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Kowarik C, Martin-Creuzburg D, Mathers KL, Weber C, Robinson CT. Stream degradation affects aquatic resource subsidies to riparian ground-dwelling spiders. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 855:158658. [PMID: 36113799 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater systems have undergone drastic alterations during the last century, potentially affecting cross-boundary resource transfers between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. One important connection is the export of biomass by emergent aquatic insects containing omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), that is scarce in terrestrial systems. Because of taxon-specific differences in PUFA content and functional traits, the contribution of different insect groups should be considered, in addition to total biomass export. In this context, one important trait is the emergence mode. Stoneflies, in contrast to other aquatic insects, crawl to land to emerge instead of flying directly from the water surface, making them accessible to ground-dwelling predators. Because stoneflies are especially susceptible to environmental change, stream degradation might cause a mismatch of available and required nutrients, particularly for ground-dwelling predators. In this study, we estimated emergent biomass and EPA export along two streams with different levels of habitat degradation. The EPA content in aquatic insects did not differ with different degrees of habitat degradation and total biomass export in spring was with 7.9 ± 9.6 mg m-2 day-1 in the degraded and 7.3 ± 8.5 mg m-2 day-1 in the natural system, also unaffected. However, habitat degradation substantially altered the contribution of crawling emergence to the total export in spring, with no biomass export by stoneflies at the most degraded sites. The EPA content in ground-dwelling spiders was correlated with emergent stonefly biomass, making up only 16.0 ± 6.2 % of total fatty acids at sites with no stonefly emergence, but 27.3 ± 3.0 % at sites with highest stonefly emergence. Because immune function in ground-dwelling spiders has been connected to EPA levels, reduced crawling emergence might impact spider fitness. Functional traits, like emergence mode as well as nutritional quality, should be considered when assessing the effects of stream degradation on adjacent terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Kowarik
- Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), Department of Aquatic Ecology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | | | - Kate L Mathers
- Geography and Environment, Centre for Hydrological and Ecosystem Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK; Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), Department of Surface Waters Research and Management, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Christine Weber
- Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), Department of Surface Waters Research and Management, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Christopher T Robinson
- Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), Department of Aquatic Ecology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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Morales J. Assessment of endangered freshwater pearl mussel populations in the Northern Iberian Plateau in relation to non–native species: xenodiversity as a threat. ANIMAL BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.32800/abc.2022.45.0203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In the last two decades, small populations of freshwater pearl mussels, Margaritifera margaritifera, have been recorded in Mediterranean rivers of the Iberian Northern Plateau. A survey was carried out in Castilla and León in 2018 to assess the development of populations of this species in all the rivers of known distribution and to update the threat classification. Thirty sections in the rivers Negro, Tera, Alberche and Águeda were positive for its presence, and another 50 stretches of seven rivers were negative. The species is currently distributed over about 22.5 km. Águeda and Tera populations have decreased dramatically in the last 14 years and are on the threshold of extinction. The Negro river supports the largest population, although the species has now disappeared in at least 61 % of the stretches that were inhabited in 2004. All populations showed very low densities and an ageing population structure, with no recruitment for decades. The presence of non-native invasive alien species (NIS) was higher than in a previous regional survey, with the signal crayfish representing the greatest threat. We observed changes in benthic microhabitats and direct predation of adults and glochidia conglutinates. In the Alberche River, in strict syntopy with M. margaritifera and two other mussel species, 10 NIS were detected. The current hydrological and ecological conditions in the Duero watershed support the settlement of exotic species to the disadvantage of native mollusks, which are more demanding in terms of microhabitats.
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Mathers KL, Kowarik C, Rachelly C, Robinson CT, Weber C. The effects of sediment traps on instream habitat and macroinvertebrates of mountain streams. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 295:113066. [PMID: 34146777 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113066] [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: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Sediment transport in mountain streams can be a major hazard to downstream infrastructure. Consequently, sediment traps are a common feature in many high gradient streams to retain large volumes of sediment and protect settlements from major sediment transport events. Despite the wide application of these instream structures, there is little knowledge regarding the environmental and ecological effects on streams. Here, we investigated the hydromorphological effects of sediment traps on instream habitats and associated macroinvertebrate communities in four impacted and three non-impacted streams in Switzerland. Sediment traps significantly disrupted the sediment regime homogenising grain size percentiles compared to the natural stepwise downstream fining in control streams. This disruption in the sediment regime resulted in finer grain size distributions upstream of the sediment trap, and reduced substrate diversity in the sediment retention basin and just downstream of the trap. The reductions in substrate diversity resulted in an altered macroinvertebrate community composition. Further, the disconnection in sediment transport led to a lack of longitudinal correlation in macroinvertebrate communities. Refugia provision downstream of the sediment trap, and resource availability within the retention basin, were diminished, potentially reducing resilience of macroinvertebrate assemblages to instream disturbances. The effects of sediment traps were most likely localised in three of the four streams with substrate diversity recovering to comparable control values within 8 wetted widths (ca. 50 m) downstream of the trap associated with natural longitudinal fining. In contrast, ecological and environmental effects propagated downstream in one impacted stream with no recovery being evident. Sediment retention basins in the impacted streams provided a local artificially unique habitat of dynamic-braided channels. Our results indicate that sediment traps can significantly disrupt the sediment regime with important consequences for instream ecology and environmental conditions, although these effects can be system specific. Further work is needed to fully understand the effects of sediment traps in mountain streams to assist resource managers in the mitigation and future construction of these structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate L Mathers
- Geography and Environment, Centre for Hydrological and Ecosystem Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, UK; Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), Department of Surface Waters Research and Management, 6047, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.
| | - Carmen Kowarik
- Eawag, Department of Aquatic Ecology, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Cristina Rachelly
- Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christopher T Robinson
- Eawag, Department of Aquatic Ecology, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christine Weber
- Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), Department of Surface Waters Research and Management, 6047, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
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Mathers KL, White JC, Guareschi S, Hill MJ, Heino J, Chadd R. Invasive crayfish alter the long‐term functional biodiversity of lotic macroinvertebrate communities. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kate L. Mathers
- Geography and Environment Loughborough University Loughborough UK
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and TechnologyDepartment of Surface Waters Research and Management Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - James C. White
- River Restoration Centre Cranfield University Cranfield UK
| | - Simone Guareschi
- Geography and Environment Loughborough University Loughborough UK
| | - Matthew J. Hill
- School of Applied Sciences University of Huddersfield Huddersfield UK
| | - Jani Heino
- Finnish Environment InstituteFreshwater Centre Oulu Finland
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Cooper RJ, Hiscock KM, Lovett AA, Dugdale SJ, Sünnenberg G, Vrain E. Temporal hydrochemical dynamics of the River Wensum, UK: Observations from long-term high-resolution monitoring (2011-2018). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 724:138253. [PMID: 32247122 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In 2010, the UK government established the Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC) initiative to evaluate the extent to which on-farm mitigation measures can cost-effectively reduce the impacts of agricultural water pollution on river ecology whilst maintaining food production capacity. A central component of the DTC platform was the establishment of a comprehensive network of automated, web-based sensor technologies to generate high-temporal resolution (30 min) empirical datasets of surface water, groundwater and meteorological parameters over a long period (2011-2018). Utilising 8.9 million water quality measurements generated for the River Wensum, this paper demonstrates how long-term, high-resolution monitoring of hydrochemistry can improve our understanding of the complex temporal dynamics of riverine processes from 30 min to annual timescales. This paper explores the impact of groundwater-surface water interactions on instream pollutant concentrations (principally nitrogen, phosphorus and turbidity) and reveals how varying hydrochemical associations under contrasting flow regimes can elicit important information on the dominant pollution pathways. Furthermore, this paper examines the relationships between agricultural pollutants and precipitation events of varying magnitude, whilst demonstrating how high-resolution data can be utilised to develop conceptual models of hydrochemical processes for contrasting winter and summer seasons. Finally, this paper considers how high-resolution hydrochemical data can be used to increase land manager awareness of environmentally damaging farming operations and encourage the adoption of more water sensitive land management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Cooper
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Kevin M Hiscock
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Andrew A Lovett
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Stephen J Dugdale
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Gisela Sünnenberg
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Emilie Vrain
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ, UK
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Mathers KL, White JC, Fornaroli R, Chadd R. Flow regimes control the establishment of invasive crayfish and alter their effects on lotic macroinvertebrate communities. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kate L. Mathers
- Department of Surface Waters Research and Management Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - James C. White
- Department of Biosciences College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK
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Corrêa EC, Roque FDO, Utz RM, Correa JDS, de Souza FL, Covich AP. Effects of macroconsumers on benthic communities: Rapid increases in dry-season accrual of calcium in a tropical karst stream. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0209102. [PMID: 30576363 PMCID: PMC6303065 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Species loss from upper trophic levels can result in some major changes in community structure and ecosystem functions. Here, we experimentally excluded macroconsumers (e.g., fish and shrimp) in a Brazilian karst tropical stream during the dry season to investigate if their loss affected the accrual of calcium, dry mass (DM) and ash-free dry mass (AFDM) of sediment, benthic invertebrates, and chlorophyll-a. We found that the exclusion of macroconsumers decreased accrual of calcium. The absence of fish and shrimp may have promoted increased grazing by mayflies and snails in the electrified treatment as expressed by the depressed calcium accrual and shift in periphyton community composition. However, the exclusion of macroconsumers had no effect on DM and AFDM, chlorophyll-a, or total abundance of invertebrates. Our findings shed new light on the impact of macroconsumer loss and consequences for calcium accrual in karstic streams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine Cristina Corrêa
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil
- * E-mail:
| | - Fabio de Oliveira Roque
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - Ryan Michael Utz
- Falk School of Sustainability, Chatham University, Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | | | - Franco Leandro de Souza
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil
| | - Alan Paul Covich
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, United States of America
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