Assessing the influence of water and substratum quality on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a metal-polluted stream: an experimental approach

SUMMARY 1. Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the relative influence of water quality and substratum quality on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the Animas River, a metal-polluted stream in south-western Colorado (U.S.A.).
2. A community-level in situ toxicity test measured direct effects of Animas River water on benthic invertebrates collected from a reference stream (Elk Creek). The effects of metal-contaminated biofilm were examined by comparing macroinvertebrate colonisation of clean and contaminated substrata placed in Elk Creek. A feeding experiment with the mayfly Baetis tricaudatus Dodds (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) examined metal bioaccumulation and effects of metal-contaminated biofilm on growth and survival.
3. Animas River water was acutely toxic to most taxa, with greatest effects observed on mayflies (Heptageniidae, Ephemerellidae) and stoneflies (Taeniopterygidae and Capniidae).
4. Although Animas River biofilm was characterised by high concentrations of metals and low algal biomass, most taxa colonised substratum from the reference stream and the Animas River equally. The exceptions were Ephemerellidae, Taeniopterygidae and Simuliidae, which were less abundant on Animas River substratum. Mayflies grazing Animas River biofilm accumulated significantly more metals and showed reduced growth compared with organisms feeding on Elk Creek biofilm.
5. Results of our experiments demonstrated that effects of heavy metals on benthic community structure in the Animas River were complex, and that responses to metals in water and contaminated substratum were species-specific. Predicting recovery of benthic communities following remediation requires an understanding of these species-specific responses.     

无定河流域不同地貌区径流变化归因分析

分析了无定河流域干流与其支流(黄土丘陵区的大理河和风沙区的海流兔河)的年径流变化(1960—2012)及其成因,并预测了其径流的变化趋势。结果表明:无定河及其不同地貌区支流海流兔河和大理河流域1960—2012年径流量均显著下降,但年降水量未发生显著变化;无定河和海流兔河流域年蒸散量未发生显著变化,仅大理河流域年蒸散量在1990s年代后期显著增加。无定河流域径流变化突变点发生在1979年和1996年,海流兔河流域径流变化突变点在1971年和1990年,而大理河流域径流突变点发生在1971年。人类活动对大理河流域1972—2012年径流减少的贡献大约占50%,对海流兔河流域1972—1990年和1991—2012年两个时期径流减少的贡献率分别为44.4%和82.4%。未来,无定河及其支流年径流量均呈持续下降趋势。归因分析表明大规模的水土保持治理措施减少了大理河流域侵蚀产沙量的同时,也在一定程度上减少了大理河流域的径流量,而过度的农田灌溉引水是海流兔河径流量下降的主要原因。因此,未来在大理河流域要优化现有植被建设布局,减少流域蒸散发,减缓径流下降;在海流兔河流域要进一步退耕还林(草),适当控制农田灌溉面积,提高灌溉用水效率,在减少灌溉用水的同时提高流域水源涵养能力。     

Effects of substratum stability on diversity of stream invertebrates during baseflow at two spatial scales

1. The effects of substratum stability on the diversity of stream invertebrates were assessed at two spatial scales in a Japanese stream during baseflow, from May to June 1998. Deposition and erosion were examined separately as distinct elements of substratum stability by a newly developed method using small steel pins. Stream invertebrates were sampled after 28 days of measurement of substratum stability. We also measured physical environmental variables, current velocity and depth, and food resource parameters including periphyton and particulate organic matter (POM) standing crops.
2. At the scale of the habitat patch, the effects of substratum stability on invertebrates were overwhelmed by those of POM standing crop. Moreover, higher taxon richness at high abundance may simply result from a higher likelihood of more taxa being included in samples. Therefore, this small scale revealed no role for substratum stability in explaining spatial pattern of community diversity.
3. At the reach scale ( n =10), taxon richness and evenness peaked at an intermediate level of deposition, whereas invertebrate abundance did not show any significant relationship. This result, and the pattern of relative abundance of common taxa, implies that the diversity of stream invertebrates was determined by subtle substratum movements and by the habitat preference of each taxon.
4. The difference in the determinant of community parameters between the habitat patch and the reach affirm the importance of a cross-scale analysis to choose an appropriate spatial scale for investigating the community structure of stream invertebrates. Prominent effects of substratum stability, particularly the deposition of substratum particles, during baseflow suggest that subtle and constant movement of small substratum particles can contribute to determine the diversity of stream invertebrates.     

