitrate concentrations, which is a direct proxy for drinking water quality. Furthermore, groundwater amphipods were more likely to be found at sites with higher forest coverage than at sites with higher crop and intensive pasture coverages, clearly indicating a tight connection between aboveground land use and groundwater biodiversity. Our results indicate that land use type effects on groundwater communities are most relevant and pronounced to spatial scales of about 400–1000 m around the groundwater sampling site. Importantly, the here identified spatial scale is 1.2‐ to 3‐fold exceeding the average extent of currently defined groundwater protection zones. We postulate that incorporating an ecosystem perspective into groundwater management strategies is needed for effective protection of groundwater quality and biodiversity.

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Exploring the distribution of groundwater Crustacea (Copepoda and Ostracoda) to disentangle aquifer type features—A case study in the upper Tajo basin (Central Spain)

et al. 2017

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One of the most challenging questions in the assessment of groundwater ecosystem health is whether assemblages of groundwater biota can be used reliably as biomarkers. In this study, we aimed to (a) explore the diversity, distribution, and ecological composition of groundwater Crustacea, Copepoda, and Ostracoda communities from six aquifers in Central Spain and (b) relate the structure of the species assemblages to the aquifers' hydrogeological conditions, habitat features, and hydrochemistry. The datasets were simultaneously collected from 24 boreholes drilled in six unconfined aquifers from the upper part of the Tajo catchment. Our results show that the assemblages are primarily influenced by the specific hydrogeological conditions of the aquifer, determined by groundwater flow, supply of organic matter from the surface, and habitat features, whereas the aquifer's hydrochemistry has only a marginal effect. The assemblages from the Tertiary detrital aquifer were the most diverse, containing a mixture of stygobiont and nonstygobiont species distributed preferentially in the recharge area of the aquifer, characterized by medium hydraulic conductivity, high surface input and relatively high water renewal. The Quaternary alluvial aquifer type was found to have a moderate richness with several hyporheic dwellers, indicating an active surface/groundwater exchange with the adjacent stream channel.In contrast, the carbonate aquifer type was less diverse but markedly distinct owing to the high occurrence of stygobionts. Our results provide a step forward in exploring the groundwater biodiversity of aquifers in Spain and towards incorporating an ecological perspective into overall assessments of groundwater status.

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Groundwater Ecosystems Vary with Land Use across a Mixed Agricultural Landscape

Cited by 49 publications

References 49 publications

An inter-catchment comparison of groundwater biota in the cotton-growing region of north-western New South Wales

An inter-catchment comparison of groundwater biota in the cotton-growing region of north-western New South Wales

Terrestrial land use signals on groundwater fauna beyond current protection buffers

Exploring the distribution of groundwater Crustacea (Copepoda and Ostracoda) to disentangle aquifer type features—A case study in the upper Tajo basin (Central Spain)

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