Retesting a prediction of the River Continuum Concept: autochthonous versus allochthonous resources in the diets of invertebrates

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 534-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma J. Rosi-Marshall ◽  
Kathryn L. Vallis ◽  
Colden V. Baxter ◽  
John M. Davis
Keyword(s):  
River Continuum Concept ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Allochthonous Resources ◽  
Continuum Concept

Hydrologic and Riparian Influences on the Import and Storage of Coarse Particulate Organic Matter in a Prairie Stream

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 655-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin E. Gurtz ◽  
G. Richard Marzolf ◽  
Keith T. Killingbeck ◽  
David L. Smith ◽  
J. Vaun McArthur
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Particulate Organic Matter ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
River Continuum Concept ◽  
Hydrologic Regime ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Coarse Particulate Organic Matter ◽  
Continuum Concept ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Prairie Stream

The hydrologic regime and zonation of riparian vegetation influenced the quantity and quality of coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM; >1 mm) stored in the channel and upper bank of a prairie stream. In a 5.4-km intermittent reach of the South Branch of Kings Creek on Konza Prairie, Kansas, total annual import was lowest in headwater reaches and increased downstream. Total storage of benthic CPOM in the dry channel and on the bank before the flow period was highest in the fourth- and fifth-order gallery forest zone (999 g ash-free dry mass∙m−2) and less in upstream reaches (320–341 g∙m−2). These longitudinal patterns of CPOM annual import and storage (before the flow period) were opposite those predicted by the river continuum concept for streams draining forested regions. Following flow, headwater channels had more CPOM (291 g∙m−2) than downstream reaches. On the bank, storage was always highest in downstream reaches. Composition of CPOM both in the channel and on the bank varied with changes in riparian vegetation; grass tissues dominated in headwater channels, while wood and leaves of trees and shrubs were more abundant downstream. During the flow period, storage of CPOM increased only in headwater channels, where retention was high despite the lack of woody debris. In this intermittent prairie stream, benthic CPOM may not contribute consistently to the terrestrial/aquatic linkages that are suggested in the river continuum concept because of (1) a paucity of large CPOM sources (e.g. trees, shrubs) in the upper reaches and (2) a hydrologic regime that reduces the amount, as well as the predictability, of stored CPOM. The biota of prairie streams must have opportunistic food gathering and reproductive strategies to take advantage of variable food resources in a flow environment that is itself very unpredictable.

scholarly journals Testing the River Continuum Concept with geostatistical stream-network models

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 100773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Larsen ◽  
Maria Cristina Bruno ◽  
Ian P. Vaughan ◽  
Guido Zolezzi
Keyword(s):  
Network Models ◽  
River Continuum Concept ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Stream Network ◽  
Continuum Concept

Does the river continuum concept apply on a tropical island? Longitudinal variation in a Puerto Rican stream

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Effie A Greathouse ◽  
Catherine M Pringle
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Fish Predation ◽  
Functional Feeding Groups ◽  
River Continuum Concept ◽  
Running Waters ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Feeding Mode ◽  
Continuum Concept ◽  
Basal Resources ◽  
Stream Size

We examined whether a tropical stream in Puerto Rico matched predictions of the river continuum concept (RCC) for macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups (FFGs). Sampling sites for macroinvertebrates, basal resources, and fishes ranged from headwaters to within 2.5 km of the fourth-order estuary. In a comparison with a model temperate system in which RCC predictions generally held, we used catchment area as a measure of stream size to examine truncated RCC predictions (i.e., cut off to correspond to the largest stream size sampled in Puerto Rico). Despite dominance of generalist freshwater shrimps, which use more than one feeding mode, RCC predictions held for scrapers, shredders, and predators. Collector–filterers showed a trend opposite to that predicted by the RCC, but patterns in basal resources suggest that this is consistent with the central RCC theme: longitudinal distributions of FFGs follow longitudinal patterns in basal resources. Alternatively, the filterer pattern may be explained by fish predation affecting distributions of filter-feeding shrimp. Our results indicate that the RCC generally applies to running waters on tropical islands. However, additional theoretical and field studies across a broad array of stream types should examine whether the RCC needs to be refined to reflect the potential influence of top-down trophic controls on FFG distributions.

