Response of freshwater macroinvertebrates to rainfall-induced high flows: A hydroecological approach

Theodoropoulos, Christos; Vourka, Aikaterini; Stamou, Anastasios I.; Rutschmann, Peter; Skoulikidis, Nikolaos Th.

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.10.011

Cited by 34 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The results obtained during the present study are in accordance with previous studies. For instance, Theodoropoulos et al [53] applied boosted regression tree models which revealed that high macroinvertebrate abundance and diversities were detected in flow velocities between 0.3 m/s and 0.75 m/s. Moreover, the optimum stream velocity for certain macroinvertebrate taxa such as Baetis is 0.4 m/s [54].…”

Section: The Threshold Responses Of the Macroinvertebrate Community Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threshold Responses of Macroinvertebrate Communities to Stream Velocity in Relation to Hydropower Dam: A Case Study from The Guayas River Basin (Ecuador)

Nguyen

Forio

Boets

et al. 2018

Water

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The Guayas River basin is one of the most important water resources in Ecuador, but the expansion of human activities has led to a degraded water quality. The purpose of this study was (1) to explore the importance of physical-chemical variables in structuring the macroinvertebrate communities and (2) to determine if the thresholds in stream velocity related to macroinvertebrate community composition could be identified in the Guayas River basin. Thus, macroinvertebrates and physical–chemical water quality variables were sampled at 120 locations during the dry season of 2013 in the Guayas River basin. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was performed to identify relevant physical–chemical characteristics of the river influencing the distribution of the macroinvertebrate communities. Threshold indicator taxa analysis (TITAN) was used to discriminate between the macroinvertebrate community related to stagnant waters (Daule–Peripa reservoir) and to running waters. CCA indicates that the most important environmental factors influencing the distribution of macroinvertebrate communities were stream velocity, chlorophyll concentration, conductivity, temperature and elevation. Tipping points for the macroinvertebrate community were defined by stream velocity at 0.03 m/s and 0.4 m/s, i.e., stagnant-water (including dam-related reservoirs) taxa start to quickly decrease in abundance and frequency at 0.03 m/s while running-water taxa start to quickly increase in abundance and frequency at 0.03 m/s until a stream velocity of 0.4 m/s. The results provide essential information to define environmental flows to further support water management plans of the Guayas River basin. Information obtained will be useful for management of similar rivers in South America, as well as the rest of the world.

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Section: The Threshold Responses Of the Macroinvertebrate Community Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threshold Responses of Macroinvertebrate Communities to Stream Velocity in Relation to Hydropower Dam: A Case Study from The Guayas River Basin (Ecuador)

Nguyen

Forio

Boets

et al. 2018

Water

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“…The effects of flow alterations on microhabitats and, subsequently, species preferences and abundances differed between the two study areas most probably due to differences in climatic patterns and hydrological regimes (as suggested by Jourdan et al 40 , and Lawrence et al 41 ; Pyne and Poff 12 ; Theodoropoulos et al 42 ). The projected streamflow magnitudes significantly increase in the RCP 8.5 climate scenario in the northern lowland catchment, whereas the change is predicted to be insignificant in the lower mountainous region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Climate model variability leads to uncertain predictions of the future abundance of stream macroinvertebrates