Invertebrates and urban runoff in a small northern stream,Edmonton, Alberta,Canada

The invertebrate fauna of a small northern stream was examined within Edmonton, Alberta. Many invertebrates that were common upstream of the city were absent or rare within the city. In contrast, some tubificids and chironomids were very abundant within the city. Diversity and richness (number of taxa) of the fauna were much lower within Edmonton than upstream, while the total density was much higher within the city. These changes in the urban invertebrate fauna were apparently caused by the discharge of organic materials and silt from storm sewer runoff.Chemical analysis of routinely-collected water samples did not show significant differences between urban and non-urban sites. This was probably due to the sporadic nature of storm sewer runoff. Peak levels of contaminants in the stream were usually missed because of the routine nature of sampling. Aquatic invertebrates, which exhibit long-term responses to sporadic runoff incidents, provided a better indication of stream water quality than did routine chemical monitoring.     

Contrasting effects of an invasive crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) on two temperate stream communities

1. The effects of omnivorous exotic species on native communities are often difficult to predict because of the broad diets and behavioural flexibility of the omnivore, and the diverse abiotic and biotic characteristics of invaded systems. We investigated experimentally the effects of a gradient of density of the introduced, omnivorous red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Decapoda: Cambaridae) on two stream communities in southern California, U.S.A. 2. The Ventura River is a clear, flowing stream with a cobble substratum, with abundant algae but low densities of large invertebrates, small herbivores and snails. The Santa Ynez River at the time of the study consisted of a series of drying pools underlain by sand, with abundant charophytes, large predatory invertebrates and herbivores, including snails. 3. In the Ventura River, periphyton biomass and inorganic sediment decreased with increasing crayfish abundance, but in the Santa Ynez River, periphyton and sediment were unrelated to crayfish densities. 4. In the Ventura River, the biomass and density of all benthic invertebrates combined, chironomids, micropredators, the meiofauna (chydorid cladocerans, copepods and ostracods), and specific predatory and herbivorous taxa, as well as taxon richness, were negatively related to crayfish density. In the Santa Ynez River, the biomass and average body size of benthic invertebrates, predatory invertebrates, herbivores and chironomids, but not total invertebrate density or taxon richness, were negatively related to crayfish density. 5. Fewer large predatory invertebrates and snails (Physella gyrina) in both streams, and baetid mayflies in the Ventura River, were visible at night in channels where crayfish were abundant. Snails responded to crayfish by moving above the water line in the Santa Ynez River, but not in the Ventura River. 6. We suggest that the same omnivore had different effects on these neighbouring streams because of crayfish predation on large invertebrates in the Santa Ynez River and the scarcity of such prey in the Ventura River, leading to increased crayfish grazing on periphyton, and reductions in periphyton‐associated invertebrates, in the Ventura River.     

The influence of hydrology on the structure of invertebrate communities in two streams flowing into Lake Nakuru,Kenya

Stream fauna communities were studied in the Baharini Springbrook and the Njoro River, which flow into Lake Nakuru. The streams have significantly different flow regimes. Consequently, discharge-related factors influence their faunal composition and abundance. The Baharini Springbrook is perennial, slow-flowing with low steady discharge, a higher conductivity and a low conductivity gradient along its course. The Njoro River is intermittent, fast-flowing with a higher and variable discharge, lower conductivity and a steeper conductivity gradient. Due to its permanent and steady surface stream flow, the Baharini Springbrook has a higher number of invertebrate species and higher abundances than the Njoro River. However, in spite of the intermittent nature of the Njoro River, during periods of relatively steady discharge the composition of its fauna is similar to that of the Baharini Springbrook. Similarity in the substratum characteristics of the two streams and their close proximity is a possible explanation for the close relationship in their faunal composition. At the onset of flow after a drought, rapid colonisation of the lowland intermittent stretch of the Njoro River occurred probably by drift from upstream perennial sections and/or from the hyporheos. Initial small spates at the onset of surface flow seem not to affect the invertebrate abundance, but later bigger spates during and after much heavier rains reduced the faunal abundance significantly. The recovery of faunal abundance to pre-flood levels in the Njoro River was completed in 27 days. Taxon richness was, however, less affected by the spates.     

