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Jupke JF, Birk S, Álvarez-Cabria M, Aroviita J, Barquín J, Belmar O, Bonada N, Cañedo-Argüelles M, Chiriac G, Elexová EM, Feld CK, Ferreira MT, Haase P, Huttunen KL, Lazaridou M, Lešťáková M, Miliša M, Muotka T, Paavola R, Panek P, Pařil P, Peeters ETHM, Polášek M, Sandin L, Schmera D, Straka M, Usseglio-Polatera P, Schäfer RB. Evaluating the biological validity of European river typology systems with least disturbed benthic macroinvertebrate communities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 842:156689. [PMID: 35724793 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Humans have severely altered freshwater ecosystems globally, causing a loss of biodiversity. Regulatory frameworks, like the Water Framework Directive, have been developed to support actions that halt and reverse this loss. These frameworks use typology systems that summarize freshwater ecosystems into environmentally delineated types. Within types, ecosystems that are minimally impacted by human activities, i.e., in reference conditions, are expected to be similar concerning physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. This assumption is critical when water quality assessments rely on comparisons to type-specific reference conditions. Lyche Solheim et al. (2019) developed a pan-European river typology system, the Broad River Types, that unifies the national Water Framework Directive typology systems and is gaining traction within the research community. However, it is unknown how similar biological communities are within these individual Broad River Types. We used analysis of similarities and classification strength analysis to examine if the Broad River Types delineate distinct macroinvertebrate communities across Europe and whether they outperform two ecoregional approaches: the European Biogeographical Regions and Illies' Freshwater Ecoregions. We determined indicator and typical taxa for the types of all three typology systems and evaluated their distinctiveness. All three typology systems captured more variation in macroinvertebrate communities than random combinations of sites. The results were similar among typology systems, but the Broad River Types always performed worse than either the Biogeographic Regions or Illies' Freshwater Ecoregions. Despite reaching statistical significance, the statistics of analysis of similarity and classification strength were low in all tests indicating substantial overlap among the macroinvertebrate communities of different types. We conclude that the Broad River Types do not represent an improvement upon existing freshwater typologies when used to delineate macroinvertebrate communities and we propose future avenues for advancement: regionally constrained types, better recognition of intermittent rivers, and consideration of biotic communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan F Jupke
- iES, Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany.
| | - Sebastian Birk
- Faculty of Biology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Mario Álvarez-Cabria
- IHCantabria - Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental de la Universidad de Cantabria- Avda, Isabel Torres, 15, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Cantabria, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Jukka Aroviita
- Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Centre, P.O. Box 413, Paavo Havaksen tie 3, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - José Barquín
- IHCantabria - Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental de la Universidad de Cantabria- Avda, Isabel Torres, 15, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Cantabria, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Oscar Belmar
- Department of Ecology and Hydrology, University of Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Espinardo Campus, Spain
| | - Núria Bonada
- Grup de Recerca "Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management" (FEHM), Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Miguel Cañedo-Argüelles
- Serra Húnter fellow, "Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology, and Management" (FEHM), Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Institut de Recerca de l'Aigua (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Gabriel Chiriac
- National Administration "Apele Romane", Edgar Quinet 6, 010017 Bucharest, Romania
| | | | - Christian K Feld
- Faculty of Biology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - M Teresa Ferreira
- Forest Research Centre and Associate Laboratory TERRA, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Peter Haase
- Faculty of Biology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141 Essen, Germany; Department of River Ecology and Conservation, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Clamecystrasse 12, Gelnhausen 65371, Germany
| | - Kaisa-Leena Huttunen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, Pentti Kaiteran katu 1, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Maria Lazaridou
- Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.O. Box 134, 54124 Thessaloníki, Greece
| | - Margita Lešťáková
- Water Research Institute, Nábrežie arm. gen. L. Svobodu 5,81249 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Marko Miliša
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Timo Muotka
- Grup de Recerca "Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management" (FEHM), Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, Pentti Kaiteran katu 1, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Riku Paavola
- Oulanka Research Station, University of Oulu Infrastructure Platform, Liikasenvaarantie 134, FI-93900 Kuusamo, Finland
| | - Piotr Panek
- Department of Environmental Monitoring, Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, Aleje Jerozolimskie 92, 00-807 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Petr Pařil
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Edwin T H M Peeters
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marek Polášek
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic; T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute, p. r. i., Mojmírovo náměstí 16, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Leonard Sandin
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Økernveien 94, NO-0579 Oslo, Norway
| | - Dénes Schmera
- Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno u. 3, 8237 Tihany, Hungary
| | - Michal Straka
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic; T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute, p. r. i., Mojmírovo náměstí 16, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Philippe Usseglio-Polatera
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, UMR 7360, LIEC, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Environnements Continentaux, Rue du Général Delestraint, 57070 Metz, France
| | - Ralf B Schäfer
- iES, Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany
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Denison CD, Scott MC, Kubach KM, Peoples BK. Integrating Regional Frameworks and Local Variability for Riverine Bioassessment. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 68:126-145. [PMID: 33961123 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-021-01479-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Regional frameworks enable bioassessment methods to detect anthropogenic effects on ecosystems amid natural variability. Conventional approaches to regionalization have used coarse geographical frameworks to separate sites similar in their ecological (ecoregion) or faunal (basin) characteristics. Expectations for individual streams are then adjusted for within-region variability in local environmental characteristics. Integrating regional frameworks and local variability may improve the sensitivity and performance of bioassessments. In this study, we used a biologically-informed stream classification to develop an integrated regional framework for bioassessment considering the effects of ecoregion, basin, and local environmental variables on wadeable stream fish communities of South Carolina, USA. Our integrated framework was compared against conventional regional frameworks indexing ecoregions or basins alone. Frameworks were evaluated by their ability to (1) efficiently partition community variation and (2) allow for the detection of anthropogenic effects on fish communities. We found an integrated framework better described natural variability in stream fish communities. In addition, we found highly regional relationships between fish metrics and anthropogenic disturbance among frameworks, suggesting appropriate bioassessment metrics will differ across regions in our study area. Differences in community response to disturbance among frameworks emphasize the importance of testing metrics for their hypothesized sensitivity before using them in bioassessment. This study ultimately supports the integration of regional frameworks across spatial scales to classify streams for bioassessment, and provides an analytical framework from which to evaluate biotic variation and metric utility in the context of bioassessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colby D Denison
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA
| | - Mark C Scott
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Freshwater Fisheries Research, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA
| | - Kevin M Kubach
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Freshwater Fisheries Research, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA
| | - Brandon K Peoples
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA.
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Denison CD, Scott MC, Kubach KM, Peoples BK. Incorporating Network Connectivity into Stream Classification Frameworks. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 67:291-307. [PMID: 33420877 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-020-01413-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Stream classification frameworks are important tools for conserving aquatic resources. Yet despite their utility, most classification frameworks have not incorporated network connectivity. We developed and compared three biologically informed stream classification frameworks considering the effects of variables indexing local habitat and/or connectivity on stream fish communities. The first framework classified streams according to local environmental variables largely following the precedent set by previous stream classifications. The second framework classified streams according solely to network connectivity variables, while the third framework considered both local and connectivity variables. Using fish community data from 291 wadeable streams in South Carolina, USA, we used conditional inference tree analyses to identify either seven or eight discrete types of wadeable streams within each framework. Classifications were evaluated on their ability to describe community composition at a subset of sites not used in model training, and canonical correspondence analysis suggested that each framework performed similarly in describing overall community variation, with about 19% of variation explained. After accounting for the effects of biogeography and land use in our analytical approach, each classification explained a substantially higher amount of community variation with 46% of variation explained by our connectivity-informed classification and 42% explained by our locally informed classification. Classifications differed in their ability to describe elements of community structure; a classification incorporating connectivity predicted species richness better than the one that did not. This study ultimately addresses an important knowledge gap in the classification literature while providing broader implications for the conservation of aquatic organisms and their habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colby D Denison
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA
| | - Mark C Scott
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Freshwater Fisheries Research, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA
| | - Kevin M Kubach
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Freshwater Fisheries Research, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA
| | - Brandon K Peoples
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA.
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