Flood effects on invertebrates, sediments and particulate organic matter in the hyporheic zone of a gravel-bed stream

1. We investigated the effects of a flood on the fauna and physical habitat of the hyporheic zone of the Kye Burn, a fourth order gravel‐bed stream in New Zealand. 2. Freeze core hyporheic samples (to 50 cm depth) and benthic samples (to 10 cm) were taken, along with measurements of vertical hydrological gradient, before, 2 days after and 1 month after the flood (estimated return period: 1.5 years, estimated Q_max = 10.4 m³ s^?1). 3. The composition of the hyporheos differed over the three sampling occasions with fewer taxa collected immediately postflood than preflood. The equitability of the community was higher on both postflood occasions, consistent with the reduced densities of two abundant taxa (Leptophlebiidae and Copepoda). 4. Total invertebrate abundance was lower on the postflood occasions than preflood in both benthic (0–10 cm) and hyporheic (10–50 cm) sediments. Several taxa, including asellotan isopods and amphipods, recovered within 1 month of the event. Hyporheic densities of larval Hydora and nematodes did not differ among the three sampling occasions, but the water mite Pseudotryssaturus was more abundant 1 month after the flood than preflood. There was no evidence of vertical movements (to 50 cm) by any taxa in response to the flood. 5. The proportion of fine sediments (<1 mm) in the subsurface sediments (10–50 cm) increased over the three sampling occasions and median particle size declined, but sediment porosity did not change. More particulate organic matter was found in the sediments after the flood. 6. Our study provides little evidence that the hyporheic zone (to 50 cm) acted as a significant refuge during the flood event, although movements to or recolonisation from sediments deeper than 50 cm could explain the recovery of many crustacean and mite taxa within 1 month.     

Nitrogen retention in the hyporheic zone of a glacial river in interior Alaska

We examined the hydrologic controls on nitrogen biogeochemistry in the hyporheic zone of the Tanana River, a glacially-fed river, in interior Alaska. We measured hyporheic solute concentrations, gas partial pressures, water table height, and flow rates along subsurface flowpaths on two islands for three summers. Denitrification was quantified using an in situ ¹⁵NO₃⁻ push–pull technique. Hyporheic water level responded rapidly to change in river stage, with the sites flooding periodically in mid−July to early−August. Nitrate concentration was nearly 3-fold greater in river (ca. 100 μg NO₃⁻–N l⁻¹) than hyporheic water (ca. 38 μg NO₃⁻–N l⁻¹), but approximately 60–80% of river nitrate was removed during the first 50 m of hyporheic flowpath. Denitrification during high river stage ranged from 1.9 to 29.4 mg N kg sediment⁻¹ day⁻¹. Hotspots of methane partial pressure, averaging 50,000 ppmv, occurred in densely vegetated sites in conjunction with mean oxygen concentration below 0.5 mgO₂ l⁻¹. Hyporheic flow was an important mechanism of nitrogen supply to microbes and plant roots, transporting on average 0.41 gNO₃⁻–N m⁻² day⁻¹, 0.22 g NH₄⁺–N m⁻² day⁻¹, and 3.6 g DON m⁻² day⁻¹ through surface sediment (top 2 m). Our results suggest that denitrification can be a major sink for river nitrate in boreal forest floodplain soils, particularly at the river-sediment interface. The stability of the river hydrograph and the resulting duration of soil saturation are key factors regulating the redox environment and anaerobic metabolism in the hyporheic zone.     

Thermal patterns in the surface waters of a glacial river corridor (Val Roseg, Switzerland)

SUMMARY 1. We examined the thermal patterns of the surface waters in the catchment of the Roseg River, which is fed by the meltwaters of two valley glaciers. One of the glaciers has a lake at its terminus. The river corridor comprised a proglacial stream reach below one glacier, the glacier lake outlet stream, a 2.5‐km long complex floodplain and a constrained reach extending to the end of the catchment. 2. Temperatures were continuously measured with temperature loggers at 27 sites between 1997 and 1998. Moreover, from 1997 to 1999, spot measurements were taken at 33–165 floodplain sites (depending on water level) at monthly intervals. 3. The temperature regime of glacial streams, including the glacier lake outlet, was characterised by rapidly increasing temperatures in April and May, a moderate decline from June to September (period of glacial melt) and a subsequent fast decline in autumn. During summer, the lake increased temperatures in the outlet stream by 2–4 °C, compared with the adjacent proglacial stream reach. 4. In the main channel (thalweg) of the Roseg River, annual degree‐days (DD) ranged from 176 DD in the upper proglacial reach to 1227 DD at the end of the catchment. 5. Thermal variation among different channels within the floodplain was higher than the variation along the entire main channel. Floodplain channels lacking surface connection to the main channel accumulated up to 1661 annual DDs. 6. Thermal heterogeneity within the floodplain was linked to the glacial flow pulse. With the onset of ice melt, temperatures in the main channel and in channels surface‐connected to the main channel began to decline, whereas in surface‐disconnected channels temperatures continued to increase; as a consequence, thermal heterogeneity at the floodplain scale rose slightly until September. 7. High thermal heterogeneity was not anticipated in the harsh environment of a largely glacierised alpine catchment. The relatively wide range of thermal environments may contribute to the highly diverse zoobenthic community.     

Longitudinal changes in macroinvertebrate assemblages along a glacial river system in central Iceland

1. Macroinvertebrate assemblages were studied in the glacial river West-Jökulsá, originating from the Hofsjökull Ice Cap in central Iceland at an altitude of 860 m. Sampling sites were distributed from the source to 45 km downstream at 160 m a.s.l. Comparative studies were carried out on non-glacial rivers and tributaries in the area, at similar altitudes and distances from the glacial source.
2. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) demonstrated that species composition of benthic macroinvertebrates was related to the distance from the glacier. Assemblages at sampling sites furthest from the glacier were similar in species composition to sites in non-glacial rivers. Temporal variation was small compared with longitudinal zonation.
3. Based on canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of data from the main glacial river, distance from the glacier, altitude, bryophyte biomass and the Pfankuch Index of channel stability were the measured explanatory variables having a significant effect on the structure of macroinvertebrate assemblages, accounting for 31% of the total variation in the data set. When data from all the rivers were analysed, altitude, bryophyte biomass, channel slope, suspended sediment concentration and maximum water temperature explained 21% of the variance.
4. Macroinvertebrate communities were in general agreement with the predictions of the conceptual model of Milner & Petts (1994) for the upstream reaches. The assemblages consisted mainly of Orthocladiinae and Diamesinae (Chironomidae), although other taxa such as Simuliidae, Plecoptera and Trichoptera were also found in low numbers. Shredders were lacking from the benthic communities, apparently because of continued glacial influence in the river even 45 km downstream from the glacier and lack of allochthononus inputs from riparian vegetation.     

Life history patterns of river invertebrates

The initiation of invertebrate distribution patterns in rivers occurs by choice of oviposition sites and is influenced by the evolved reproductive strategies of the individual species. Subsequent redistribution by migration or drifting establishes patterns which are then modified by environmental influences on growth and mortality. Continuity of life cycles is sustained by variations on a number of defined life history strategies combined with evolved behavioural responses.     

Longitudinal distribution of macroinvertebrate assemblages in a glacially influenced stream system in the Italian Alps

1. The longitudinal distribution of macroinvertebrates was investigated in June, August and September 1996 and 1997 in the Conca glacial stream and its tributary (Italian Alps; 46°N, 10°E). The principal aim was to test the 22 model that predicts the succession of faunal groups downstream of the glacial snout in relation to water temperature and channel stability. The effect of a non‐glacial tributary on the taxonomic richness and density patterns occurring in the glacial stream was also considered. 2. Channel stability showed an atypical longitudinal trend in the Conca glacial stream, being high in the upper part with Pfankuch Index values between 30 and 33. Water temperature exceeded 6 °C at all stations, with average values below 2 °C occurring only within 700 m from the glacial snout. 3. Taxonomic richness and diversity increased downstream. Taxonomic richness in the glacial stream (at about 1.5 km from the glacier) was comparable with the tributary and the reach after the confluence. Abundance also increased downstream in the glacial stream, but not as greatly as the number of taxa. 4. At higher taxonomic levels, the community structure in the tributary stations appeared to be similar to the two stations in the glacial stream just upstream of the confluence. The effect of the tributary was evident mainly at the genus or species level of the Chironomidae community. Some taxa found in the non‐glacial stream (e.g. Cricotopus fuscus, Eukiefferiella coerulescens, Metriocnemus sp., Paratrichocladius rufiventris, P. skirwitensis, Rheocricotopus effusus and Smittia sp.) were found also in the Conca stream but only after the confluence. 5. The upper glacial reach (within 700 m from the glacier snout) was dominated by the chironomid Diamesa spp. Less than 400 m from the glacier other Diamesinae (Pseudokiefferiella parva) and a few Orthocladiinae, especially Orthocladius (Euorthocladius) rivicola gr., colonized the stream. Some Diamesinae maintained relatively dense populations at mean water temperature around 5 °C, while some Orthocladiinae colonized reaches with mean water temperature <3 °C. 6. Contrary to the 22 model, Dipteran families such as Empididae and Limoniidae were more abundant in the upper stations than Simuliidae; non‐insects such as Nematoda and Oligochaeta were also numerous at some sites. Leuctridae, Taeniopterygidae and Nemouridae were the first Plecoptera to appear upstream, while Chloroperlidae were restricted to the lower reaches. Among Ephemeroptera, Heptageniidae were more abundant than Baetidae in the glacial sites. 7. In this glacial system channel stability and maximum temperature did not show the expected longitudinal trend and thus a typical kryal community was confined within 700 m from the glacier snout where summer mean water temperature was below 4 °C.     

Spatial distribution patterns of the hyporheic invertebrate communities in a polluted river in Romania

The purpose of this study was to examine the sensitivity, in a field situation, of the hyporheic fauna to pollution by heavy metals and also to test the use of oxidative stress enzymes produced by this fauna as a sensitive indicator of oxidative stress generated by chemical contamination. This was done by surveying the patterns of distribution, structure, and composition of hyporheic invertebrate communities in one of the most polluted rivers in Romania. Twelve permanent sampling stations with differing water qualities were established along a 180 km transect of the Arie? River. Data on hyporheic invertebrate abundance and richness, chemistry of the surface and hyporheic water and interstitial suspended particles were analyzed via multifactorial analyses. In the downstream, more polluted stations, epigean species were less abundant and hyporheic communities, especially macrocrustaceans and oligochetes, became dominant. The higher levels of hyporheic invertebrate biodiversity in the moderately polluted stations compared to highly polluted, and the increase of the number of some hyporheos (especially macrocrustaceans) in the moderately polluted stations, suggested that the hyporheic fauna was more tolerant of heavy metal pollution than the surface water fauna of the area. However, the different richness and abundance of hyporheic fauna in sites of similar water chemistry suggested that additional factors, such as sediment structure are shaping the spatial distribution of hyporheic fauna. Strong correlations between superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in pooled tissues extracts and some chemical parameters suggest that oxidative stress enzymes may prove to be sensitive indicators of chemical pollution in hyporheic zones.     

Characteristics of aerobic and anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria in the hyporheic zone of a contaminated river

Both β-proteobacterial aerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (ANAMMOX) bacteria were investigated in the hyporheic zone of a contaminated river in China containing high ammonium levels and low chemical oxygen demand. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and cloning-sequencing were employed in this study. FISH analysis illustrated that AOB (average population of 3.5?%) coexisted with ANAMMOX bacteria (0.7?%). The DGGE profile revealed a high abundance and diversity of bacteria at the water-air-soil interface rather than at the water-soil interface. The redundancy analysis correlated analysis showed that the diversity of ANAMMOX bacteria was positively related to the redox potential. The newly detected sequences of ANAMMOX organisms principally belonged to the genus Candidatus "Brocadia", while most ammonia monooxygenase subunit-A gene amoA sequences were affiliated with Nitrosospira and Nitrosomonas. These results suggest that the water-air-soil interface performs an important function in the nitrogen removal process and that the bioresources of AOB and ANAMMOX bacteria can potentially be utilized for the eutrophication of rivers.     

Nutrient retention and release in a floodplain's aquifer and in the hyporheic zone of a lowland river

Fertilizer applications and other non-point sources result in an increasing diffuse N and P pollution of receiving waters degrading water quality by eutrophication with several adverse impacts. Floodplains are regarded as reactive interfaces between uplands and receiving waters. In the present study groundwater quality on its subsurface flow from an upland area through a lowland floodplain towards the receiving water body of the Spree River was monitored biweekly over 2 years with two transects of 18 groundwater observation wells. Within the floodplain reaction rates of the nutrients are unevenly distributed. On a scale smaller than the floodplain, the hyporheic zone is regarded as reactive interface with unproportional high reaction rates. Therefore, phosphate and dissolved iron were measured with high spatial resolution in the pore water of the riverbed and the oxbow bed to investigate turnover processes and their small-scale spatial variability at the immediate surface–subsurface interface. The biogeochemical composition of subsurface water is characterized by little temporal variability while spatial heterogeneity is high on the hectametre scale of the study site as well as on the centimetre scale of the bed sediments. Nitrate is eliminated very efficiently by denitrification in the anoxic aquifer of the floodplain while ammonium and phosphate concentrations increase under anoxic conditions. Phosphate and ammonium originate from the mineralization of organic matter and phosphate is additionally released by reductive dissolution of iron-bound phosphorus and weathering of bedrock. Sorption–desorption processes equalize temporal fluctuations of phosphate concentrations. Phosphate uptake by plants is assumed as an important process at only one of the groundwater observation wells. Redox conditions required for a phosphate sink are opposite to those involved in nitrate removal by denitrification. Thus, redox patchiness of floodplain aquifers favours nitrate and phosphate removal, i.e. a temporal and spatial sequence of anoxic and oxic conditions eliminates nitrogen and causes phosphate storage. On the groundwater's path from the upland to the river further phosphate is released in the bed sediments. It originates from previously settled particulate compounds containing phosphorus. While the release of iron-bound phosphorus clearly predominates in the riverbed sediments the mineralization of organic matter is an important additional phosphorus release process in the oxbow bed sediments.     

Exoenzyme activities as indicators of dissolved organic matter composition in the hyporheic zone of a floodplain river

1. We measured the hyporheic microbial exoenzyme activities in a floodplain river to determine whether dissolved organic matter (DOM) bioavailability varied with overlying riparian vegetation patch structure or position along flowpaths. 2. Particulate organic matter (POM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity and temperature were sampled from wells in a riparian terrace on the Queets River, Washington, U.S.A. on 25 March, 15 May, 20 July and 09 October 1999. Dissolved nitrate, ammonium and soluble reactive phosphorus were also collected on 20 July and 09 October 1999. Wells were characterised by their associated overlying vegetation: bare cobble/young alder, mid‐aged alder (8–20 years) and old alder/old‐growth conifer (25 to >100 years). POM was analysed for the ash‐free dry mass and the activities of eight exoenzymes (α‐glucosidase, β‐glucosidase, β ‐N‐acetylglucosaminidase, xylosidase, phosphatase, leucine aminopeptidase, esterase and endopeptidase) using fluorogenic substrates. 3. Exoenzyme activities in the Queets River hyporheic zone indicated the presence of an active microbial community metabolising a diverse array of organic molecules. Individual exoenzyme activity (mean ± standard error) ranged from 0.507 ± 0.1547 to 22.8 ± 5.69 μmol MUF (g AFDM)^?1 h^?1, was highly variable among wells and varied seasonally, with the lowest rates occurring in March. Exoenzyme activities were weakly correlated with DO, DOC and inorganic nutrient concentrations. 4. Ratios of leucine aminopeptidase : β‐glucosidase were low in March, May and October and high in July, potentially indicating a switch from polysaccharides to proteins as the dominant component of microbial metabolism. 5. Principal components analysis indicated that there were patch effects and that these effects were strongest in the summer. 6. DOM degradation patterns did not change systematically along hyporheic flowpaths but varied with overlying forest patch type in the Queets River hyporheic zone, suggesting that additional carbon inputs exist. We hypothesise that the most likely input is the downward movement of DOM from overlying riparian soils. Understanding this movement of DOM from soils to subsurface water is essential for understanding both the hyporheic metabolism and the carbon budget of streams and rivers.     

Superficial and hyporheic oligochaete communities as indicators of pollution and water exchange in the River Moselle, France

Benthic oligochaetes were sampled on three occasions (June, August and October 1992) in the upper (0–10 cm) and hyporheic (35–45 cm depths) sediments at five sites of the River Moselle, from upstream of the town of Epinal to Velle-sur-Moselle. The first site (upstream from Epinal) is considered as unpolluted and the four remaining sites are polluted by industrial effluents. The most polluted stations were generally dominated by the pollution tolerant taxon Limnodrilus. Numbers of individuals of this taxon decreased at the less polluted last site in recovery zone, and were also scarce in the first unpolluted site. It is noteworthy that these tendencies were observed in both superficial and hyporheic substrates and to the greatest degree in hyporheic ones. At the unpolluted site, the hyporheic habitat is dominated by the groundwater species Propappus volki, Pristina spp., Pristinella spp. At the less polluted site (last site), the deep sediments are dominated by groundwater species and the Tubificidae without hair setae decrease from June to October. As a result of water exchange between superficial and subterranean waters, superficial substrates of the first and the last stations tend to be colonised by a high proportion of hyporheic species that suggests that flow is primarily from subterranean to superficial waters. The contrary is the case at other polluted stations which are characterised by the invasion of hyporheic substrates by the pollution tolerant superficial taxa Limnodrilus. This suggests that water flows from the river to the deeper groundwater. These two stations are located near drinking water plants which utilise groundwater, thus increasing the vulnerability of groundwater to surface contaminants.     

The hyporheic zone as a source of dissolved organic carbon and carbon gases to a temperate forested stream

The objective of this study was to examine chemical changes in porewaters that occur over small scales (cm) as groundwater flows through the hyporheic zone and discharges to a stream in a temperate forest of northern Wisconsin. Hyporheic-zone porewaters were sampled at discrete depths of 2, 10, 15, 61, and 183 cm at three study sites in the study basin. Chemical profiles of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), CO₂, CH₄, and pH show dramatic changes between 61 cm sediment depth and the water-sediment interface. Unless discrete samples at small depth intervals are taken, these chemical profiles are not accounted for. Similar trends were observed at the three study locations, despite each site having very different hydraulic-flow regimes. Increases in DOC concentration by an order of magnitude from 61 to 15 cm depth with a corresponding decrease in pH and rapid decreases in the molecular weight of the DOC suggest that aliphatic compounds (likely organic acids) are being generated in the hyporheic zone. Estimated efflux rates of DOC, CO₂, and CH₄ to the stream are 6.2, 0.79, 0.13 moles m² d^-1, respectively, with the vast majority of these materials produced in the hyporheic zone. Very little of these materials are accounted for by sampling stream water, suggesting rapid uptake and/or volatilization.     

Nutrient and flow vector dynamics at the hyporheic/groundwater interface and their effects on the interstitial fauna

Environmental conditions in the interstices beneath streams and rivers with porous beds are unlike those found either on the bed surface or in the true groundwater. For most of the year, in many streams, the bulk of the water in the hyporheic zone is provided by baseflow but, as it passes across the hyporheic/groundwater interface, the physical and chemical nature of this groundwater changes, probably in response to mixing with surface water. Factors promoting the influx of surface water are associated with features of the bed and channel morphology. The upper and lower boundaries of the hyporheic zone are thought to vary in time, but at any instant they can be defined. As a habitat, the hyporheic zone fits the definition of an ecotone, although certain adverse features may result in reduced species diversity. There are limited, correlative, data available on the relationship of the fauna (hyporheos) to interstitial conditions and further study of the general biology of both species and populations is needed. In an attempt to stimulate future research on these systems, some preliminary models of hyporheic dynamics are proposed.     