新疆白杨河流域特征及生态植被需水分析

新疆白杨河流域地跨上游乌鲁木齐市达坂城及下游吐鲁番市托克逊县两个行政区,上游达坂城区位于天山博格达峰山前冲击、洪积山间盆地干旱区,源于天山多支源流汇集于盆地南端峡口,基于峡口形成下游并由有多支流沿程补给白杨河干流,穿越极端干旱戈壁荒漠区的托克逊县直至末端吐鲁番市境内尾闾-艾丁湖,是我国典型少有的跨越干旱与极端干旱叠加型流域灌区,水资源有效利用及水生态环境保护具有重要作用。遵循流域各河流水系形成的自然生态环境属性及河道取水工程节点,采用Penman-Monteith法生态需水定额和卫星遥感面积识别及水文年内展布方法,分析评估流域内上下游绿洲生态环境植被需水量和河流生态基流及其调控断面。结果表明,上游达坂城区黑沟河年生态需水量、生态基流、年均径流占比和控制断面,分别为921万m³、0.29m³/s、18%和黑沟渠首;阿克苏河为1048万m³、0.33m³/s、12%和阿克苏渠首;高崖子河为862万m³、0.27m³/s、12%和高崖子渠首;下游托克逊境内由白杨河干流调节,艾丁湖等生态需水量分别为4256万m³、1.35m³/s、32%和小草湖渠首。白杨河流域年生态需水7880万m³,生态基流2.50m³/s,生态水占年均径流量17%,分析结果为流域生态环境管理保护提供依据。     

Influence of ultraviolet-B radiation on the drift response of stream invertebrates

1. Recent studies have shown that ultraviolet (UV) radiation (280–400 nm) has increased by ≈ 8% in temperate regions over the past decade, but little effort has been devoted to understanding the ecological effects on temperate ecosystems. This research examined the effects of artificial ultraviolet-B (UVB; 280–320 nm) radiation on the drift response of immature stream insects in laboratory microcosms.
2. Two experiments involved natural populations of stream invertebrates, collected from the Cache la Poudre River (September 1994) and the Arkansas River (October 1995) in Colorado. UVB lamps were turned on from 10.00 to 14.00 h each day, and drifting animals were collected on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 during the exposure period. Levels of artificial UVB used in these experiments were similar to levels that stream organisms experience during clear, mid-day conditions at Fort Collins, Colorado (longitude 105°30'; latitude 40°35').
3. Drift was significantly higher in microcosms exposed to UVB than in controls and was dominated by Baetis sp. (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae), Trichoptera (caddisflies) and Simulium sp. (Diptera: Simuliidae). The increased drift of some stream invertebrates in UVB-exposed streams may be a behavioural response and/or a result of injury.
4. Stream organisms may be particularly sensitive to predicted increases in UV radiation, because streams are generally shallow with clear water. As a result of this potential sensitivity, we recommend that research be directed to understanding the ecological effects of UV radiation on these habitats.     

Influence of ultraviolet-B radiation on the drift response of stream invertebrates

1. Recent studies have shown that ultraviolet (UV) radiation (280–400 nm) has increased by ≈ 8% in temperate regions over the past decade, but little effort has been devoted to understanding the ecological effects on temperate ecosystems. This research examined the effects of artificial ultraviolet-B (UVB; 280–320 nm) radiation on the drift response of immature stream insects in laboratory microcosms.
2. Two experiments involved natural populations of stream invertebrates, collected from the Cache la Poudre River (September 1994) and the Arkansas River (October 1995) in Colorado. UVB lamps were turned on from 10.00 to 14.00 h each day, and drifting animals were collected on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 during the exposure period. Levels of artificial UVB used in these experiments were similar to levels that stream organisms experience during clear, mid-day conditions at Fort Collins, Colorado (longitude 105°30'; latitude 40°35').
3. Drift was significantly higher in microcosms exposed to UVB than in controls and was dominated by Baetis sp. (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae), Trichoptera (caddisflies) and Simulium sp. (Diptera: Simuliidae). The increased drift of some stream invertebrates in UVB-exposed streams may be a behavioural response and/or a result of injury.
4. Stream organisms may be particularly sensitive to predicted increases in UV radiation, because streams are generally shallow with clear water. As a result of this potential sensitivity, we recommend that research be directed to understanding the ecological effects of UV radiation on these habitats.     

A comparative study of three air-lift samplers used for sampling benthic macro-invertebrates in rivers

SUMMARY. From 16 air-lift samplers described in the literature, three were selected for operation from a small boat: Mackey, Pearson et al. and Verollet & Tachet samplers. Random samples (number of sampling units n= 10) were taken in a large tank with a known number of dried peas, representing invertebrates, amongst stones of uniform size. Separate experiments were performed with three sizes of stones (modal sizes 2–4, 16–20 and 32–36 mm). Stratified-random samples (usually n= 10) were taken in rivers at lour sites with modal particle sizes of < 0.1 2–4. 32–128 and 64–128 mm. The samplers were compared with a Ponar grab in the tank experiments and the field, and with a Naturalist's dredge in the field. Rates of pumping at different air-flows were established for each sampler. Water-How increased with increasing air-How and increasing submergence of the riser-pipe. The Mackey sampler achieved the highest water-flow and lifted more substratum and larger stones (64–128 mm) than the other samplers. The Verollet & Tachet sampler had the lowest pumping rate and failed to lift stones > 8 mm long, whilst the Pearson et al. sampler, with an intermediate performance, lifted mud and stones < 32 mm long. In the tank experiments, the area from which the Mackey and Pearson et al. samplers collected peas varied with air-flow, operating time and type of substratum. The Maekey sampler over-sampled and the Pearson et al. sampler usually under-sampled their respective sampling areas, except the latter sampler at high air-flows gave approximately quantitative results comparable to those of the Ponar grab for peas on the surface of stones 16–20 mm. No sampler collected much at a depth of 3 cm on larger stones (32–36 mm), and the Verollet & Tachet sampler failed completely on all substrata. In field trials, the Mackey and Pearson et al. samplers provided good qualitative samples except on large stones (32–128mm). The Verollet & Tachet sampler lifted little material. The relative abundance of taxa often differed between samplers. Estimates of the number of invertebrates per m² differed widely between samplers except for the Pearson et al. and Ponar grab which gave similar quantitative results at three sites. Values were very low for the Verollet & Tachet sampler and Naturalist's dredge and always very high for the Mackey sampler which often grossly over-sampled its sampling area. Therefore, these three samplers cannot be considered as quantitative. The relationship between the variances and the means of samples of peas in the tank and most invertebrates in the field followed a power law with values of the exponent b in the range 1.13–2.51. The present study completes the evaluation of 14 samplers used to sample benthic macro-invertebrates in deep rivers, and the more important conclusions from the comparative studies of seven grabs, four dredges and three air-lift samplers are summarized in a table.     

Analysis of wet edaphic riparian communities of a Mediterranean hydrographic network: the Arc (Bouches-du-Rhône,France)

The composition of benthic communities is a good criterion to estimate water quality. Is this also true of the wet edaphic riparian invertebrates, less directly exposed to the impact of the water? What abiotic factors determine the distribution of species within a hydrosystem? These questions were addressed, using the River Arc and its hydrographic network, subject to various anthropogenic aggressions (urbanization, industry, agriculture) and offering varied hydrochemical situations. The riparian population (158 taxa) was analysed, using Reciprocal Averaging (9 sampling points on the main course and its tributaries). Results show that spatial variation of the edaphic riparian zoocenosis is chiefly determined by the nature of the substratum and, to a lesser extent, by the hydrologic instability of the water course. However, it can respond to some constraints of the environment like benthic macroinvertebrates.     

膜下滴灌技术生态-经济与可持续性分析——以新疆玛纳斯河流域棉花为例

利用2000、2004、2006和2009年玛纳斯河流域的调查数据,以棉花为例,从生态、经济和社会可持续发展三个角度对比分析了膜下滴灌技术的应用效果.生态效益主要表现为,采用膜下滴灌比沟灌平均节水41.92％,流域内农业节约水量约为多年河道来水的9.34％,基本满足河道最小生态需水;采用膜下滴灌比沟灌节约化肥用量18.38％,节约农药用量17.00％.经济效益主要表现为,采用膜下滴灌棉花(籽棉)单产提高23.15％,水分利用效率(WUE)提高70.70％.社会效益主要表现为,采用膜下滴灌农业管理效率提高3-4倍,节约了农业劳动力.采用Bossel理论综合评价膜下滴灌技术的社会可持续性性,结果为良好.总体分析结果表明,采用膜下滴灌技术有利于区域社会经济的发展和生态环境的保护.本文的研究结果可为今后膜下滴灌技术的推广应用提供参考.     

基于生态需水保障的农业生态补偿标准

面向流域农业需水和生态需水间的矛盾问题和协调发展的要求,提出了基于生态需水保障的农业生态补偿标准计算方法。其中考虑农业用水定额计算基于生态需水保障的农业用水短缺,引入水分生产函数模型建立保障生态需水量产生的农业用水短缺与产量损失间的关系,根据不同季节作物产量响应系数的变化,定量确定具有时间和等级差异性的农业生态补偿标准。以保障黄河口生态需水引起的山东引黄灌区农业损失补偿标准分析为实例,计算了冬小麦和夏玉米种植户不同等级的生态补偿标准。结论认为,农业生态补偿标准需根据不同的来水过程及生态需水等级确定,面积稳定和保障功能显著的粮食作物应作为补偿标准计算的依据。     

1973-2013年黄河三角洲湿地景观演变驱动力

1973-2013年间,日益加剧的人类活动和愈发严峻的自然环境对黄河三角洲湿地景观形成巨大威胁。人与自然双重影响下黄河三角洲湿地发生了怎样的变化,哪些因素、多大程度上导致了这种变化的发生,科学解答这些问题对于加强黄河三角洲湿地保护具有重要意义。以Landsat卫星1973-2013年40a的9期影像为数据源,利用人工目视解译方法构建研究区景观数据库,在分析研究区景观特征的基础上,通过主客观相结合的方法,构建了能够反映黄河三角洲地区景观湿地化和人工化状态的表面湿地-人工状态指数(SWCSI)。结合黄河入海水沙、区域降水以及地方生产总值(GDP)、水产品产量和原盐产量,分别从区域尺度和像元尺度上,定量分析了过去40年黄河三角洲湿地景观演变的驱动力及其空间差异。研究表明:(1)过去40年来,黄河三角洲自然湿地面积不断萎缩,人工湿地增加,湿地总面积减小,黄河三角洲整体上呈现出人工化或湿地退化趋势,同时也存在明显的空间异质性:滨海地区以人工化和湿地退化趋势为主,黄河入海口地区以湿地化趋势为主,中西部和西南部传统农耕区基本无变化。(2)黄河三角洲湿地景观的人工化或湿地退化趋势是过去40年来黄河水沙减少、人类活动加剧共同作用的结果。区域尺度上,人类社会经济活动对黄河三角洲湿地景观演变起主导作用,黄河径流量和输沙量的作用明显弱于社会经济因素。像元尺度上,驱动因素的空间异质性是导致黄河三角洲湿地景观演变空间异质性的原因。湿地的发展主要归因于自然因素,以黄河水沙作用最为关键;湿地的人工化或退化过程以人类社会经济活动的强制改造为主导,但是否伴随黄河水沙变化的潜在影响,对特定区域而言应是确定的,但仍很难从像元尺度进行量化。     

Whey utilization in furrow irrigation: effects on aggregate stability and erosion

