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Schürings C, Globevnik L, Lemm JU, Psomas A, Snoj L, Hering D, Birk S. River ecological status is shaped by agricultural land use intensity across Europe. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 251:121136. [PMID: 38246083 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Agriculture impacts the ecological status of freshwaters through multiple pressures such as diffuse pollution, water abstraction, and hydromorphological alteration, strongly impairing riverine biodiversity. The agricultural effects, however, likely differ between agricultural types and practices. In Europe, agricultural types show distinct spatial patterns related to intensity, biophysical conditions, and socioeconomic history, which have been operationalised by various landscape typologies. Our study aimed at analysing whether incorporating agricultural intensity enhances the correlation between agricultural land use and the ecological status. For this, we aggregated the continent's agricultural activities into 20 Areas of Farming-induced Freshwater Pressures (AFFP), specifying individual pressure profiles regarding nutrient enrichment, pesticides, water abstraction, and agricultural land use in the riparian zone to establish an agricultural intensity index and related this intensity index to the river ecological status. Using the agricultural intensity index, nearly doubled the correlative strength between agriculture and the ecological status of rivers as compared to the share of agriculture in the sub-catchment (based on the analysis of more than 50,000 sub-catchment units). Strongest agricultural pressures were found for high intensity cropland in the Mediterranean and Temperate regions, while extensive grassland, fallow farmland and livestock farming in the Northern and Highland regions, as well as low intensity mosaic farming, featured lowest pressures. The results provide advice for pan-European management of freshwater ecosystems and highlight the urgent need for more sustainable agriculture. Consequently, they can also be used as a basis for European Union-wide and global policies to halt biodiversity decline, such as the post-2027 renewal of the Common Agricultural Policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Schürings
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, Essen D-45141, Germany.
| | - Lidija Globevnik
- TC VODE, Thematic Center for Water Research, Studies and Project Development TC Vode, Trnovski pristan 10, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| | - Jan U Lemm
- City of Wolfsburg, Department Data, Strategies, Urban Development Unit, Germany
| | - Alexander Psomas
- Brilliant Solutions Engineering & Consulting, V. Hugo St. 15, Rethymno 74100, Greece
| | - Luka Snoj
- TC VODE, Thematic Center for Water Research, Studies and Project Development TC Vode, Trnovski pristan 10, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| | - Daniel Hering
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, Essen D-45141, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, Essen D-45141, Germany
| | - Sebastian Birk
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, Essen D-45141, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, Essen D-45141, Germany
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Liang R, Maltby L. Spatial variation in the recovery potential of freshwater macroinvertebrate assemblages: Moving towards spatially defined assemblage vulnerability to chemicals. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 909:168402. [PMID: 37939950 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
The vulnerability of freshwater biodiversity to chemical stressors is dependent on its ability to resist chemical stress and recover from any stress-induced effects. Spatial variation in recovery has the potential to exacerbate or mitigate assemblage vulnerability but this has not been explored in detail. By combining information on assemblage-specific recovery potential with information on assemblage-specific chemical sensitivity, we have demonstrated that the vulnerability of 3307 macroinvertebrate assemblages to 18 different chemicals is spatially dependent and that recovery potential may reduce chemical risk. The recovery potential of each assemblage was quantified based on trait information and landscape factors using a weighted sum method, but it did not consider succession processes. Recovery potential varied by river type with assemblages in mid-altitude siliceous rivers with small catchments in the west of England having the lowest recovery potential. For 17 or the 18 chemicals investigated, there was a positive correlation between the recovery potential and sensitivity and this was strongest for assemblages exposed to metals. More sensitive assemblages had a higher recovery potential and were therefore potentially less vulnerable than would be expected based on sensitivity alone. Assemblages in rivers with small catchments were the most vulnerable to chemical exposure. Furthermore, assemblages with high vulnerability to insecticide exposure were more prevalent in mid-altitude rivers with siliceous geology in the west of England, whereas assemblages with high vulnerability to metals were more prevalent in lowland rivers with calcareous or mixed geology in the midlands. This study: (i) highlights the importance of spatial context in determining the risk of chemical pollution to freshwater biodiversity; (ii) demonstrates how spatial variation in taxonomic composition influences both the internal and external recovery of assemblages and how landscape factors modify trait-based recovery capabilities; (iii) provides the foundations for spatially-defined vulnerability assessment by identifying ecological scenarios for assessing chemical risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyu Liang
- School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, S10 2TN Sheffield, United Kingdom.