Analysis of Longitudinal Zonation and the River Continuum Concept in the Oldman–South Saskatchewan River System

1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 1258-1266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Culp ◽  
Ronald W. Davies
Keyword(s):  
River System ◽  
Subalpine Forest ◽  
Functional Feeding Groups ◽  
River Continuum Concept ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Terrestrial Vegetation ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Longitudinal Zonation ◽  
South Saskatchewan River ◽  
Continuum Concept

During the summer–fall periods, the benthic macroinvertebrate communities of the Oldman–South Saskatchewan River system demonstrated a longitudinal zonation related to the subalpine forest, fescue prairie, and mixed prairie terrestrial ecosystems through which it flows. This zonation was primarily attributable to significant downstream increases in periphyton biomass, plant nutrients, and water temperature. Zonation was reduced in the Sate winter–spring periods and absent in May, during spring runoff. Longitudinal trends in macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups generally followed the predictions of the river continuum concept, with trophic composition apparently more strongly affected by autotrophic processes in the summer, and heterotrophic processes in the winter. By combining the river continuum concept with a watershed classification system based on geology, climate, soil type, and terrestrial vegetation, we suggest that biological comparisons of longitudinal zonation are enhanced.Key words: longitudinal zonation, reciprocal average ordination, river continuum concept, functional groups

Questions and Comments on the River Continuum Concept

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 1038-1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Statzner ◽  
Bert Higler
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
River Continuum Concept ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Running Water ◽  
Current State ◽  
Biotic Diversity ◽  
Continuum Concept ◽  
Water Ecosystems

The River Continuum Concept (RCC) is a generalized conceptual framework for characterization of pristine running water ecosystems. Of the numerous tenets of the concept we particularly reevaluated the following: biological analogues of energy equilibrium and entropy in the physical system; maximization of energy consumption through continuous species replacement over a year; absence of succession in stream ecosystems, which can thus be viewed in a time-independent fashion; and maximization of biotic diversity in midreaches of streams as a result of the occurrence of highest environmental variability there together with spatial abundance shifts of insects, molluscs, and crustaceans. When emphasis is placed on rapid changes in the downstream hydraulics dependent on discharge and slope (both of which are expressed by stream order in the RCC and are key factors of the concept) and on results from tropical studies, some of these tenets are partly refuted or need extension. Some of them are in conflict with the current state of knowledge in other domains of stream ecology or are at least open to various interpretations. Therefore, we advocate modifications of the theoretical background of the RCC.

The River Continuum Concept: lessons from the past and perspectives for the future

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 1853-1864
Author(s):  
Alberto Doretto ◽  
Elena Piano ◽  
Courtney E. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Stream Ecology ◽  
River Continuum Concept ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Continuum Concept ◽  
Aquatic Sciences ◽  
And Function

The River Continuum Concept (RCC) is a milestone in stream ecology because of its comprehensive evaluation of the structure and function of lotic ecosystems. Linking stream physical and geomorphological attributes with patterns in biodiversity, functional traits, and metabolism dynamics, this theory describes downstream gradients in community composition and ecosystem processes. The aim of this review is to evaluate how the RCC, 40 years from its publication in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, has influenced basic and applied research in stream ecology, focusing on the most important contributions and recent developments. This work puts into perspective the historical importance of the RCC in the scientific process and integrates past and recent theories, including metacommunity and metaecosystem theories and the river network perspective, to predict taxonomic and functional diversity of benthic communities. Thus, this review provides a unifying overview of the historical context of the field for exploring basic and applied ecological questions to the next generation of stream ecologists.

scholarly journals Assessing the Rigidity of the River Continuum Concept to Fish Species in a Fluvially Dominated Southern African Coastal System

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Festus P. Nashima ◽  
Nadine A. Strydom ◽  
Stephen J. Lamberth
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
South African ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
River System ◽  
River Continuum Concept ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Coastal System ◽  
Estuarine Species ◽  
Continuum Concept ◽  
River Estuarine

Abstract A continuous gradient of physical and biological processes exists within a river system from headwaters to mouth, according to the River Continuum Concept. In this study, the River Continuum Concept was used to compare patterns in fish assemblages and diversity trends to Remane predictions. The findings show that species diversity is low near the estuary's mouth and increases upstream. While the presence of several marine and estuarine species increased species diversity upstream in the river due to the dominance of freshwater fishes, it decreased downstream due to the presence of several marine and estuarine species. These patterns are consistent with the biogeographical trend of decreasing species richness along the South African coast from east to west. Based on the findings of this study, the River Continuum Concept ignores plasticity, which is evident in species that use transitional waters. As a result, the concept is insufficiently valid for the Orange River Estuarine Continuum, and a new concept known as the “River-Estuarine Continuum” has been proposed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document