scholarly journals Littoral macroinvertebrate communities of alpine lakes along an elevational gradient (Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0255619
Author(s):  
Anne Bartels ◽  
Ulrike G. Berninger ◽  
Florian Hohenberger ◽  
Stephen Wickham ◽  
Jana S. Petermann
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
National Park ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Alpine Lakes ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Rocky Habitats ◽  
Lake Size ◽  
Habitat Parameters

Alpine lakes support unique communities which may respond with great sensitivity to climate change. Thus, an understanding of the drivers of the structure of communities inhabiting alpine lakes is important to predict potential changes in the future. To this end, we sampled benthic macroinvertebrate communities and measured environmental variables (water temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, nitrate, turbidity, blue-green algal phycocyanin, chlorophyll-a) as well as structural parameters (habitat type, lake size, maximum depth) in 28 lakes within Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, between altitudes of 2,000 and 2,700 m a.s.l. The most abundant macroinvertebrate taxa that we found were Chironomidae and Oligochaeta. Individuals of Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Tricladida, Trombidiformes, Veneroida were found across the lakes and determined to family level. Oligochaeta were not determined further. Generalized linear modeling and permanova were used to identify the impact of measured parameters on macroinvertebrate communities. We found that where rocky habitats dominated the lake littoral, total macroinvertebrate abundance and family richness were lower while the ratio of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) was higher. Zoo- and phytoplankton densities were measured in a subset of lakes but were not closely associated with macroinvertebrate abundance or family richness. With increasing elevation, macroinvertebrate abundances in small and medium-sized lakes increased while they decreased in large lakes, with a clear shift in community composition (based on families). Our results show that habitat parameters (lake size, habitat type) have a major influence on benthic macroinvertebrate community structure whereas elevation itself did not show any significant effects on communities. However, even habitat parameters are likely to change under climate change scenarios (e.g. via increased erosion) and this may affect alpine lake macroinvertebrates.

scholarly journals Response of benthic macroinvertebrate communities to climate change

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariborz Daneshvar ◽  
Amir Pouyan Nejadhashemi ◽  
Matthew R. Herman ◽  
Mohammad Abouali
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities

scholarly journals Changes in runoff in two neighbouring catchments in the Bohemian Forest related to climate and land cover changes

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 342-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Bernsteinová ◽  
Claus Bässler ◽  
Lothar Zimmermann ◽  
Jakub Langhammer ◽  
Burkhard Beudert
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
National Park ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Slope Position ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Bohemian Forest ◽  
The Bohemian Forest ◽  
High Flows

Abstract There is public concern that large-scale disturbances to forest cover caused by insects and storm winds in the Bohemian Forest could intensify high water flows and enhance the expected flooding risks predicted in current regional climate change scenarios. We analysed stream discharge in Upper Vydra and Große Ohe, neighbouring catchments in the Bohemian Forest, the largest contiguous forested area in Central Europe. Upper Vydra, in the Šumava National Park, and Große Ohe (including the Upper Große Ohe headwater catchment in the Bavarian Forest National Park) are similar in size, but differ in land use cover and the extent of disturbed Norway spruce stands. Publicly available runoff and meteorological data (1978–2011) were examined using non-parametric trend and breakpoint analysis. Together with mapped vegetation cover changes, the results were used to address the following questions: 1) are there significant changes in the hydrological cycle and, if so, do these changes relate to 2) the extent and expansion of disturbance in forests stands and/or 3) altered precipitation dynamics and thermal conditions? We found no marked overall change in annual runoff or in annual or seasonal precipitation, but a significant increase in high flows in March. This overall trend related to the marked warming in late winter and early spring (+~4 K in April, p < 0.01), irrespective of altitude and slope position. It significantly shifted the end of the snow cover period by more than three weeks to the beginning/middle of April depending on altitude, and intensified snow melt. In the Upper Große Ohe catchment, a significant decrease in catchment balance, the difference between the long term precipitation and runoff (–72 mm, 11%) was found when the loss of tree cover reached 30% of catchment area. Diminished evapotranspiration losses from severely disturbed stands increased groundwater recharge during summer and caused a significant rise in low flows in autumn. However, observed increases in late winter high flows were due to warming only. They could be further intensified by the increasing winter precipitation predicted under present climate change scenarios, and would therefore increase the risk of flooding at lower elevations.

