城市河流健康评价指标体系构建及其应用

健康的城市河流既能够维持其生态系统的自然运转,又能够满足城市社会经济的正常需求,还能够为人类提供休闲娱乐的场所。基于城市河流健康的内涵,构建出包含自然生态、社会经济和景观环境等3个方面24个指标的城市河流健康评价指标体系。以漓江市区段为例,通过建立基于层次分析法的模糊综合评价模型对其进行健康评价。结果表明:漓江市区段复合生态系统的评价结果为(0.2193,0.3004,0.3261,0.1137,0.0405),处于中健康状态;其自然生态子系统、社会经济子系统和景观环境子系统的健康状态分别为中、优和良;水量、防洪能力、鱼类多样性指数和底栖动物多样性是漓江市区段健康的主要影响因素。该评价指标体系可为其它城市河流的健康评价提供参考。     

River restoration for macroinvertebrate communities in lowland rivers: insights from restorations of the Shibetsu River,north Japan

Because of human impacts, lowland rivers are among the most degraded running water ecosystems, with their floodplains being the center of human activity. Recently, many programs to restore running water ecosystems have been undertaken using various methods in streams and rivers of North America, Europe, and Far East Asia. However, research and knowledge on the effects of river restoration in lowland rivers are limited around the world. The restoration project involving the first reconstruction of a meandering channel in Asia has been conducted in a lowland river section of the Shibetsu River, northern Japan. We review the geomorphologic and hydraulic characteristics of lowland rivers and their environments for macroinvertebrates and discuss approaches to restoring macroinvertebrate communities in lowland rivers, using insights from the restoration project in the Shibetsu River. It is concluded that the recovery of macroinvertebrate assemblages in channelized lowland rivers requires the implementation of restoration methods to create stable substrates.     

流域库坝工程开发的生物多样性敏感度分区

流域生态敏感性是流域生态系统遇到干扰时产生生态失衡与生态环境问题的难易程度和可能性大小,生物多样性是其影响最为重要的生态因子。主要考虑物种丰富度、珍稀程度、濒危程度、保护等级和生态系统类型等生物多样性敏感因子,借助GIS强大的空间数据采集和建模分析能力,在专家打分求取敏感因子权重基础上,通过空间模型计算生物多样性敏感度综合得分。基于二级流域综合得分最大值,采用ARCGIS自然间断点法实现敏感度分区,结果表明:极敏感区域主要分布在长江区的岷沱江、金沙江石鼓以下、金沙江石鼓以上、宜宾至宜昌、嘉陵江流域,珠江区的郁江、红柳河和西江流域,西南诸河区的澜沧江、红河和怒江及伊洛瓦底江流域,黄河区的龙羊峡以上流域等,这些区域水生生物特有种和受威胁物种丰度大,国家级自然保护区密集,是陆地生物多样性最丰富的地区。不敏感区域主要分布在松花江区除第二松花江以外流域,西北诸河区的塔里木盆地荒漠、古尔班通古特荒漠、中亚西亚内陆河、塔里木河干流等荒漠区,松花江区低温高寒,具有大森林、大草原、大湿地、大农田和大水域的特点,库坝工程对其生物多样性产生影响的可能性较小,西北诸河的荒漠区生境严酷,生物多样性贫乏,也不具备修建大型水库的条件,生物多样性敏感度也较低。其它区域介于二者之间,因其所处的生态系统类型、物种丰富度、珍稀程度、濒危程度和保护等级不一样,生物多样性敏感度各异。对流域库坝工程产生的生物多样性敏感度进行辨识,可为未来流域水资源合理和适度开发提供科学依据。     

雅鲁藏布江流域底栖动物多样性及生态评价

雅鲁藏布江起源于喜马拉雅山,是世界上海拔最高的河流之一,是流经我国西藏境内重要的国际河流,其河流生态系统具有特殊地貌及生态条件。研究该流域底栖动物多样性分布特征及其影响因子,是科学评价该区域河流生态系统健康状况,实现资源可持续开发利用的基础。2009年10月—2010年6月期间,以底栖动物作为指示物种,对雅江流域干支流及堰塞湖的14个采样断面进行河流生态评价。采用Alpha及Beta生物多样性指数分别指示局部采样河段及全区域的底栖动物多样性。对采样断面底栖动物组成分析发现:14个采样断面共采集到底栖动物110种,隶属57科102属。雅江干流底栖动物种类数最高为29,平均为19。支流年楚河种类数为17。支流拉萨河,尼洋河,帕龙藏布的最高种类数分别为25,33,36;平均种类数分别为21,21,22,生物多样性普遍高于干流。整个流域中底栖动物平均种类数相差不大,但种类组成和密度相差较大。调查区域的Beta多样性指数β高于低海拔地区的相似的山区河流,说明雅江流域内底栖动物群落差异性高于正常海拔地区。对14个采样断面的物种组成进行除趋势对应分析表明:影响雅江流域底栖动物多样性的主要因素为河型,河床阻力结构,堤岸结构,水流流速。保持稳定的阶梯-深潭结构和自然堤岸结构,以及适宜的流速有利于保护雅江河流生态。     

How Big of an Effect Do Small Dams Have? Using Geomorphological Footprints to Quantify Spatial Impact of Low-Head Dams and Identify Patterns of Across-Dam Variation

Longitudinal connectivity is a fundamental characteristic of rivers that can be disrupted by natural and anthropogenic processes. Dams are significant disruptions to streams. Over 2,000,000 low-head dams (<7.6 m high) fragment United States rivers. Despite potential adverse impacts of these ubiquitous disturbances, the spatial impacts of low-head dams on geomorphology and ecology are largely untested. Progress for research and conservation is impaired by not knowing the magnitude of low-head dam impacts. Based on the geomorphic literature, we refined a methodology that allowed us to quantify the spatial extent of low-head dam impacts (herein dam footprint), assessed variation in dam footprints across low-head dams within a river network, and identified select aspects of the context of this variation. Wetted width, depth, and substrate size distributions upstream and downstream of six low-head dams within the Upper Neosho River, Kansas, United States of America were measured. Total dam footprints averaged 7.9 km (3.0–15.3 km) or 287 wetted widths (136–437 wetted widths). Estimates included both upstream (mean: 6.7 km or 243 wetted widths) and downstream footprints (mean: 1.2 km or 44 wetted widths). Altogether the six low-head dams impacted 47.3 km (about 17%) of the mainstem in the river network. Despite differences in age, size, location, and primary function, the sizes of geomorphic footprints of individual low-head dams in the Upper Neosho river network were relatively similar. The number of upstream dams and distance to upstream dams, but not dam height, affected the spatial extent of dam footprints. In summary, ubiquitous low-head dams individually and cumulatively altered lotic ecosystems. Both characteristics of individual dams and the context of neighboring dams affected low-head dam impacts within the river network. For these reasons, low-head dams require a different, more integrative, approach for research and management than the individualistic approach that has been applied to larger dams.     

River confluences enhance riparian plant species diversity

In riparian zones along the banks of streams and rivers, flooding often causes large changes in environmental conditions immediately downstream of confluences. In turn, spatial heterogeneity in flooding along rivers and streams likely affects local species diversity. Furthermore, flooding during the plant growing season can strongly affect plant survival. In this study, we hypothesized that confluences have impacts on plant species diversity, and that these impacts are larger during the plant growing season. To test this hypothesis, we measured plant species diversity and the extent of natural bare ground at 11 river confluences during two different seasons (summer and spring) within the Mukogawa River basin system, Japan. Species diversity was highest at down-confluence areas in the summer. We linked the pattern of species diversity to that of bare ground creation by floods around the confluences and to the seasonality of annual plant recruitment. The extent of bare ground was significantly greater at down-confluence areas than at up-confluence areas. The recruitment of annual species was higher in the summer than in the spring and included rapid occupancy of bare ground in the summer. We suggest that within river systems, spatial and seasonal differences in patterns of flooding function together to regulate plant species diversity.     

大风口水库及石河生态条件与鱼类群落的研究

1987—1989年间对大风口水库及上下游石河的不同河段进行了春夏秋不同季节的生态环境和鱼类群落的调查研究。一、生态条件1.自然概貌和采样段面的选择石河是辽宁西部的一条直接入海的小河,全长67.7km,流域面积431km~2。地理座标为北纬40°10′—40°19′,东经119°50′—120°     

How much water does a river need?

1. This paper introduces a new approach for setting streamflow-based river ecosystem management targets and this method is called the 'Range of Variability Approach' (RVA). The proposed approach derives from aquatic ecology theory concerning the critical role of hydrological variability, and associated characteristics of timing, frequency, duration, and rates of change, in sustaining aquatic ecosystems. The method is intended for application on rivers wherein the conservation of native aquatic biodiversity and protection of natural ecosystem functions are primary river management objectives.
2. The RVA uses as its starting point either measured or synthesized daily streamflow values from a period during which human perturbations to the hydrological regime were negligible. This streamflow record is then characterized using thirty-two different hydrological parameters, using methods defined in Richter et al . (1996). Using the RVA, a range of variation in each of the thirty-two parameters, e.g. the values at ± 1 standard deviation from the mean or the twenty-fifth to seventy-fifth percentile range, are selected as initial flow management targets.
3. The RVA targets are intended to guide the design of river management strategies (e.g. reservoir operations rules, catchment restoration) that will lead to attainment of these targets on an annual basis. The RVA will enable river managers to define and adopt readily interim management targets before conclusive, long-term ecosystem research results are available. The RVA targets and management strategies should be adaptively refined as suggested by research results and as needed to sustain native aquatic ecosystem biodiversity and integrity.     

How much water does a river need?

1. This paper introduces a new approach for setting streamflow-based river ecosystem management targets and this method is called the 'Range of Variability Approach' (RVA). The proposed approach derives from aquatic ecology theory concerning the critical role of hydrological variability, and associated characteristics of timing, frequency, duration, and rates of change, in sustaining aquatic ecosystems. The method is intended for application on rivers wherein the conservation of native aquatic biodiversity and protection of natural ecosystem functions are primary river management objectives.
2. The RVA uses as its starting point either measured or synthesized daily streamflow values from a period during which human perturbations to the hydrological regime were negligible. This streamflow record is then characterized using thirty-two different hydrological parameters, using methods defined in Richter et al . (1996). Using the RVA, a range of variation in each of the thirty-two parameters, e.g. the values at ± 1 standard deviation from the mean or the twenty-fifth to seventy-fifth percentile range, are selected as initial flow management targets.
3. The RVA targets are intended to guide the design of river management strategies (e.g. reservoir operations rules, catchment restoration) that will lead to attainment of these targets on an annual basis. The RVA will enable river managers to define and adopt readily interim management targets before conclusive, long-term ecosystem research results are available. The RVA targets and management strategies should be adaptively refined as suggested by research results and as needed to sustain native aquatic ecosystem biodiversity and integrity.     

Annual patterns of litter decomposition in the channel and riparian areas of an intermittent stream

Aquatic Ecology - Intermittent streams, dominant in arid and semi-arid regions, are considered to be more representative of global river networks than perennial rivers. The impacts of constant...     

Ecology of fishes in a high-latitude,turbid river with implications for the impacts of hydrokinetic devices

Hydrokinetic devices generate electricity by capturing kinetic energy from flowing water as it moves across or through a rotor, without impounding or diverting the water source. The Tanana River in Alaska, a turbid glacial system, has been selected as a pilot location to evaluate the effects of such a device on fish communities that are highly valued by subsistence, sport, and commercial users. The basic ecology and habitat use of fishes in turbid glacial systems are poorly understood; therefore it is necessary to study the species composition of the fish community and the spatial and temporal patterns of mainstem river use by these fishes to evaluate impacts of a hydrokinetic device. In this document, we provide an overview of existing knowledge of fish ecology in the Tanana River and impacts of hydrokinetic devices on fishes in other river systems. Seventeen fish species are known to inhabit the Tanana River and several may utilize the deepest and fastest section of the channel, the probable deployment location for the hydrokinetic device, as a seasonal migration corridor. Previous studies in clearwater river systems indicate that mortality and injury rates from turbine passage are low. However, the results from these studies may not apply to the Tanana River because of its distinctive physical properties. To rectify this shortcoming, a conceptual framework for a comprehensive fish ecology study is recommended to determine the impacts of hydrokinetic devices on fishes in turbid, glacial rivers.     

城镇化背景下深圳典型流域鱼类群落特征及驱动因子

理解城镇的快速发展对河流鱼类群落结构的影响,是城镇河流科学管理和生物多样性保护的关键基础。本研究于2019年丰水期（8月）和枯水期（11月）,选取我国城镇化典型城市-深圳域内两个处于不同城镇化程度的代表性流域,应用多重统计方法比较分析了流域间鱼类群落结构的差异,并探讨了驱动鱼类群落变异的关键环境要素。结果发现,城镇化程度高的观澜河流域其鱼类种类组成、优势类群、生物多样性指数与城镇化程度低的坪山河流域有明显差别。 具体表现为：城镇化程度高的流域土著敏感种类如异鱲、吸鳅等几近消失,优势类群为外来入侵耐受种类,其物种多样性显著低于城镇化程度低的流域（P<0.05）。同时,外来鱼类在城镇河段其数量占比平均达92.5%,广泛分布于深圳城镇河流中。在环境因素方面,城镇化程度高的观澜河流域水体理化指标总氮、总磷、氨氮、化学需氧量、生化需氧量、高锰酸盐指数均显著性高于城镇化程度低的坪山河流域（P<0.05）。基于Bray-Curtis距离的冗余分析显示：城镇用地占比和总氮是影响观澜河和坪山河流域鱼类群落差异的主要因素。城镇化进程中河流生境的改变已影响到土著鱼类的生物多样性。因此,推动以恢复土著鱼类生物多样性的河流生态治理与保护是今后水生态目标管理的重要方向。     

MANAGEMENT,CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH OF INTERNATIONALLY SHARED WATERCOURSES IN SOUTIIERN AFRICA—NAMIBIAN EXPERIENCE WITH THE OKAVANGO RIVER AND RIVERS OF THE EASTERN CAPRIVI

Summary

Although the emphasis of the recent National Rivers Research Initiative (now the Research Programme for the Management of Rivers) in South Africa was on river research in that country, the reality is that in southern Africa many watercourses are shared by more than one country. Therefore a central issue in integrated river basin management and development should be the recognition of the principle of international joint planning, conservation, monitoring and research.

Co-operation and a better understanding of shared waters would prevent deleterious impacts, not only in the country where they occur, but also in those downstream. With this in mind, since the early 1980s Namibia has worked on joint cross-border projects in efforts to manage and conserve her shared water bodies. These include joint river gauging exercises, biological control of Saivinia molesta in the eastern Caprivi region and, more recently, the application of a biological monitoring technique, the South African Scoring System version 4, to north-eastern perennial rivers.

The formation of the Joint Permanent Water Commission between Botswana and Namibia enabled the Departments of Water Affairs of both countries to work together on their shared rivers. The establishment of the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission between Angola, Botswana and Namibia in 1994 improved this co-operation even further. Namibia and its' counterparts are thus committed to sharing information, co-ordinating research and monitoring activities and to undertaking detailed studies to improve their knowledge of these shared systems.

Such cross-border co-operation is vital for the survival of shared river systems not only as ecological entities in their own right, but also as sources of water, power and the other resources they provide, both directly and indirectly, to the human and wildlife populations that they support.     

Pieter Hendrik Nienhuis: Aquatic Ecologist and Environmental Scientist

Prof. Dr. Pieter Hendrik (Piet) Nienhuis worked for almost 40 years in all aspects of aquatic ecology and environmental science and retired on 31 October 2003. He can be characterised as a distinguished scientist, shaped in an applied estuarine and aquatic research ambience of the former Delta Institute for Hydrobiological Research (DIHO) in Yerseke in the Netherlands. His appointment as a full professor at the Radboud University Nijmegen offered him a challenging step from monodisciplinarity in ecology, via multidisciplinarity in the application of ecological knowledge in river science to interdisciplinarity in environmental science and management. This paper describes his education, teaching activities, research, scientific publications, science management, and significance for various scientific disciplines. He made important contributions to biosystematics of angiosperms and algae, the ecology of seagrasses, nutrient cycling and eutrophication in estuarine ecosystems, and the integrated modelling of the ecological functioning of estuaries. Subsequently, he paid much attention to environmental problems in river basins, ecological rehabilitation and sustainable development. His work influenced the view of ecologists, aquatic scientists and water managers in the Netherlands as well as abroad, in particular regarding the drawbacks of compartmentalization of the estuaries and the importance of connectivity and morphodynamics in river systems. In hindsight, it appears as a logical line that he gradually moved from estuarine ecological research that became increasingly driven by societal and environmental problems to the field of environmental science and management.     

Integrative freshwater ecology and biodiversity conservation

Freshwater ecosystems provide goods and services of critical importance to human societies, yet they are among the most heavily altered ecosystems with an overproportional loss of biodiversity. Major threats to freshwater biodiversity include overexploitation, water pollution, fragmentation, destruction or degradation of habitat, and invasions by non-native species. Alterations of natural flow regimes by man-made dams, land-use changes, river impoundments, and water abstraction often have profound impacts on lotic communities. An understanding of the functional interactions and processes in freshwater ecosystems presents a major challenge for scientists, but is crucial for effective and sustainable restoration. Most conservation approaches to date have considered single species or single level strategies. In contrast, the concept of ‘Integrative Freshwater Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation’ (IFEBC) proposed herein addresses the interactions between abiotic and biotic factors on different levels of organization qualitatively and quantitatively. It consequently results in a more holistic understanding of biodiversity functioning and management. