Macroinvertebrate conservation in river ecosystems: Challenges,restoration strategies,and integrated management approaches

River ecosystems face growing threats from human-induced stressors, resulting in habitat degradation and biodiversity loss. Crucial to these ecosystems, macroinvertebrates maintain river health and functioning. In this review, we examine the challenges confronting macroinvertebrates, explore restoration strategies and management approaches, and shed light on knowledge gaps and future research directions. Habitat degradation, water pollution, climate change, and invasive species are discussed as key challenges. Various restoration strategies, such as in-stream habitat restoration, flow regime restoration, riparian zone restoration, and connectivity restoration, are evaluated for macroinvertebrate conservation. Integrated catchment management, adaptive management, community-based management, monitoring, and policy integration are highlighted as essential management approaches, and knowledge gaps in long-term monitoring, innovative restoration techniques, climate change resilience, and policy incorporation are identified as areas calling for further research. Ultimately, a proactive, adaptable, and cooperative approach to river management will ensure macroinvertebrate conservation and sustainable river ecosystems.     

Modelling the impacts of flow regulation on fish distributions in naturally intermittent lowland streams: an approach for predicting restoration responses

1. Understanding the relationships between flow regime and the distribution of biota is critical for managing flows in regulated rivers. In northern Victoria, Australia, efforts are presently underway to restore a natural, intermittent flow regime to several streams which, for over 100 years, have received perennial diversions as part of a stock, irrigation and domestic water supply. 2. Bayesian, model‐averaged, binomial regression was used to predict probabilities of occurrence for 13 fish species, including five non‐native species, based on hydrologic variables characterising both the current and modelled future flow regimes at 10 sites representing a range of hydrologic regimes (categorised here as heavily regulated, moderately regulated and unregulated). 3. Regression models accurately predicted present probabilities of occurrence for most species across all sites. The models predicted a reduced likelihood of large, native, flow‐dependent species occurring at regulated sites following flow restoration. Predictions regarding the future distribution of widespread species including two small‐bodied native and four exotic species were less certain as current distributions of these widespread species were unrelated to hydrologic variables we examined and thus unlikely to be significantly affected by flow restoration. The distributions of two small native species currently restricted to unregulated sites are predicted to increase throughout the system. 4. This study illustrates the effects of artificially induced perennial flow on lowland fish distributions. Furthermore, the combination of pre‐restoration data together with predictive modelling provides valuable insights into the likely outcomes of flow regime shifts. 5. This study clearly demonstrates the value of combining empirical research and modelling in guiding environmental flow and ecosystem restoration decisions. Knowledge from the study is now helping guide management decisions and the development of mitigation strategies to protect highly valued species in the system from potential future threats.     

Growth Response of Coyote Willow (Salix exigua) Cuttings in Relation to Alluvial Soil Texture and Water Availability

A common approach to re‐establishing cottonwood–willow habitat along regulated rivers is through installing dormant, rootless cuttings, yet there is little published information exploring floodplain characteristics that optimize growth of southwestern riparian willows planted in this manner. The goal of this project was to evaluate relationships between growth attributes of Salix exigua and soil texture and soil water availability. Monitoring plots were established in five willow swales planted with dormant S. exigua cuttings along the banks of the Middle Rio Grande in central New Mexico. Data analysis revealed significantly higher aerial cover, height, and stem density for S. exigua plants installed in plots with intermediate levels (15–25%) of fine textured soils distributed through the soil profile. Similar relationships were found in relation to soil water availability. Regression analysis of percent fines and available water at different depth increments provided limited explanation of variability in willow growth attributes at different plots. Findings indicate that S. exigua plants established from cuttings can achieve heights and aerial cover values similar to naturally established willow bars if the floodplain soil profile contains intermediate levels of fine textured soils and the maximum depth to groundwater is within 1.5 m of the ground surface. Where sites are dominated by coarse sand, S. exigua growth may be improved if maximum depth to groundwater is within 1 m of the ground surface.     

Response of river metabolism to restoration of flow in the Kissimmee River, Florida, U.S.A.

1. The single station diel oxygen curve method was used to determine the response of system metabolism to backfilling of a flood control canal and restoration of flow through the historic river channel of the Kissimmee River, a sub‐tropical, low gradient, blackwater river in central Florida, U.S.A. Gross primary productivity (GPP), community respiration (CR), the ratio of GPP/CR (P/R) and net daily metabolism (NDM) were estimated before and after canal backfilling and restoration of continuous flow through the river channel. 2. Restoration of flow through the river channel significantly increased reaeration rates and mean dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations from <2 mg L⁻¹ before restoration of flow to 4.70 mg L⁻¹ after flow was restored. 3. Annual GPP and CR rates were 0.43 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹ and 1.61 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹ respectively, before restoration of flow. After restoration of flow, annual GPP and CR rates increased to 3.95 O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹ and 9.44 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹ respectively. 4. The ratio of P/R (mean of monthly values) increased from 0.29 during the prerestoration period to 0.51 after flow was restored, indicating an increase in autotrophic processes in the restored river channel. NDM values became more negative after flow was restored. 5. After flow was restored, metabolism parameters were generally similar to those reported for other blackwater river systems in the southeast U.S.A. Postrestoration DO concentrations met target values derived from free flowing, minimally impacted reference streams.     

延河流域植物群落功能性状对环境梯度的响应

研究群落水平上的植物功能性状特征及其随环境梯度的变化规律,对认识不同环境梯度下植物群落的形成及其对环境的适应机制具有重要意义。以延河流域不同环境梯度下的稳定的自然植物群落为对象,测量了植物群落组成物种的叶厚度、比叶面积、叶组织密度、比根长、根组织密度、单位质量叶氮含量、单位质量根氮含量、种子质量、种子体积等9个性状,然后以物种重要值为基础加权平均得到各个性状在群落水平上的平均值(即群落性状值);以现有的环境因子栅格图为基础,利用ArcGIS提出各群落对应的环境因子值,同时测定各个群落的土壤水分,分析群落各性状值与环境因子的关系,并建立关系模型。结果表明:在群落水平上,9个植物功能性状分别与13个环境因子存在不同程度的相关性,同时这9个植物功能性状对8个环境因子梯度(土壤水分、年4-10月平均气温、年7-9月总降雨量、降雨季节变化、年平均降雨量、年平均蒸发量、坡度、坡向)的响应特征较好,不同植物功能性状间具有较好相关性。群落水平上植物功能性状及其组合随环境梯度的规律性变化,反映了延河流域植被群落构建过程中环境对功能性状的筛选效应。该研究结果对该区的植被恢复重建的物种选择及植被布局规划具有重要的实践意义。     

干热河谷主要植被恢复树种蒸腾作用

以金沙江干热河谷区10多种自然生长树种为试材,探讨了不同季节典型晴天里各树种叶片水平的蒸腾速率日动态规律,以揭示极端干热生境条件下供试树种蒸腾作用的动态特征.实验结果表明:在干旱生境(3月份)转向干热生境(5月份)时,大多数供试树种蒸腾速率的日变化峰值有所提前,蒸腾作用受到明显限制,而当干热胁迫解除、湿润生境(10月份)来临时,蒸腾作用受限程度减轻或消失,多数供试树种呈现出比较典型的峰状曲线;在干旱、干热以及湿润季节里,供试树种均可分为高、亚高、亚低和低蒸腾速率树种等4个类别,且随着季节的变化,树种所属类别或蒸腾速率大小排序存在明显变动,体现了树种特性在水分生理反应上的多样性表达;随着干热胁迫的加深,供试树种蒸腾速率的变化可分为增强型、减弱型及稳定型3种;树种蒸腾速率的变化方向与气孔导度的变化方向存在不一致的现象,树种蒸腾速率的季节性增减可能表现为气孔因素为主与非气孔因素为主两种控制形式.     

河水漫溢对荒漠河岸林植物群落生态特征的影响

从河水漫溢干扰对塔里木河下游植物群落物种多样性的影响以及对天然植被恢复作用上开展了分析和研究,结果表明：（1）输水前塔里木河下游仅见9科13属17种植物,但输水后漫溢区出现了12科26属34种植物,其中的18种植物是非漫溢区未曾发现的;（2）从样地植被调查计算的多样性指数看,漫溢区物种的多样性和丰富度比非漫溢区有明显增加;（3）从漫溢后一定时间内植物群落中不同物种的重要值看,漫溢后1年生草本植物迅速萌发,而多年生草本由于根系和繁殖上的优势逐渐在群落中占据优势;（4）由于胡杨、柽柳等植物在多次漫溢条件下易于萌发,因此多次漫溢后这些乔、灌木植物逐渐占据群落中的优势地位;（5）在漫溢过程中由于微地形改变了漫溢干扰的强度因此漫溢后微地形差异造成地表生态特征出现明显的差异;（6）通过讨论,漫溢干扰对塔里木河下游这样一个严重受损生态系统恢复的作用十分明显,但是这一作用的体现是与输水后下游生态水文过程完整性的恢复相联系的。     

Faunal standards for the restoration of terrestrial ecosystems: a framework and its application to a high-profile case study

Assessments of ecosystem restoration have traditionally focused on soil and vegetation, often with little consideration of fauna. It is critical to include fauna in such assessments, not just because of their intrinsic biodiversity value but also because of the many ecological roles that animals play in restoration processes. However, a widely accepted framework for specifying faunal standards for restoration is lacking. Here we present such a framework, incorporating: (1) the identification of appropriate reference conditions; (2) the taxa to be targeted for assessment; (3) the attributes of these taxa to be measured; (4) acceptable similarity with reference conditions; and (5) robust sampling methodologies for reliable assessment. We illustrate this framework using the restoration program at Ranger Uranium Mine in the Australian seasonal tropics, which aims to establish an environment similar to the surrounding World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, corresponding to “full recovery” according to Society for Ecosystem Restoration's standards. Our case study has especially high restoration standards, but our framework has wide applicability to the specification of faunal standards for ecosystem restoration.     