Influence of streambed sediment clogging on microbial processes in the hyporheic zone

1. The hyporheic zone plays a key role in hydrological exchange and biogeochemical processes in streambed sediments. The clogging of sediments caused by the deposition of particles in the bed of streams and rivers can decrease sediment permeability and hence greatly affect hyporheic microbial processes. 2. The main objective of this study was to determine the influence of sediment clogging on hyporheic microbial processes in three French rivers (the Usses, Drôme and Isère). In each river, microbial abundance and activity were studied at three depths (10, 30 and 50 cm) in the sediment at one unclogged (high porosity) and one clogged site (low porosity). 3. The results showed that the sediment clogging had inconsistent effects on microbial processes in the three rivers. Increases (Usses) or decreases (Drôme and Isère) in both aerobic and anaerobic processes were detected at the clogged sites compared to unclogged sites. These results suggest that microbial changes because of the sediment clogging are mainly mediated by the residence time of water within the hyporheic sediments. 4. A single model predicting the effect of clogging on hyporheic microbial processes cannot be applied generally to all rivers because the degree of clogging creates heterogeneous effects on flow rates between surface and interstitial waters. As a consequence, the influence of heterogeneous clogging on surface water–hyporheic exchanges needs to be evaluated by water tracing and hydraulic modelling to determine the links between microbial processes and hydraulic heterogeneity induced by clogging in hyporheic sediments.     

Nitrogen processing in the hyporheic zone of a pastoral stream

The distribution of nitrogen-transforming processes, and factors controlling their rates, were determined within the hyporheic zone of a lowland stream draining agricultural land. In the field, physicochemical parameters were measured along a 10m-long hyporheic flow line between downwelling and upwelling zones. Sediment cores were retrieved from the stream bed surface, and from 20, 40 and 60cm deep in each zone, and in the laboratory, water from the corresponding depth was percolated through each core at the natural flow rate. Concentrations of nitrogen species and oxygen were measured before and after flow through each core. Denitrification was measured using a ¹⁵N-nitrate tracer. Shallow and downwelling zone samples were clearly distinct from deeper and upwelling zone samples in terms of physicochemical conditions, microbial processes and factors controlling nitrogen processing. Denitrification was highest in surface and downwelling zone cores, despite high oxygen levels, probably due to high pore-water nitrate concentrations in these cores and isolation of the denitrifying bacteria from oxygen in the bulk water by the hyporheic biofilms. Denitrification was limited by oxygen inhibition in the downwelling group, and by nitrate availability in the upwelling group. Strong evidence indicated that dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, occurred in almost all cores, and outcompeted denitrification for nitrate. In contrast, nitrification was undetectable in all but two cores, probably because of intense competition for oxygen. Field patterns and lab experiments indicated that the hyporheic zone at this moderately N-rich site is a strong sink for nitrate, fitting current theories that predict where hyporheic zones are nitrate sinks or nitrate sources.     

Vertical distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in the hyporheic zone of a eutrophic river in North China

Nitrification plays a significant role in the global nitrogen cycle, and this concept has been challenged with the discovery of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in the environment. In this paper, the vertical variations of the diversity and abundance of AOA in the hyporheic zone of the Fuyang River in North China were investigated by molecular techniques, including clone libraries, phylogenetic analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The archaeal amoA gene was detected in all sediments along the profile, and all AOA fell within marine group 1.1a and soil group1.1b of the Thaumarchaeota phylum, with the latter being the dominant type. The diversity of AOA decreased with the sediment depth, and there was a shift in AOA community between top-sediments (0–5 cm) and sub-sediments (5–70 cm). The abundance of the archaeal amoA gene (1.48 × 10⁷ to 5.50 × 10⁷ copies g^?1 dry sediment) was higher than that of the bacterial amoA gene (4.01 × 10⁴ to 1.75 × 10⁵ copies g^?1 dry sediment) in sub-sediments, resulting in a log₁₀ ratio of AOA to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) from 2.27 to 2.69, whereas AOB outnumbered AOA in top-sediments with a low log₁₀ ratio of (?0.24). The variations in the AOA community were primarily attributed to the combined effect of the nutrients (ammonium-N, nitrate-N and total organic carbon) and oxygen in sediments. Ammonium-N was the major factor influencing the relative abundance of AOA and AOB, although other factors, such as total organic carbon, were involved. This study helps elucidate the roles of AOA and AOB in the nitrogen cycling of hyporheic zone.     

