Flow permanence affects aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity and community structure in three headwater streams in a forested catchment

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 1649-1657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber Clarke ◽  
Ralph Mac Nally ◽  
Nick Bond ◽  
P.S. Lake
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Headwater Streams ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Taxon Richness ◽  
Ephemeral Streams ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Debris Dams ◽  
Perennial Stream ◽  
Connected Surface

Drying can be a common disturbance affecting macroinvertebrate communities in headwater streams. Whether intermittent and ephemeral streams have a lower diversity and (or) unique assemblage structure relative to physically similar and nearby perennial streams is still debated. We investigated changes in the diversity and assemblage composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates occupying debris dams in three headwater streams with a gradient of flow permanence (perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral) during a dry period in the austral summer of 2007 and a wet period in the spring of 2008. In the dry period, mean taxon richness and abundance in debris dams were lower in the intermittent and ephemeral streams than in the perennial stream, and the length of time without connected surface flow appeared to produce different patterns in community composition. However, during the wet period, mean taxon richness, abundance, and community composition of macroinvertebrates were very similar among the three streams. Hierarchical Bayesian modeling showed evidence for a strong effect of permanence on taxon richness, abundance, and evenness within debris dams. Taxa from the perennial stream were extremely efficient at colonizing seasonally dry nearby streams. Differences in assemblage structure between these temporary and permanent headwater streams may only arise seasonally and also appear related to flow permanence.

scholarly journals Spatial and Annual Variation in Microbial Abundance, Community Composition, and Diversity Associated With Alpine Surface Snow

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Fillinger ◽  
Kerstin Hürkamp ◽  
Christine Stumpp ◽  
Nina Weber ◽  
Dominik Forster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Taxon Richness ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Prokaryotic Cell ◽  
Surface Snow

Understanding microbial community dynamics in the alpine cryosphere is an important step toward assessing climate change impacts on these fragile ecosystems and meltwater-fed environments downstream. In this study, we analyzed microbial community composition, variation in community alpha and beta diversity, and the number of prokaryotic cells and virus-like particles (VLP) in seasonal snowpack from two consecutive years at three high altitude mountain summits along a longitudinal transect across the European Alps. Numbers of prokaryotic cells and VLP both ranged around 104 and 105 per mL of snow meltwater on average, with variation generally within one order of magnitude between sites and years. VLP-to-prokaryotic cell ratios spanned two orders of magnitude, with median values close to 1, and little variation between sites and years in the majority of cases. Estimates of microbial community alpha diversity inferred from Hill numbers revealed low contributions of common and abundant microbial taxa to the total taxon richness, and thus low community evenness. Similar to prokaryotic cell and VLP numbers, differences in alpha diversity between years and sites were generally relatively modest. In contrast, community composition displayed strong variation between sites and especially between years. Analyses of taxonomic and phylogenetic community composition showed that differences between sites within years were mainly characterized by changes in abundances of microbial taxa from similar phylogenetic clades, whereas shifts between years were due to significant phylogenetic turnover. Our findings on the spatiotemporal dynamics and magnitude of variation of microbial abundances, community diversity, and composition in surface snow may help define baseline levels to assess future impacts of climate change on the alpine cryosphere.

Debris dams as habitat for aquatic invertebrates in forested headwater streams: a large-scale field experiment

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 734
Author(s):  
Brenda R. Baillie ◽  
Brendan J. Hicks ◽  
Ian D. Hogg ◽  
Michael R. van den Heuvel ◽  
Mark O. Kimberley
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Aquatic Invertebrates ◽  
Headwater Streams ◽  
Dam Removal ◽  
Aquatic Invertebrate ◽  
Invertebrate Communities ◽  
Debris Dams ◽  
Scale Field ◽  
Large Scale Field ◽  
Debris Dam

To evaluate the effects of debris dams on aquatic invertebrate communities, we sampled benthic invertebrates in debris dams and riffles in three forested headwater streams in New Zealand. As part of a large-scale field experiment, debris dams were subsequently removed from three treatment sections in each of the streams to assess effects on invertebrate communities. Prior to debris dam removal, total invertebrate densities in debris dams were not significantly different from those in riffles. However, densities of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera taxa were significantly higher in debris dams than in riffles. Debris dams contained a higher number of less common taxa (defined as <1% of total catch) and significantly higher densities of shredders. Densities for Coleoptera, Diptera and Trichoptera taxa were significantly higher in the autumn than in the spring. Non-metric multidimensional scaling axis scores indicated that both habitat and season had a significant effect on aquatic invertebrate community composition. At the reach scale, the effects of debris dam removal on the aquatic invertebrate communities were not statistically detectable because debris dams comprised only a small proportion of total habitat. However, these data highlight the importance of debris dams in contributing to the diversity of aquatic invertebrates in forested headwater streams.