scholarly journals A Multi-Regional Assessment of the American Pika (Ochotona Princeps) in National Parks

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 79-83
Author(s):  
Jessica Castillo ◽  
Clinton Epps
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Occupancy Patterns

American pikas are conspicuous and charismatic inhabitants of mountainous regions of the western United States. Due to their sensitivity to high temperatures, they are considered an important early warning indicator species for detecting the ecological effects of climate change. This study addresses the potential threat of climate change to American pikas by assessing current occupancy patterns, modeling current gene flow patterns, and combining these two components to project habitat-specific models of occupancy and connectivity into the future under various climate change scenarios. The preliminary results presented here reflect field work conducted in Grand Teton National Park during the summer of 2010 and 2011. We conducted occupancy surveys, collected non-invasive genetic samples, and conducted preliminary genetic analyses.

Responses of benthic macroinvertebrate communities to natural geothermal discharges in Yellowstone National Park, USA

2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Clements ◽  
Jeffrey L. Arnold ◽  
Todd M. Koel ◽  
Rob Daley ◽  
Cathie Jean
Keyword(s):  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities

scholarly journals Simulation of Scots pine stand dynamics under climate change conditions in the Polish and Ukrainian parts of Roztocze

2013 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-226
Author(s):  
Ihor Kozak ◽  
Patrycja Czekajska ◽  
Hanna Kozak ◽  
Adam Stępień ◽  
Piotr Kociuba
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
National Park ◽  
Stand Dynamics ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Humid Climate ◽  
Noticeable Increase ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Pine Trees ◽  
Pine Stands

Abstract The study was conducted in the Polish (Roztoczanski National Park) and Ukrainian (Rava-Rus’ka Landscape Reserve and Yavorivskyi National Park) parts of the Roztocze region. In each of these locations three research areas were established in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands under similar ecological conditions. The purpose of this study was to carry out a survey of possible scenarios for pine stand dynamics in the Polish and Ukrainian parts of Roztocze using the FORKOME model. A control scenario was compared with four other climate change scenarios (warm dry and warm humid; cold dry and cold humid) for a period of covering the next 100 years. Using the control scenario, the FORKOME model predicted that for the next 100 years pine stands will dominate in terms of biomass and number of trees. The warm-dry and warm-humid climate scenarios resulted in slightly reduced biomass of pine stands. However pine would still maintain its dominance, although with a noticeable increase in beech and fir biomass. Nevertheless, in term of the number of trees during the second half of the simulation, it is beech and fir that dominate stand 1 in Roztoczanski National Park. Under the climate cooling scenario (cold dry and cold humid), the biomass of pine and spruce would increase during the next 100 years. Pine trees that would dominate in terms of their numbers, although the number of spruce individuals also tends to increase. The results presented in the paper indicate that the FORKOME model is very useful when investigating different climate changes scenarios in the Roztocze region.

scholarly journals An Ecological Comparison of Two Stream Sections With and Without Native Fish Populations, in Yellowstone National Park.

1978 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 93-98
Author(s):  
Gerald Jacobi
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
National Park ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Progress Report ◽  
Benthic Macroinvertebrate ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Fish Movement ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Yellowstone Lake ◽  
Ecological Evaluation

A study of benthic macroinvertebrate communities above and below a natural barrier to fish movement (6 m high) on Raven Creek, a tributary of Pelican Creek in the Yellowstone Lake watershed, was undertaken in July, 1977. This project is part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ecological evaluation of stream sections with and without native (cutthroat) trout populations. In July 1978 a similar study was undertaken on sections of Virginia Creek with and without introduced (brook) trout populations. A final progress report will be completed by June 30, 1979.

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