Improving soil structure often reduces furrow erosion and maintains adequate infiltration. Cottage cheese whey, the liquid byproduct from cottage cheese manufacture, was utilized to stabilize soil aggregates and reduce sediment losses from furrow irrigation. We applied either 2.4 or 1.9L of whey per meter of furrow (3.15 or 2.49Lm(-2), respectively) by gravity flow without incorporation to two fields of Portneuf silt loam (Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcid) near Kimberly, ID. Furrows were irrigated with water beginning four days later. We measured sediment losses with furrow flumes during each irrigation and measured aggregate stability by wet sieving about 10 days after the last irrigation. Overall, whey significantly increased aggregate stability 25% at the 0-15mm depth and 14% at 15-30mm, compared to controls. On average, whey reduced sediment losses by 75% from furrows sloped at 2.4%. Whey increased the aggregate stability of structurally degraded calcareous soil in irrigation furrows.     

Disturbance history influences the distribution of stream invertebrates by altering microhabitat parameters: a field experiment

1. We investigated the effects of local disturbance history and several biotic and abiotic habitat parameters on the microdistribution of benthic invertebrates after an experimental disturbance in a flood‐prone German stream. 2. Bed movement patterns during a moderate flood were simulated by scouring and filling stream bed patches (area 0.49 m²) to a depth of 15–20 cm. Invertebrates were investigated using ceramic tiles as standardized substrata. After 1, 8, 22, 29, 36 and 50 days, we sampled one tile from each of 16 replicates of three bed stability treatments (scour, fill and stable controls). For each tile, we also determined water depth, near‐bed current velocity, the grain size of the substratum beneath the tile, epilithic algal biomass and standing stock of particulate organic matter (POM). 3. Shortly after disturbance, total invertebrate density, taxon richness and density of the common taxa Baetis spp. and Chironomidae were highest in stable patches. Several weeks after disturbance, by contrast, Baetis spp. and Hydropsychidae were most common in fill and Leuctra spp. in scour patches. The black fly Simulium spp. was most abundant in fill patches from the first day onwards. Community evenness was highest in scour patches during the entire study. 4. Local disturbance history also influenced algal biomass and POM standing stock at the beginning of the experiment, and water depth, current velocity and substratum grain size throughout the experiment. Scouring mainly exposed finer substrata and caused local depressions in the stream bed characterized by slower near‐bed current velocity. Algal biomass was higher in stable and scour patches and POM was highest in scour patches. In turn, all five common invertebrate taxa were frequently correlated with one or two of these habitat parameters. 5. Our results suggest that several ‘direct’ initial effects of local disturbance history on the invertebrates were subsequently replaced by ‘indirect’ effects of disturbance history (via disturbance‐induced changes in habitat parameters such as current velocity or food).     

Factors Affecting Macroinvertebrate Richness and Diversity in Portuguese Streams: a Two‐Scale Analysis

We analysed the spatial patterns in macroinvertebrate taxon richness and abundance at two scales: sampling unit and basin. We sampled 12 stream sites in three zones of Portugal, differing in climate geomorphology and water chemistry. At a sampling unit scale, substratum organic matter content, depth and the dominant size of substratum particles were correlated with numbers of taxa and individuals. We propose that the number of taxa at a small scale depends on the number of individuals, which in turn is the result of organic matter accumulation, hydrologic and substratum characteristics. The environmental parameters better explaining the large‐scale biological data were temperature, minimum size of substratum particles and pH. Regardless of the relative importance of variable types and mechanisms regulating stream invertebrates along the climatic gradient, rivers from the North and Centre appeared to be richer in taxa than the typically Mediterranean streams in the South.     