Sources and seasonal patterns of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the hyporheic zone

The hyporheic zone is a region underneath streambeds that integrates surface and groundwater. Although its location is central to biogeochemical linkages between the riparian zone, dissolved nutrients, and benthic biota, the seasonal quality and likely sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the hyporheic zone are not well understood. To investigate DOM characteristics in the hyporheic zone, water from the surface and subsurface (at depths 20, 60, and 100 cm below the streambed) was sampled every 4 weeks from 2007 to 2008 in a third-order stream in southern Ontario. Using UV spectroscopy, measures of spectral slopes, aromaticity, and A ₂₅₄/A ₃₆₅ ratios (molecular weight) were obtained. Temporal changes in these measures were consistent with watershed processes such as shedding of leaf litter in the fall, and photochemical and biofilm influence in the spring and summer. The fluorescence index (a measure of relative DOM source) suggested that at the surface and in the downwelling zone, DOM microbial sources increased with depth in the sediment, regardless of the season. Excitation–emission matrices (EEMs) showed seasonally distinct, protein-like DOM components of bacterial origin that were stronger in the fall. Leachates from specific allochthonous DOM sources—leaf litter from Betula papyrifera (white birch) and Thuja occidentalis (white cedar)—and an autochthonous source, biofilm, were isolated and incubated with unfiltered surface water. EEMs from these leachates indicated that these sources could indeed help explain observed patterns of DOM in surface and subsurface waters. These results suggest that although DOM sources were relatively constant, biogeochemical processing within the hyporheic zone resulted a DOM pool that was temporally dynamic and altered the nature of organic matter transported downstream into lakes and rivers.     

Physical and biological changes to a lengthening stream gradient following a decade of rapid glacial recession

In mountains, environmental gradients are steep in both terrestrial and aquatic systems, and climate change is causing upward shifts of physical and biological features of these gradients. Glacial streams are an interesting system to evaluate such shifts both because streams have a linear nature (for simplicity of analysis), and because the stream habitat will at least temporarily lengthen as it follows receding glaciers upward. The Tschierva Glacier, Swiss Alps, receded 482 m upstream from 1997 to 2008. We tested the null hypothesis that the physical and biological stream gradient below this glacier maintained the same structure between these time periods, but simply shifted upward following the glacial source. We compared longitudinal patterns of water temperature and zoobenthic community structure in 1997 and 2007–2008 during three seasons (spring, summer, fall) along the uppermost ca. 5 stream km. Upward shifts were evident, including colonization of the newly exposed stream reaches by cold‐adapted taxa, and the appearance in 2007/2008 of four lower‐altitude species that were previously absent. Overall, however, results rejected the null hypothesis, instead revealing significant changes in gradient structures. These included a more steeply increasing temperature profile downstream of the glacier and increased amplitude of seasonal community turnover in 2007/2008 vs. 1997. Long‐term (1955–2007) flow records revealed increasing short‐term and seasonal hydrologic variability, which might have influenced the increased intra‐annual community variability. The steepening of the temperature gradient was likely caused by a warming lake‐outlet tributary upon which glacial influence was diminished between 1997 and 2007/2008. These results suggest that upward‐shifting gradients in glacial streams can involve complex interactions with other landscape elements and that local‐scale climate response can progress even more rapidly than the rate of glacial recession.     

Nitrogen dynamics in the hyporheic zone of a forested stream during a small storm, Hokkaido, Japan

Water and dissolved nitrogen flows through the hyporheic zone of a 3rd-order mountain stream in Hokkaido, northern Japan were measured during a small storm in August 1997. A network of wells was established to measure water table elevations and to collect water samples to analyze dissolved nitrogen concentrations. Hydraulic conductivity and the depth to bedrock were surveyed. We parameterized the groundwater flow model, MODFLOW, to quantify subsurface flows of both stream water and soil water through the hyporheic zone. MODFLOW simulations suggest that soil water inflow from the adjacent hill slope increased by 1.7-fold during a small storm. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and ammonium (NH ₄ ⁺ ) in soil water from the hill slope were the dominant nitrogen inputs to the riparian zone. DON was consumed via mineralization to NH ₄ ⁺ in the hyporheic zone. NH ₄ ⁺ was the dominant nitrogen species in the subsurface, and showed a net release during both base and storm flow. Nitrate appeared to be lost to denitrification or immobilized by microorganisms and/or vegetation in the riparian zone. Our results indicated that the riparian and hyporheic system was a net source of NH ₄ ⁺ to the stream.