Kakouei

Domisch

Kiesel

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Climate change has the potential to alter the flow regimes of rivers and consequently affect the taxonomic and functional diversity of freshwater organisms. We modeled future flow regimes for the 2050 and 2090 time horizons and tested how flow regimes impact the abundance of 150 macroinvertebrate species and their functional trait compositions in one lowland river catchment (Treene) and one mountainous river catchment (Kinzig) in Europe. We used all 16 global circulation models (GCMs) and regional climate models (RCMs) of the CORDEX dataset under the RCP 8.5 scenario to calculate future river flows. The high variability in relative change of flow among the 16 climate models cascaded into the ecological models and resulted in substantially different predicted abundance values for single species. This variability also cascades into any subsequent analysis of taxonomic or functional freshwater biodiversity. Our results showed that flow alteration effects are different depending on the catchment and the underlying species pool. Documenting such uncertainties provides a basis for the further assessment of potential climate-change impacts on freshwater taxa distributions. The abundance of river biota and the resulting functional trait compositions of species communities are driven by environmental factors. Flow dynamics are known to regulate the species functional trait composition by determining the structure of the physical habitat and subsequent mechanisms, such as delivery of organic matter, in river ecosystems 1-4. Climate change is projected to significantly alter natural flow regimes and dynamics 5-8 , thus affecting the composition and diversity of stream macroinvertebrates 2,9. Concerns about the detrimental effects of climate change on river biota have increased in recent years 10-12. Only recently have quantitative long-term observational flow data been used to model the quantitative flow preferences of stream macroinvertebrates 10,12 , which has been applied to predict potential changes in species abundance caused by flow alterations 13. Such modeled quantitative preferences can be used to investigate the effects of flow alterations on the functional trait composition of river biota. The response of species to climate change is frequently assessed using future projected environmental data and by modeling species distributions 14. In streams and rivers, modeled flow alterations are often used to estimate potential climate change impacts on stream macroinvertebrates (e.g., the probability of occurrences or abundances) 11,12 , but little work has been done to assess the uncertainty in the projections of either flow alterations 7 or the responses of river biota 14. Instead, potential projected changes in the flow regime and their effects on river biota have been assessed according to either a single climate change scenario 12,13 or by comparing the effects of various representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 7,15-17. However, climate change predictions differ even within each RCP because different global cir...

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“…Such a pattern frequently promotes dynamic changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of plankton communities [3,4]. Rainfall can substantially disturb freshwater ecosystems, causing changes in biological community structure through the suppression or loss of taxa, as well as by delaying, arresting, or diverting seasonal succession from its typical pattern [5,6]. Several studies have examined spatio-temporal community variability in environments subjected to hydrological disturbances (e.g., [7,8]), and the role of hydrological disturbance in initiating succession in plankton communities (e.g., [9,10]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Rotifer Community to Microhabitat Changes Caused by Summer-Concentrated Rainfall in a Shallow Reservoir, South Korea

Choi

Kim

2020

Diversity

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Empirical studies suggest that the structural heterogeneity of aquatic ecosystem microhabitat is determined by the diversity and abundance of macrophytes. However, excessive accumulation of free-floating macrophytes on the water surface can reduce the biomass of submerged macrophytes, resulting in a relatively simplified habitat structure. We hypothesized that heavy summer rainfall disrupts the growth of free-floating macrophytes covering much of the Jangcheok Reservoir’s water surface, thereby resulting in a more complex habitat structure by allowing development of a more diverse of macrophytic community. We divided long-term (2008–2017) monitoring data (rainfall, macrophytes, and rotifers) into two groups: Rainy and Dry years, corresponding to years with annual rainfall higher and lower than the total annual average, respectively. We found that summer densities of rotifers fell sharply in Rainy years, but increased continuously in Dry years. This trend resulted in greater autumn densities in Rainy relative to Dry years, which we attributed to changes in habitat related to differential macrophyte development. Moderate disturbance of the water surface caused by high summer rainfall can promote growth of submerged macrophytes by creating large areas of open water and therefore a more complex autumnal microhabitat structure, resulting in seasonal variations in rotifer community structures and populations. Moreover, a highly complex microhabitat structure restricts foraging activity of fish (i.e., Lepomis macrochirus) that prey on rotifers. Based on these findings, we suggest that summer-concentrated rainfall plays an important role in supporting the density and species diversity of rotifers.

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Response of freshwater macroinvertebrates to rainfall-induced high flows: A hydroecological approach

Cited by 34 publications

References 46 publications

Threshold Responses of Macroinvertebrate Communities to Stream Velocity in Relation to Hydropower Dam: A Case Study from The Guayas River Basin (Ecuador)

Threshold Responses of Macroinvertebrate Communities to Stream Velocity in Relation to Hydropower Dam: A Case Study from The Guayas River Basin (Ecuador)

Climate model variability leads to uncertain predictions of the future abundance of stream macroinvertebrates

Responses of Rotifer Community to Microhabitat Changes Caused by Summer-Concentrated Rainfall in a Shallow Reservoir, South Korea

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