黄土丘陵区小流域土地利用和植被恢复对土壤质量的影响

土壤质量的维护和提高是全球生物圈可持续发展的重要因素之一．对黄土丘陵小流域持续利用25年后的荒草地、山杏林地、农地、油松林地、灌木林地和撂荒地土壤性状的研究结果表明,不同土地利用方式和植被恢复类型对土壤质量有很大影响;植被恢复重建和农地撂荒将增加土壤有机质含量,提高土壤质量;粗放的农业耕作措施将降低土壤质量并引起土壤退化;灌丛有明显的肥力岛屿作用;撂荒在一定程度上可以培肥土壤。随着“西部大开发”、“退耕还林还草”和生态重建工程的开展,在半干旱黄土丘陵沟壑区,建植灌木、种植牧草、农地撂荒和自然恢复是较好的生态重建和植被恢复方式。     

Importance of low-flow and high-flow characteristics to restoration of riparian vegetation along rivers in arid south-western United States

1. Riparian vegetation in dry regions is influenced by low‐flow and high‐flow components of the surface and groundwater flow regimes. The duration of no‐flow periods in the surface stream controls vegetation structure along the low‐flow channel, while depth, magnitude and rate of groundwater decline influence phreatophytic vegetation in the floodplain. Flood flows influence vegetation along channels and floodplains by increasing water availability and by creating ecosystem disturbance. 2. On reference rivers in Arizona's Sonoran Desert region, the combination of perennial stream flows, shallow groundwater in the riparian (stream) aquifer, and frequent flooding results in high plant species diversity and landscape heterogeneity and an abundance of pioneer wetland plant species in the floodplain. Vegetation changes on hydrologically altered river reaches are varied, given the great extent of flow regime changes ranging from stream and aquifer dewatering on reaches affected by stream diversion and groundwater pumping to altered timing, frequency, and magnitude of flood flows on reaches downstream of flow‐regulating dams. 3. As stream flows become more intermittent, diversity and cover of herbaceous species along the low‐flow channel decline. As groundwater deepens, diversity of riparian plant species (particularly perennial species) and landscape patches are reduced and species composition in the floodplain shifts from wetland pioneer trees (Populus, Salix) to more drought‐tolerant shrub species including Tamarix (introduced) and Bebbia. 4. On impounded rivers, changes in flood timing can simplify landscape patch structure and shift species composition from mixed forests composed of Populus and Salix, which have narrow regeneration windows, to the more reproductively opportunistic Tamarix. If flows are not diverted, suppression of flooding can result in increased density of riparian vegetation, leading in some cases to very high abundance of Tamarix patches. Coarsening of sediments in river reaches below dams, associated with sediment retention in reservoirs, contributes to reduced cover and richness of herbaceous vegetation by reducing water and nutrient‐holding capacity of soils. 5. These changes have implications for river restoration. They suggest that patch diversity, riparian plant species diversity, and abundance of flood‐dependent wetland tree species such as Populus and Salix can be increased by restoring fluvial dynamics on flood‐suppressed rivers and by increasing water availability in rivers subject to water diversion or withdrawal. On impounded rivers, restoration of plant species diversity also may hinge on restoration of sediment transport. 6. Determining the causes of vegetation change is critical for determining riparian restoration strategies. Of the many riparian restoration efforts underway in south‐western United States, some focus on re‐establishing hydrogeomorphic processes by restoring appropriate flows of surface water, groundwater and sediment, while many others focus on manipulating vegetation structure by planting trees (e.g. Populus) or removing trees (e.g. Tamarix). The latter approaches, in and of themselves, may not yield desired restoration outcomes if the tree species are indicators, rather than prime causes, of underlying changes in the physical environment.     