Role of Debris Dams in the Structure and Functioning of Low-Gradient Headwater Streams

Ecology ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 764-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard A. Smock ◽  
Glenn M. Metzler ◽  
James E. Gladden
Keyword(s):  
Headwater Streams ◽  
Debris Dams

Benthic meiofauna assemblage structure of headwater streams: density and distribution of taxa relative to substrate size

2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea J. Radwell ◽  
Arthur V. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Headwater Streams ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Substrate Size

scholarly journals Rapid quantitative assessment of fish larvae community composition using metabarcoding

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances C. Ratcliffe ◽  
Tamsyn M. Uren Webster ◽  
Deiene Rodriguez-Barreto ◽  
Richard O’Rorke ◽  
Carlos Garcia de Leaniz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Early Life ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Taxon Richness ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Abundance Estimates ◽  
Family Level

AbstractClimate change stressors greatly impact the early life-stages of many organisms but their cryptic morphology often renders them difficult to monitor using morphological identification. High-throughput sequencing of DNA amplicons (metabarcoding) is potentially a rapid and cost-effective method to monitor early life-stages for management and environmental impact assessment purposes. Yet, there is conflicting information about the quantitative capability of metabarcoding. We compared metabarcoding with traditional morphological identification to evaluate taxonomic precision and reliability of abundance estimates, using 332 fish larvae from multinet hauls (0-50m depth) collected at 14 offshore sampling sites in the Irish and Celtic seas. To improve relative abundance estimates, the amount of tissue for each specimen was standardised and mitochondrial primers with conserved binding sites were used. Family level correction factors for amplification bias and back-calculations were applied to estimate numbers of individuals of a given taxon in a sample. Estimates from metabarcoding reads and morphological assessment were positively correlated for relative family abundances as well as taxon richness (Rs=0.81, P=0.007) and diversity (Rs=0.88, P=0.003). After applying family level correction, back-estimates of the number of individuals per family within a sample were accurate to ± 2 individuals. Spatial patterns of community composition did not differ significantly between metabarcoding and morphological assessments.Our results show that DNA metabarcoding of bulk tissue samples can be used to monitor changes in fish larvae abundance and community composition. This represents a feasible, efficient and faster alternative to morphological identification that can be applied to terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

scholarly journals Spatially Variable Effects of Artificially-Created Physical Complexity on Subtidal Benthos

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn A. O’Shaughnessy ◽  
Shimrit Perkol-Finkel ◽  
Elisabeth M. A. Strain ◽  
Melanie J. Bishop ◽  
Stephen J. Hawkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Subtidal Zone ◽  
Taxon Richness ◽  
Biological Complexity ◽  
Tel Aviv ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Physical Complexity

In response to the environmental damage caused by urbanization, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are being implemented to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem processes with mutual benefits for society and nature. Although the field of NbS is flourishing, experiments in different geographic locations and environmental contexts have produced variable results, with knowledge particularly lacking for the subtidal zone. This study tested the effects of physical complexity on colonizing communities in subtidal habitats in two urban locations: (1) Plymouth, United Kingdom (northeast Atlantic) and (2) Tel Aviv, Israel (eastern Mediterranean) for 15- and 12-months, respectively. At each location, physical complexity was manipulated using experimental tiles that were either flat or had 2.5 or 5.0 cm ridges. In Plymouth, biological complexity was also manipulated through seeding tiles with habitat-forming mussels. The effects of the manipulations on taxon and functional richness, and community composition were assessed at both locations, and in Plymouth the survival and size of seeded mussels and abundance and size of recruited mussels were also assessed. Effects of physical complexity differed between locations. Physical complexity did not influence richness or community composition in Plymouth, while in Tel Aviv, there were effects of complexity on community composition. In Plymouth, effects of biological complexity were found with mussel seeding reducing taxon richness, supporting larger recruited mussels, and influencing community composition. Our results suggest that outcomes of NbS experiments are context-dependent and highlight the risk of extrapolating the findings outside of the context in which they were tested.

scholarly journals Extrapolating regional probability of drying of headwater streams using discrete observations and gauging networks

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélien Beaufort ◽  
Nicolas Lamouroux ◽  
Hervé Pella ◽  
Thibault Datry ◽  
Eric Sauquet
Keyword(s):  
Headwater Streams ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
National Level ◽  
Ephemeral Streams ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Discrete Observations ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Intermittent Rivers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Flow Intermittence

Abstract. Headwater streams represent a substantial proportion of river systems and have frequently flows intermittence due to their upstream position in the network. These intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams have recently seen a marked increase in interest, especially to assess the impact of drying on aquatic ecosystems. The objective of this paper is to quantify how discrete (in space and time) field observations of flow intermittence help to extrapolate the daily probability of drying at the regional scale. Two empirical models based on linear or logistic regressions have been developed to predict the daily probability of intermittence at the regional scale across France. Explanatory variables were derived from available daily discharge and groundwater level data of a dense gauging/piezometer network, and models were calibrated using discrete series of field observations of flow intermittence. The robustness of the models was tested using (1) an independent, dense regional data set of intermittence observations, (2) observations of the year 2017 excluded from the calibration. The resulting models were used to simulate the regional probability of drying in France: (i) over the period 2011–2017 to identify the regions most affected by flow intermittence; (ii) over the period 1989–2017, using a reduced input dataset, to analyze temporal variability of flow intermittence at the national level. The two regressions models performed equally well between 2011 and 2017. The accuracy of predictions depended on the number of continuous gauging/piezometer stations and intermittence observations available to calibrate the regressions. Regions with the highest performance were located in sedimentary plains, where the monitoring network was dense and where the regional probability of drying was the highest. Conversely, worst performances were obtained in mountainous regions. Finally, temporal projections (1989–2016) suggested highest probabilities of intermittence (> 35 %) in 1989–1991, 2003 and 2005. A high density of intermittence observations improved the information provided by gauging stations and piezometers to extrapolate the spatial distribution of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams.

