scholarly journals Using the novel priority index in prioritizing the selection of inland water bodies for site-based fish species conservation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Basooma ◽  
Herbert Nakiyende ◽  
Mark Olokotum ◽  
Winnie Nkalubo ◽  
Laban Musinguzi ◽  
...  

AbstractFreshwater ecosystems occupy <1% of the Earth’s total surface area but provide an array of ecosystem services. However, these ecosystems are threatened by multiple stressors, including overexploitation, infrastructure developments, habitat alteration, and alien species introductions. The magnitude of these threats varies in different water bodies, requiring site-based conservation actions. In this paper, we aimed at developing a priority index (CPIw) that can be used to inform conservation managers in prioritizing the selection of a waterbody for site-based fish conservation purposes. We used data on distribution, diversity, and conservation status of fishes of Uganda, which were retrieved from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and International Union Conservation for Nature (IUCN) databases. In the index, we incorporated the species richness, surface area of a waterbody, species rarity, and species IUCN status. A total of 288 fish species were recorded in 81 waterbodies (7 large lakes, 37 small lakes, and 37 rivers). Of these species, 110 were only found in large lakes, followed by rivers (19) and small lakes (6). Despite the higher species richness in large lakes relative to small lakes, the latter recorded significantly higher CPIw compared with the former (t = −2.8, df = 30, p-value = 0.008, d=0.7). This observation is consistent with the expectation, given the low ecological substitutability for the species and higher levels of exposure to human-induced threats in small water bodies compared with large systems. Therefore, we suggest that in situations where resources are limiting, small water bodies need to be given much attention, although we do not suggest ignoring water bodies with low CPIw values.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 5176
Author(s):  
Vinicius Perin ◽  
Samapriya Roy ◽  
Joe Kington ◽  
Thomas Harris ◽  
Mirela G. Tulbure ◽  
...  

Basemap and Planet Fusion—derived from PlanetScope imagery—represent the next generation of analysis ready datasets that minimize the effects of the presence of clouds. These datasets have high spatial (3 m) and temporal (daily) resolution, which provides an unprecedented opportunity to improve the monitoring of on-farm reservoirs (OFRs)—small water bodies that store freshwater and play important role in surface hydrology and global irrigation activities. In this study, we assessed the usefulness of both datasets to monitor sub-weekly surface area changes of 340 OFRs in eastern Arkansas, USA, and we evaluated the datasets main differences when used to monitor OFRs. When comparing the OFRs surface area derived from Basemap and Planet Fusion to an independent validation dataset, both datasets had high agreement (r2 ≥ 0.87), and small uncertainties, with a mean absolute percent error (MAPE) between 7.05% and 10.08%. Pairwise surface area comparisons between the two datasets and the PlanetScope imagery showed that 61% of the OFRs had r2 ≥ 0.55, and 70% of the OFRs had MAPE <5%. In general, both datasets can be employed to monitor OFRs sub-weekly surface area changes, and Basemap had higher surface area variability and was more susceptible to the presence of cloud shadows and haze when compared to Planet Fusion, which had a smoother time series with less variability and fewer abrupt changes throughout the year. The uncertainties in surface area classification decreased as the OFRs increased in size. In addition, the surface area time series can have high variability, depending on the OFR environmental conditions (e.g., presence of vegetation inside the OFR). Our findings suggest that both datasets can be used to monitor OFRs sub-weekly, seasonal, and inter-annual surface area changes; therefore, these datasets can help improve freshwater management by allowing better assessment and management of the OFRs.


2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 397-418
Author(s):  
Dariusz Świerk ◽  
Barbara Szpakowska

Abstract The paper discusses the development of a valuation method for small water bodies in a landscape park of agricultural character, since for such an area small water bodies are of considerable importance, primarily hydrological and natural. Analyses were conducted in the Dezydery Chlapowski Landscape Park. The object of the study comprised 13 water bodies differing in terms of landscape, morphological parameters (depth, shape, surface area, shoreline development) as well as aquatic and marsh vegetation. Some of these water bodies are typical in-field hollows, some are located in built-up areas, while two are located in a forest complex. The aim of the presented investigations was to develop a valuation method for small water bodies based on inventoried aquatic and marsh vegetation and including modifications of nature analysis methods such as the phytosociological method by Braun-Blanquet and ecological indexes according to Zarzycki. Using environmental variables statistical models were developed, describing dependencies between individual species and analysed variables. Investigations were conducted in the years 2008-2009, in which phytosociological relevés were prepared during the vegetation season. Analyses concerned vegetation of the littoral zone and the limnetic (open water) zone. The ecological status of water bodies was calculated on the basis of data concerning aquatic and marsh vegetation and the measured surface area of a given water body. Results indicate the advisability of having small water bodies covered with legal protection measures. In turn, the water bodies which underwent severe degradation should be remediated using available measures (dredging, creation of biogeochemical barriers).


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 4349-4380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Ogilvie ◽  
Gilles Belaud ◽  
Sylvain Massuel ◽  
Mark Mulligan ◽  
Patrick Le Goulven ◽  
...  

Abstract. Hydrometric monitoring of small water bodies (1–10 ha) remains rare, due to their limited size and large numbers, preventing accurate assessments of their agricultural potential or their cumulative influence in watershed hydrology. Landsat imagery has shown its potential to support mapping of small water bodies, but the influence of their limited surface areas, vegetation growth, and rapid flood dynamics on long-term surface water monitoring remains unquantified. A semi-automated method is developed here to assess and optimize the potential of multi-sensor Landsat time series to monitor surface water extent and mean water availability in these small water bodies. Extensive hydrometric field data (1999–2014) for seven small reservoirs within the Merguellil catchment in central Tunisia and SPOT imagery are used to calibrate the method and explore its limits. The Modified Normalised Difference Water Index (MNDWI) is shown out of six commonly used water detection indices to provide high overall accuracy and threshold stability during high and low floods, leading to a mean surface area error below 15 %. Applied to 546 Landsat 5, 7, and 8 images over 1999–2014, the method reproduces surface water extent variations across small lakes with high skill (R2=0.9) and a mean root mean square error (RMSE) of 9300 m2. Comparison with published global water datasets reveals a mean RMSE of 21 800 m2 (+134 %) on the same lakes and highlights the value of a tailored MNDWI approach to improve hydrological monitoring in small lakes and reduce omission errors of flooded vegetation. The rise in relative errors due to the larger proportion and influence of mixed pixels restricts surface water monitoring below 3 ha with Landsat (Normalised RMSE = 27 %). Interferences from clouds and scan line corrector failure on ETM+ after 2003 also decrease the number of operational images by 51 %, reducing performance on lakes with rapid flood declines. Combining Landsat observations with 10 m pansharpened Sentinel-2 imagery further reduces RMSE to 5200 m2, displaying the increased opportunities for surface water monitoring in small water bodies after 2015.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Ogilvie ◽  
Gilles Belaud ◽  
Sylvain Massuel ◽  
Mark Mulligan ◽  
Patrick Le Goulven ◽  
...  

Abstract. Hydrometric monitoring of small water bodies (1–10 ha) remains rare, due to their limited size and large numbers, preventing accurate assessments of their agricultural potential or their cumulative influence in watershed hydrology. Landsat imagery has shown its potential to support mapping of small water bodies but the influence of their limited surface areas, vegetation growth and rapid flood dynamics on long term surface water monitoring remains unquantified. A semi-automated method is developed here to assess and optimise the potential of multi-sensor Landsat time series to monitor surface water extent and mean water availability in these smallest water bodies. Extensive hydrometric field data (1999–2014) for 7 small reservoirs within the Merguellil catchment in Central Tunisia are used to calibrate the method and explore its limits. MNDWI is shown out of six commonly used water detection indices to provide high overall accuracy and threshold stability during high and low floods, leading to a mean surface area error below 15 %. Applied to 546 Landsat 5, 7 and 8 images over 1999–2014, the method reproduces surface water extent variations across small lakes with high skill (R2 = 0.9) and mean RMSE of 9 300 m2. Comparison with published global water data sets reveals a mean RMSE of 21 800 m2 (+134 %) on the same lakes and highlights the value of a tailored MNDWI approach to improve hydrological monitoring in small lakes and reduce omission errors of flooded vegetation. The rise in relative errors due to the larger proportion and influence of mixed pixels restricts surface water monitoring below 3 ha with Landsat (NRMSE = 27 %). Interferences from clouds &amp; scan line corrector failure on ETM+ after 2003 also decrease the number of operational images by 51 %, reducing performance on lakes with rapid flood declines.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 962
Author(s):  
Moldir Aubakirova ◽  
Еlena Krupa ◽  
Zhanara Mazhibayeva ◽  
Kuanysh Isbekov ◽  
Saule Assylbekova

The variability of hydrochemical parameters, the heterogeneity of the habitat, and a low level of anthropogenic impact, create the premises for conserving the high biodiversity of aquatic communities of small water bodies. The study of small water bodies contributes to understanding aquatic organisms’ adaptation to sharp fluctuations in external factors. Studies of biological communities’ response to fluctuations in external factors can be used for bioindication of the ecological state of small water bodies. In this regard, the purpose of the research is to study the structure of zooplankton of small lakes in South-East Kazakhstan in connection with various physicochemical parameters to understand the role of biological variables in assessing the ecological state of aquatic ecosystems. According to hydrochemical data in summer 2019, the nutrient content was relatively high in all studied lakes. A total of 74 species were recorded in phytoplankton. The phytoplankton abundance varied significantly, from 8.5 × 107 to 2.71667 × 109cells/m3, with a biomass from 0.4 to 15.81 g/m3. Shannon diversity index of phytoplankton in the lakes at high altitude varied from 1.33 to 2.39 and from 0.46 to 3.65 in the lakes at lower altitudes. The average weight of the cells of algae species varied from 0.2079 to 1.5076 × 10−6 mg in the lakes at lower altitudes, the average weight of the cells of algae species changed from 0.6682 to 1.2963 × 10−6 mg in the lakes at higher altitudes. Zooplankton was represented by 58 taxa. The total abundance of zooplankton varied from 0.05 to 169.00 thousand ind./m3 with biomass of 0.51-349.01 mg/m3. Shannon diversity of zooplankton in the lakes at lower altitude fluctuated from 0.42 to 2.32 and it was 0.66–1.77 in the lakes at higher altitudes. The average individual mass of specimens in zooplankton in mountain lakes ranged from 0.021 to 0.037 mg and varied from 0.002 to 0.007 mg in other lakes. The main factors in the development of the structure of zooplankton communities in small lakes were temperature, TDS, the content of nitrates, phosphates, and the composition and biomass of planktonic algae. The hydrochemical and biological data of the investigated lakes indicated their organic pollution. Our results once again confirmed the applicability of structural variables of zooplankton in assessing water quality.


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