| | - Lorraine Maltby
- School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, S10 2TN Sheffield, United Kingdom
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3
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Liang R, Sinclair TM, Craig PS, Maltby L. Spatial variation in the sensitivity of freshwater macroinvertebrate assemblages to chemical stressors. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 248:120854. [PMID: 37992635 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120854] [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: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Assessing spatial variation in the chemical sensitivity of natural assemblages will enhance ecological relevance and reduce uncertainty in ecological risk assessments and the derivation of environmental quality standards (EQSs). However, the majority of species in natural communities have not undergone toxicity testing for any chemical, which poses a major challenge when assessing their sensitivity. We investigated spatial variation and patterns in the sensitivity of 4084 freshwater macroinvertebrate assemblages across England to 5 general-acting chemicals (heavy metals) and 13 specifically acting chemicals (insecticides) using a novel hierarchical species sensitivity distribution method based on taxonomic relatedness. Furthermore, we explored how river typology relates to spatial variation in assemblage sensitivity to chemicals and the potential impacts of such variation on current EQSs. Our findings revealed that, whereas assemblages with similar taxonomic compositions exhibit comparable sensitivity distributions, assemblages with different taxonomic compositions could have very similar or very different sensitivity distributions. The variation in assemblage sensitivity was greater for specifically acting chemicals than for general-acting chemicals and exhibited spatial clustering patterns. These spatial clustering patterns varied depending on the chemical, and the regions where assemblages were most sensitive to metals were generally not the same as the regions where assemblages were most sensitive to insecticides. Spatial variation in assemblage sensitivity was related to river typology with sensitive assemblages being more common than expected in lowland calcareous (or mixed geology) rivers within very small to small catchments. Comparing spatial variation in assemblage-specific chemical sensitivity to EQSs, we found that the operational EQSs in England would protect most study assemblages (i.e., > 99.5 %), although a small proportion of assemblages may face potential risks associated with azinphos-methyl, copper, and malathion. In many cases the EQSs were very precautionary, potentially requiring expensive control measures or restricting beneficial chemical use with no additional environmental benefit. The development of spatially defined EQSs, possibly based on river types, could be developed to target areas that require the highest level of protection and thus strike a balance between the benefits of chemical use and environmental protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyu Liang
- School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom.
| | - Thomas M Sinclair
- School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Peter S Craig
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Lorraine Maltby
- School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
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4
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Muluye T, Mengistou S, Fetahi T. Assessing the ecological health of the upper and middle Awash River, Ethiopia, using benthic macroinvertebrates community structure and selected environmental variables. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 196:45. [PMID: 38102459 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12230-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Research on the Awash River focused on the upper section, while the middle and lower regions received little attention. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic activities on the upper and middle Awash River. The study took place in nine sampling locations in dry and wet seasons from September 2021 to April 2022 using a multi-habitat sampling approach. We used macroinvertebrate metrics, environmental variables, and multivariate analysis to evaluate ecological health. The highest concentrations of NO3, soluble reactive phosphorus, and total phosphorus (0.50-0.93 mg L-1) were recorded at the river-mouth of the upper Awash, while the locations below Metehara had the lowest levels of dissolved oxygen (1.81-2.33 mg L-1). Redundancy analysis indicated that dissolved oxygen, NH3, temperature, NO2, pH, TSS, NO3, and TDS influenced macroinvertebrate distribution. The presence of the sensitive groups Caenidae, Hydropsychidae, Heptageniidae, and Aeshnidae at upstream sites indicated better ecological conditions. The middle and downstream sites supported moderately tolerant and tolerant taxa demonstrating water quality impairment. The lowest Ethiopian biotic score was recorded at the river-mouth of the upper Awash. The study sites below Metehara demonstrated severe ecological impairment since highly tolerant taxa were abundant and had strong correlations with temperature, TSS, and TDS levels. Pollutants from agricultural farms and domestic and industrial wastes from Addis Ababa, Metehara, and Merti towns most likely affect the impaired sites. This study demonstrated that the middle Awash experienced substantial ecological deterioration, indicating the need for restoration works to fit the water for socio-economic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tesfaye Muluye
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Water Management, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Seyoum Mengistou
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tadesse Fetahi
