scholarly journals Longitudinal dimensions of land-use impacts in riverine ecosystems

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Feijó-Lima ◽  
Eugenia Zandonà ◽  
Bruna Suelen da Silva ◽  
Flavia Tromboni ◽  
Timothy Peter Moulton ◽  
...  

Abstract: Aim Rivers are linked longitudinally via the flow of water and the spatial dimensions of the changes in local riparian vegetation are still poorly understood. Recent modifications to the Native Vegetation Protection Law allow reduction of lateral buffer strips and amnesty for riparian vegetation removal, which might increase the fragmentation of native riparian vegetation, especially for Atlantic Rainforest streams. Methods We present two case studies conducted in a stream draining a fragmented landscape in the Atlantic Rainforest. The stream flows through two abrupt transitions (forest-pasture-forest) and we investigated how far the upstream effects of a given riparian condition could be detected in the downstream reach for a suite of variables. Results We show that the effects of land cover propagate downstream for both algal and macroinvertebrate communities. For some variables of interest, these effects might extend up to a km downstream from the transition. Conclusions There is a need to understand how the distribution of riparian forest remnants contribute to maintaining watershed-scale resilience to impacts.

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita F. Keir ◽  
Richard G. Pearson ◽  
Robert A. Congdon

Remnant habitat patches in agricultural landscapes can contribute substantially to wildlife conservation. Understanding the main habitat variables that influence wildlife is important if these remnants are to be appropriately managed. We investigated relationships between the bird assemblages and characteristics of remnant riparian forest at 27 sites among sugarcane fields in the Queensland Wet Tropics bioregion. Sites within the remnant riparian zone had distinctly different bird assemblages from those of the forest, but provided habitat for many forest and generalist species. Width of the riparian vegetation and distance from source forest were the most important factors in explaining the bird assemblages in these remnant ribbons of vegetation. Gradual changes in assemblage composition occurred with increasing distance from source forest, with species of rainforest and dense vegetation being replaced by species of more open habitats, although increasing distance was confounded by decreasing riparian width. Species richness increased with width of the riparian zone, with high richness at the wide sites due to a mixture of open-habitat species typical of narrower sites and rainforest species typical of sites within intact forest, as a result of the greater similarity in vegetation characteristics between wide sites and the forest proper. The results demonstrate the habitat value for birds of remnant riparian vegetation in an agricultural landscape, supporting edge and open vegetation species with even narrow widths, but requiring substantial width (>90 m) to support specialists of the closed forest, the dominant original vegetation of the area.


2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 336-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Marco da Silva ◽  
Lilian Casatti ◽  
Clayton Alcarde Alvares ◽  
Aline Maria Leite ◽  
Luiz Antonio Martinelli ◽  
...  

Soil loss expectation and possible relationships among soil erosion, riparian vegetation and water quality were studied in the São José dos Dourados River basin, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Through Geographic Information System (GIS) resources and technology, Soil Loss Expectation (SLE) data obtained using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model were analyzed. For the whole catchment area and for the 30 m buffer strips of the streams of 22 randomly selected catchments, the predominant land use and habitat quality were studied. Owing mainly to the high soil erodibility, the river basin is highly susceptible to erosive processes. Habitat quality analyses revealed that the superficial water from the catchments is not chemically impacted but suffers physical damage. A high chemical purity is observed since there are no urban areas along the catchments. The water is physically poor because of high rates of sediment delivery and the almost nonexistence of riparian vegetation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Cetra ◽  
M. Petrere JR.

This work intends to examine if there are associations between fish species and the state of conservation of the riparian forest in the Corumbataí River Basin. Four main rivers were chosen for this study with three sites on each. Collections were carried out from March to June and from September to December 2001. Multivariate techniques were applied to determine the correlation between species richness and the order of the rivers, preservation level of the riparian forest, shade level, presence or absence of Eucalyptus, sugar cane and pastures, and surrounding declivity stability of the sites. Species richness was highest at locations with greater vegetation cover and preserved riparian forest.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
André Roberto Melo Silva ◽  
Douglas Vitor Pontes ◽  
Marco Paulo Guimarães ◽  
Marina Vicente de Oliveira ◽  
Lucas Tito Faria de Assis ◽  
...  