scholarly journals Fish fauna of headwater streams that cross the Atlantic Forest of south São Paulo state

Check List ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Cetra ◽  
Walter Barrella ◽  
Francisco Langeani Neto ◽  
Abílio G. Martins ◽  
Bruno J. Mello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Exotic Species ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Headwater Streams ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
River Basins ◽  
The Other ◽  
Misgurnus Anguillicaudatus ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Paulo State

The fishes of the present study were collected in the headwater streams of the Sorocaba, Paranapanema and Ribeira de Iguape river basins during the dry period in 2010. A total of 2892 fishes, grouped in 53 species, were captured. The composition of the ichthyofauna captured in the streams of Sorocaba and Paranapanema river basin was greatly similar. On the other hand, the fish fauna of the streams of Ribeira de Iguape river basin were quite different from the ones captured in the others basins, with the occurrence of endangered species (Isbrueckerichthys epakmos and I. duseni) and exotic species (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus). The previous list of fish for the Sorocaba river basin increased with the addition of seven species of Characiformes, one Gymnotiformes and four Siluriformes.

scholarly journals Surface flow types, near-bed hydraulics and the distribution of stream macroinvertebrates

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 1043-1055 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Reid ◽  
M. C. Thoms
Keyword(s):  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Physical Habitat ◽  
Taxon Richness ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Assemblages ◽  
Flow Type ◽  
Hydraulic Conditions ◽  
Surface Patterns ◽  
Macrophyte Cover

Abstract. Spatial variation in hydraulic conditions in streams often results in distinct water surface patterns, or surface flow types. Visual assessments of the distribution of surface flow types have been used to provide rapid assessment of the habitat heterogeneity. The efficacy of this approach is predicated on the notion that surface flow types consistently represent a distinct suite of hydraulic conditions with biological relevance. This study tested this notion, asking three specific questions. First, do surface flow types provide a characterisation of physical habitat that is relevant to macroinvertebrates? Second, how well do near-bed hydraulic conditions explain macroinvertebrate distributions? Third, what components of near-bed hydraulic conditions exert the strongest influence on macroinvertebrate distributions? Results show that hydraulic conditions (incorporating direct measurements of near-bed velocity and turbulence in three dimensions) and substratum character (incorporating estimates of particle size distribution, and biofilm and macrophyte cover) within each surface flow type were largely distinct and that macroinvertebrate assemblages differed across flow types in taxon richness and assemblage composition, thus supporting the notion that rapid assessments of surface flow type distributions provide biologically relevant information. Macroinvertebrate assemblages were most strongly correlated with water depth, size of a flow type patch, near-bed velocity in the downstream direction, turbulence in the transverse direction, % pebble, % sand, % silt and clay and macrophyte cover. This study suggests that surface flow type mapping provides an assessment of physical habitat that is relevant to macroinvertebrates. The strong relationship detected between macroinvertebrate assemblages and transverse turbulence also highlights the value of directly measuring near-bed hydraulics. Further investigations are required to test the mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Communities of aquatic insects of old-growth and clearcut coastal headwater streams of varying flow persistence

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1416-1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Price ◽  
Arlene Suski ◽  
Joanna McGarvie ◽  
Barbara Beasley ◽  
John S Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Insects ◽  
Algal Biomass ◽  
Headwater Streams ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Ephemeral Streams ◽  
Aquatic Communities ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Organic Detritus ◽  
Temporary Streams ◽  
Old Growth Forest

Headwater streams, varying in flow persistence from ephemeral to intermittent to perennial, provide the tightest coupling between water and land, yet they often receive the least protection during forest management. We described communities of aquatic insects in perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral channels surrounded by old-growth forest and 4- to 8-year-old clearcuts in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia, to determine whether temporary streams have unique aquatic communities and to examine the short-term impacts of harvesting. We measured flow persistence, stream size, canopy cover, organic detritus, and algal biomass in 19 streams. We sampled aquatic invertebrates with a combination of emergence cages and kicknet samples. Temporary and old-growth streams had more organic detritus and a higher abundance of shredders. Perennial and clearcut streams had a higher abundance of some algal grazers, but not higher algal biomass. Insect richness was similar in intermittent and perennial streams of each seral stage but lower in ephemeral streams. Intermittent streams contained four taxa not found in the other stream classes; perennial and ephemeral streams had none. Communities of aquatic insects differed between streams surrounded by clearcuts and old growth, and varied with continuity of flow.

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