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Jupke JF, Birk S, Apostolou A, Aroviita J, Baattrup-Pedersen A, Baláži P, Barešová L, Blanco S, Borrego-Ramos M, van Dam H, Dimitriou E, Feld CK, Ferreira MT, Gecheva G, Gomà J, Hanžek N, Haslev IM, Isheva T, Jamoneau A, Jyrkänkallio-Mikkola J, Kahlert M, Karaouzas I, Karjalainen SM, Olenici A, Panek P, Paril P, Peeters ETHM, Polášek M, Pont D, Pumputyte A, Sandin L, Sochuliaková L, Soininen J, Stanković I, Straka M, Šušnjara M, Sutela T, Tison-Rosebery J, Udovič MG, Verhofstad M, Žutinić P, Schäfer RB. European river typologies fail to capture diatom, fish, and macrophyte community composition. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 896:165081. [PMID: 37355122 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165081] [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: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Typology systems are frequently used in applied and fundamental ecology and are relevant for environmental monitoring and conservation. They aggregate ecosystems into discrete types based on biotic and abiotic variables, assuming that ecosystems of the same type are more alike than ecosystems of different types with regard to a specific property of interest. We evaluated whether this assumption is met by the Broad River Types (BRT), a recently proposed European river typology system, that classifies river segments based on abiotic variables, when it is used to group biological communities. We compiled data on the community composition of diatoms, fishes, and aquatic macrophytes throughout Europe and evaluated whether the composition is more similar in site groups with the same river type than in site groups of different river types using analysis of similarities, classification strength, typical species analysis, and the area under zeta diversity decline curves. We compared the performance of the BRT with those of four region-based typology systems, namely, Illies Freshwater Ecoregions, the Biogeographic Regions, the Freshwater Ecoregions of the World, and the Environmental Zones, as well as spatial autocorrelation (SA) classifications. All typology systems received low scores from most evaluation methods, relative to predefined thresholds and the SA classifications. The BRT often scored lowest of all typology systems. Within each typology system, community composition overlapped considerably between site groups defined by the types of the systems. The overlap tended to be the lowest for fishes and between Illies Freshwater Ecoregions. In conclusion, we found that existing broad-scale river typology systems fail to delineate site groups with distinct and compositionally homogeneous communities of diatoms, fishes, and macrophytes. A way to improve the fit between typology systems and biological communities might be to combine segment-based and region-based typology systems to simultaneously account for local environmental variation and historical distribution patterns, thus potentially improving the utility of broad-scale typology systems for freshwater biota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan F Jupke
- Institute for Environmental Sciences iES, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Campus Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany.
| | - Sebastian Birk
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany
| | - Apostolos Apostolou
- Department of Aquatic Ecosystems, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Gagarin 2, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Jukka Aroviita
- Finnish Environment Institute, Paavo Havaksen tie 3, 90570 Oulu, Finland
| | | | - Peter Baláži
- Water Research Institute, Nabr. arm. gen. L. Svobodu 7, 81249 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Libuše Barešová
- Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Na Šabatce 17, 143 06 Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Saúl Blanco
- Diatom Lab, Universidad de León, La Serna 58, E24007 Leon, Spain
| | | | - Herman van Dam
- Consultancy for Water and Nature, Spyridon Louisweg 141, 1034 WR Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Elias Dimitriou
- Institute of Marine Biological Resources & Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 46.7 km Athens-Sounio Av., 19013 Anavyssos, Attica, Greece
| | - Christian K Feld
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany
| | - Maria Teresa Ferreira
- Forest Research Centre and Associate Laboratory TERRA, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Gana Gecheva
- Faculty of Biology, Plovdiv University, Tsar Asen 24, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Joan Gomà
- Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nikola Hanžek
- Josip Juraj Strossmayer Water Institute, Ulica grada Vukovara 220, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Tsvetelina Isheva
- Department of Aquatic Ecosystems, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Gagarin 2, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
| | | | | | - Maria Kahlert
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, PO Box 7050, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ioannis Karaouzas
- Institute of Marine Biological Resources & Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 46.7 km Athens-Sounio Av., 19013 Anavyssos, Attica, Greece
| | | | - Adriana Olenici
- Diatom Lab, Universidad de León, La Serna 58, E24007 Leon, Spain; Babeș-Bolyai University, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Fântânele Street, No. 30, 400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Piotr Panek
- Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, ul. Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920 r. 3, 02-362 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Petr Paril
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 61137, 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, 61137, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Didier Pont
- Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-MendelStrasse 33, Vienna, Austria
| | - Audrone Pumputyte
- Aplinkos apsaugos agentūra, A Juozapavičiaus g.9, 09311 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Leonard Sandin
- Norwegian institute for nature research (NINA), Lillehammer, Norway
| | - Lucia Sochuliaková
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Tajovského 40, 97401 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
| | - Janne Soininen
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, PO Box 64, Fi-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Igor Stanković
- Josip Juraj Strossmayer Water Institute, Ulica grada Vukovara 220, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Michal Straka
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 61137, Brno, Czech Republic; T.G. Masaryk Water Research Institute, 612 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Mirela Šušnjara
- Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Tapio Sutela
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Paavo Havaksen tie 3, 90570 Oulu, Finland
| | | | | | - Michiel Verhofstad
- FLORON: Plant Conservation Netherlands, Toernooiveld 1, 6525ED Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Petar Žutinić
- Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ralf B Schäfer
- Institute for Environmental Sciences iES, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Campus Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany
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Schäfer RB, Jackson M, Juvigny-Khenafou N, Osakpolor SE, Posthuma L, Schneeweiss A, Spaak J, Vinebrooke R. Chemical Mixtures and Multiple Stressors: Same but Different? ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:1915-1936. [PMID: 37036219 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystems are strongly influenced by multiple anthropogenic stressors, including a wide range of chemicals and their mixtures. Studies on the effects of multiple stressors have largely focussed on nonchemical stressors, whereas studies on chemical mixtures have largely ignored other stressors. However, both research areas face similar challenges and require similar tools and methods to predict the joint effects of chemicals or nonchemical stressors, and frameworks to integrate multiple chemical and nonchemical stressors are missing. We provide an overview of the research paradigms, tools, and methods commonly used in multiple stressor and chemical mixture research and discuss potential domains of cross-fertilization and joint challenges. First, we compare the general paradigms of ecotoxicology and (applied) ecology to explain the historical divide. Subsequently, we compare methods and approaches for the identification of interactions, stressor characterization, and designing experiments. We suggest that both multiple stressor and chemical mixture research are too focused on interactions and would benefit from integration regarding null model selection. Stressor characterization is typically more costly for chemical mixtures. While for chemical mixtures comprehensive classification systems at suborganismal level have been developed, recent classification systems for multiple stressors account for environmental context. Both research areas suffer from rather simplified experimental designs that focus on only a limited number of stressors, chemicals, and treatments. We discuss concepts that can guide more realistic designs capturing spatiotemporal stressor dynamics. We suggest that process-based and data-driven models are particularly promising to tackle the challenge of prediction of effects of chemical mixtures and nonchemical stressors on (meta-)communities and (meta-)food webs. We propose a framework to integrate the assessment of effects for multiple stressors and chemical mixtures. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:1915-1936. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf B Schäfer
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Univerität Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | | | - Noel Juvigny-Khenafou
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Univerität Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Stephen E Osakpolor
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Univerität Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Leo Posthuma
- Centre for Sustainability, Environment and Health, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anke Schneeweiss
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Univerität Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Jürg Spaak
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Univerität Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Rolf Vinebrooke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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7
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Yang Z, He S, Feng T, Lin Y, Chen M, Li Q, Chen Q. Spatial variation in the community structure and response of benthic macroinvertebrates to multiple environmental factors in mountain rivers. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 341:118027. [PMID: 37141723 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Exploring the response between benthic community changes and environmental variables has significance for restoring the health of river ecosystems. However, little is known of the impact on communities of interactions between multiple environmental factors, and frequent changes in the flow of mountain rivers are different from those in the flow of plain river networks, which also impact differently the benthic community. Thus, there is a need for research on the response of benthic communities to environmental changes in mountain rivers under flow regulation. In this study, we collected samples from the Jiangshan River in the dry season (November 2021) and the wet season (July 2022) to investigate the aquatic ecology and benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the watershed. Multi-dimension analyses were used to analyze the spatial variation in the community structure and response of benthic macroinvertebrates to multiple environmental factors. In addition, the explanatory power of the interaction between multiple factors on the spatial variation of communities, and the distribution characteristics of benthic community and their causes were investigated. The results showed that herbivores are the most abundant forms in the benthic community of mountain rivers. The structure of benthic community in Jiangshan River was significantly affected by water quality and substrate, whereas the overall community structure was affected by river flow conditions. Furthermore, nitrite nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen were the key environmental factors impacting the spatial heterogeneity of communities during the dry and wet season, respectively. Meanwhile, the interaction between these environmental factors showed a synergistic effect, enhancing the influence of these environmental factors on community structure. Thus, controlling urban and agricultural pollution and releasing ecological flow would be effective strategies to improve benthic biodiversity. Our study showed that using the interaction of environmental factors was a suitable way to evaluate the association between environmental variables and variation in benthic macroinvertebrate community structure in river ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaoli Yang
- Center for Eco-Environmental Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Shufeng He
- Center for Eco-Environmental Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Tao Feng
- Center for Eco-Environmental Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Yuqing Lin
- Center for Eco-Environmental Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China; Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Green Development, Nanjing, 210029, China.
| | - Mo Chen
- Center for Eco-Environmental Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Qinyuan Li
- Center for Eco-Environmental Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Qiuwen Chen
- Center for Eco-Environmental Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China; State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China; Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Green Development, Nanjing, 210029, China.
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