珠三角河网区典型生境植物群落构成特征及生态修复

如何实现生态文明建设与三生空间高度混杂地区的高质量协同发展是珠三角河网区新时期面对的重要难题。以2018—2021年间积累的第一手田野调查资料为基础,针对广佛地区20处样地202个样点,综合生态学数量分析与风景园林学空间分析方法,研究河网区典型生境的植物群落构成特征及应用。结果表明：(1)珠三角河网区植物物种丰富,维管束植物共122科382属551种;植物群落“乔、灌、草、藤本”垂直结构完整,但乡土植物占比较低、外来入侵较严重;(2)动物友好植物种类丰富,共有鸟类友好植物88种、昆虫类友好植物90种、鱼类两栖类友好植物34种,但缺乏针对动物友好生境的科学配置;(3)河网区包括滨水、坑塘、农田、聚落四类典型生境以及9个稳定的植物群系,但在长期人为干扰下其生态功能和水乡风貌特征被严重削弱。最后,以佛山大美公园为例,探讨了以恢复河网区生物多样性和特色景观风貌为目标的生态修复实践。研究为珠三角河网区地域性景观恢复和三生空间混杂区域的近自然生态修复提供了重要的规划设计蓝本和实践示范。     

A hierarchical approach to ecosystem assessment of restoration planning at regional,catchment and local scales in Japan

A hierarchical approach to restoration planning at the regional, catchment and local scales is proposed and examined. Restoration projects limited to a local scale and focused on habitat improvement for individual species ended in failure, which has led to the recognition that there is a need for ecosystem-based management at the landscape level. The first landscape-level restoration in Japan is under way in the Kushiro and Shibetsu River Basins, in northern Japan. However, public consensus on these large-scale restoration projects has not yet matured and there are very few projects that have progressed even as far as mapping to classify intact and disturbed ecosystems. Classification of habitat quality using physical and biological indicators appears to be the core element of analysis of ecological degradation at the regional scale (100–1,000 km²). This mass-screening process is critical to identify areas in potential need of restoration. The causes and mechanisms of ecosystem degradation are then examined at the catchment scale (10–100 km²) by linking material flows and habitat conditions. Direct environmental gradient analysis is useful to determine cause and effect relationships between species and habitat quality. Finally, we recommend implementation of field experiments with a clear hypothesis at the local scale (0.01–1 km²). At this stage, key variables causing degradation of the target ecosystem are manipulated to verify the hypothesis. Based on the results of local-scale analyses, the possibility of restoration success can be evaluated, which directs us to practical schemes for future restoration projects at larger scales.     

Response of three lotic assemblages to riparian and catchment‐scale land use: implications for designing catchment monitoring programmes

1. Although many studies have focussed on the effects of catchment land use on lotic systems, the importance of broad (catchment) and fine (segment/reach) scale effects on stream assemblages remain poorly understood. 2. Nine biological metrics for macrophytes (498 sites), benthic macroinvertebrates (491) and fish (478) of lowland and mountain streams in four ecoregions of France and Germany were related to catchment and riparian buffer land use using partial Redundancy Analysis and Boosted Regression Trees (BRTs). 3. Lotic fauna was better correlated (mean max., r = 0.450) than flora (r = 0.277) to both scales of land use: the strongest correlations were noted for mountain streams. BRTs revealed strong non‐linear relationships between mountain assemblage metrics and land use. Correlations increased with increasing buffer lengths, suggesting the importance of near‐stream land use on biotic assemblages. 4. Several metrics changed markedly between 10–20% (mountain ecoregions) and 40–45% (lowland) of arable land use, irrespective of the buffer size. At mountain sites with >10% catchment arable land use, metric values differed between sites with <30% and sites with >30% forest in the near‐stream riparian area. 5. These findings support the role of riparian land use in catchment management; however, differences between mountain and lowland ecoregions support the need for ecoregion‐specific management.     

River flows and estuarine ecosystems: Implications for coastal fisheries from a review and a case study of the Logan River,southeast Queensland

River discharge has long been recognized as one of the factors that contributes to the high productivity of estuaries. Although there is little evidence that river inputs of terrestrial carbon make a direct contribution to coastal food webs, such exported nutrients may stimulate in situ production in estuaries and thus enhance the survivorship and growth of fish and crustaceans in these systems. Furthermore, fluctuations in salinity and turbidity may influence the extent of available habitat for fish and crustaceans and therefore their distribution and/or catchability. Despite these potential links between flow and the secondary production of estuaries and coastal waters, there is still a common perception that ‘water going to sea is wasted’ and a continuing trend to regulate the flow of rivers. We review the evidence for links between river flow and the productivity of estuarine/coastal fisheries, drawing on a case study of the Logan River in southeast Queensland, and explore the potential mechanisms for these linkages. Our research, and that of others, confirms that high river discharge can have a strong positive effect on the production of commercial and recreational coastal fisheries. It also shows that the seasonal pattern of flow is equally, if not more important, than the magnitude of flow. River regulation is likely to have a dramatic effect on the production of coastal fisheries and, given the current pressures for water resource development, this is an important avenue for future research and evaluation.