A study of the assembly of fruit-feeding butterflies in the Área de Proteção Especial Manancial Mutuca, Nova Lima, MG was conducted with the goal of inventorying the species of the site. Forty-two traps were used to attract fruit-feeding butterflies, divided between Cerrado (rupestrian field) and riparian vegetation, monthly over one year. 2245 butterflies, which belonged to 63 species, were recorded. Of this total, fourty-eight species were collected in the Cerrado, twenty-one exclusively in this environment, forty-two in riparian forest, fifteen being exclusive to this environment, and twenty-seven species were sampled in both environments. From the total of sampled species, thirty-five were considered rare, eight accessory species, and twenty constant species. Prepona deiphile deiphile (Charaxine) is classified as vulnerable on the Minas Gerais’ list and on the national list of threatened species. The collector curve showed no clear trend to stabilization, suggesting that there are species still not sampled in the study area. Adding the data from field sampling to the information on species occurrence in the literature and in entomological collections, the current number of frugivorous butterflies species for the region of Belo Horizonte is 104. This result foregrounds the importance of APE Mutuca for maintaning a rich fauna of frugivorous butterflies to the area.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Santos Tibúrcio ◽  
Carolina da Silva Carvalho ◽  
Fabio Cop Ferreira ◽  
Roberto Goitein ◽  
Milton Cezar Ribeiro

Abstract Objective In this study we aimed to understand how extrinsic environmental factors measured in the watercourses and the surrounding landscape influence the ichthyofauna of first-order streams. Methods Data were collected within the Corumbataí River Basin, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, during the dry season of 2012. We sampled the ichthyofauna in 13 stretches of streams distributed across four river sub-basins. The stretches differed in relation to the presence/absence of riparian forest, the predominant type of matrix and the percentage of forest. Response variables were species richness and the occurrence of functional groups and explanatory variables include both local and landscape structures from the surrounding environment. Local variables comprised the following water quality and structural attributes: pH, temperature, conductivity, turbidity, flow rate, depth, width, type of substrate. Landscape variables included presence/absence of riparian vegetation, type of vegetation, type of matrix, percentage of forest and canopy cover. Results A total of 268 individuals were recorded, which were distributed among 12 species. The landscape structure influenced the occurrence of functional groups in first-order streams, especially allochthonous-feeders, nektonic and hypoxia-intolerant species. The presence of riparian forest was the most important predictor. Species richness was negatively related to the presence of riparian vegetation, supporting the hypothesis that degraded landscapes lead to a reduction in diversity. Conclusion The protection of riparian vegetation is critical to the maintenance of ichthyofauna diversity in first-order streams. The presence or absence of riparian vegetation differently affected the occurrence of species depending on their functional characteristics, particularly those related to the tolerance to hypoxia, source of alimentary items and the position in the water column.


2001 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. CALLISTO ◽  
P. MORENO ◽  
F. A. R. BARBOSA

The assessment of the diversity of habitats and the characterisation of the functional trophic groups of benthic macroinvertebrate communities of some rivers of Serra do Cipó (MG) were the main objectives of this study. The available trophic resources and the types of substrata were characterised along with the structure and composition of their using functional trophic groups. Serra do Cipó is a watershed divisor of the São Francisco and Doce River basins, including a series of streams and rivers, of good water quality and well preserved ecological characteristics. Samples were collected in Cipó, Peixe and Preto do Itambé rivers, besides the Indaiá and Capão da Mata streams at 26 sampling stations, during the rainy (February) and dry (October) seasons of 1998, using "Kicking nets" of 0.125 mm mesh size. The group of collectors (Baetidae, Leptophlebiidae and Leptohyphidae) was the most abundant, followed by collector-predators (Hydrophilidae, Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae-Tanypodinae), and detritivorous-herbivores (Oligochaeta). The riparian vegetation, together with the aquatic macrophytes, are the substrata containing the highest richness of functional trophic groups and the higher habitat diversity. The results suggest that the use of functional trophic groups, together with habitat evaluation, are efficient tools in the evaluation of the diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates, particularly in altitudinal lotic ecosystems.


Biotropica ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 589
Author(s):  
Catherine Graham ◽  
Jesús Eduardo Martínez-Leyva ◽  
Leticia Cruz-Paredes

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 1076-1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Newbold ◽  
D. C. Erman ◽  
K. B. Roby

The impact of logging with and without buffer strip protection on stream macroinvertebrates was examined through comparisons of community structure in commercially logged and control watersheds throughout northern California. A nonparametric test of community dissimilarities within matched blocks of two control and one or two treated stations showed significant (P < 0.05) logging effects on unprotected streams when Euclidean distance and mutual information were used as dissimilarity indices, but not when chord distance was used. Shannon diversity in unprotected streams was lower (P < 0.01) than in control (unlogged) streams; densities of total macroinvertebrate fauna and of Chironomidae, Baetis, and Nemoura were higher in unprotected streams than in controls (P < 0.05). Streams with narrow buffer strips (< 30 m) showed significant effects by the Euclidean distance test, but diversity varied widely and was not significantly different from that in either unprotected or control streams. Macroinvertebrate communities in streams with wide buffers (≥ 30 m) could not be distinguished from those of controls by either Euclidean distance or diversity; however, diversity in wide-buffered streams was significantly greater than in streams without buffer strips, indicating effective protection from logging effects.Key words: buffer strips, California, diversity, ecological dissimilarity, invertebrates, logging, streams


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-271
Author(s):  
Sirlei Maria Hentges ◽  
Tieli Cláudia Menzel ◽  
Cristiane Maria Loebens ◽  
Samuel Elias Siveris ◽  
David Augusto Reynalte-Tataje ◽  
...  

The Piratinim River is located in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul, and represents an important effluent from the Uruguay River, with streams located far from urbanized areas, in conditions similar to those of environmental integrity, but under the influence of agricultural activities. In this study, we aim at investigating the structure of the aquatic macroinvertebrate community in streams of the Piratinim river basin by observing both spatial and local scales. The sampling was carried out in six streams distributed in three regions (upper, middle and lower) of the basin, thus exploring its upstream, intermediate and downstream stretches, during spring and autumn. Macroinvertebrates were collected using aquatic dipnets and were identified at the family level; trophic-functional categories were established according to the classification adapted to the state of Paraná. The spatial and temporal variations of the groups and of the biotic attributes (density, richness, diversity and equitability) were subjected to Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric tests and a posteriori Dunn’s tests. The abiotic variables were obtained to verify possible influence on the composition of the macroinvertebrate community, evaluated through a Canonical Correspondence Analysis. We sampled 11,564 macroinvertebrate individuals from 72 taxa, and found a predominance of the collector-filter trophic group. Abundance and richness were different between streams; the highest densities were found in the streams located in the upper region of the watershed (Chuní and Itú). The highest taxon richness was found in the lower region of the watershed (Guaracapa stream), and the lowest richness was found in the two streams for the intermediate region (Santana and Ximbocu). Diversity and equitability did not vary; temporal variations were not found. Canonical correspondence analysis explained 31.7% of the data variability. The main environmental variables that influenced macroinvertebrates distribution were temperature, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, altitude and extension of the riparian forest. Seasonality and the longitudinal gradient along the basin represented determining factors for the structure and distribution of the macroinvertebrate community in the tributary streams of the Piratinim River.


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