Leaf-pack dynamics in a southern African mountain stream

SUMMARY 1. The occurrence, composition and invertebrate fauna of naturally-occurring leaf packs were studied over 24 months in Langrivier, a second-order mountain stream in the south-western Cape, South Africa. Langrivier is shallow and fast-flowing and stores very low levels of allochthonous detritus, although natural leaf packs form an obvious part of the energy base in the stream throughout the year. 2. The occurrence and size of the packs were influenced mainly by stream discharge and by the timing and character of leaf fall from riparian trees. Packs were smallest (minimum dry mass 17 g, minimum volume 1.7–10^?5 m³) in winter when discharge was high, and largest (maximum dry mass 191 g, maximum volume 4.2–10^?3 m³) in spring when discharge decreased and leaf fall from the evergreen riparian trees began. Through the year the packs covered a mean 0.41 % of the stream bed and had a mean abundance of 0.46 packs m^?2 of stream bed. They were ephemeral, lasting on average <1.7 months and yet accounted for 29% of the stored detritus in the system. Wood was the dominant component of packs, and leaves at ali stages of decomposition were present throughout the year. 3. The ratio of numbers of invertebrates in packs: numbers of individuals in the benthos was very low (0.002–0.030), presumably because of the rarity and small size of the packs. Nevertheless, the density of invertebrates per unit area covered by leaf packs was consistently much higher than the density in an equivalent area of the benthos, except during peak leaf fall (October to December). 4. Experiments were undertaken with artificial leaf packs in order to determine the extent to which these simulated natural packs. Although both natural and artificial leaf packs contained a high proportion of Plecoptera (46% and 29% respectively), the natural packs contained high numbers of simuliid larvae (33% of total), whereas artificial packs had a high percentage of chironomid larvae (62%), Several other taxa regularly occurred in both types of pack but in very low numbers. In addition,     

Do stream macroinvertebrates use instream refugia in response to severe short-term flow reduction in New Zealand streams?

1. Demand for water is increasing and water managers need to know how much they can remove from a stream before there are significant detrimental effects on its biological integrity. Flow reduction alters a number of habitat variables known to be important to aquatic invertebrates such as depth, velocity, temperature and fine sediment accumulation. Some taxa may attempt to use instream refugia to mitigate the effects of flow reduction.
2. We experimentally manipulated flows by constructing weirs and diversions in three small New Zealand streams. Discharge was reduced by 88–96%. We tested the hypothesis that macroinvertebrates would use pools and the hyporheic zone as refugia during short-term (1-month) periods of reduced flow.
3. We sampled hyporheic invertebrates with colonization chambers and pool invertebrates with kick nets within a before-after, control-impact (BACI) experimental design. A suite of physicochemical parameters was measured concurrently including surface and hyporheic temperatures.
4. Flow reduction significantly decreased velocity (60–69%) in all streams. Depth (18–61%) and wetted width (24–31%) tended to decrease but these changes were not always significant. Sediment cover increased the most in farmland streams (10–80%). Apart from decreasing temperature range (18–26%), flow reduction had little impact on the surface water temperatures.
5. Flow reduction had no impact on the abundance of common pool macroinvertebrates or on the abundance, vertical distribution or community composition of hyporheic macroinvertebrates.
6. Our results suggest that aquatic macroinvertebrates are resistant to short-term, severe flow reduction as long as some water remains.     

水利工程对坝下径流的影响——以葛洲坝、三峡水利枢纽为例

水利工程建设在给人类带来抗旱防洪效益、发电效益、航运效益、养殖等效益的同时,也对河流水文动态产生了一系列的影响,主要表现为对径流的调节。基于宜昌站1890—2014年径流数据,综合采用径流集中度、集中期和相位差分析等多种方法,分析了水利工程建设对径流年内分配以及枯水期的影响。结果表明:宜昌站径流集中度呈现缓慢下降趋势并在2004年发生突变,2003年以后径流集中度相对于2003年以前下降0.06(下降幅度为12.98%),说明葛洲坝水利枢纽、三峡工程建成以后宜昌站径流在年内分配变得平缓,洪峰被有效削弱,且三峡工程对宜昌站径流集中度减少的贡献率大于葛洲坝水利枢纽(贡献率分别为92.03%和7.97%);葛洲坝和三峡水利枢纽建成后,宜昌站径流重心提前8d(集中期从8月9日提前至7月31日);宜昌站进入枯水期的时间提前约20d(三峡大坝建设以前,宜昌站在12月7—11日进入枯水期,建设以后在11月底进入枯水期),水利工程对水文过程的影响可能导致下游枯水期污染加剧和湿地生境提前缩小,进而影响下游水环境和湿地生物多样性。上述结果定量揭示了水利工程对水文过程的影响及其潜在生态效应,可为认识水利工程的生态影响以及流域生态环境变化的驱动因素提供科学依据。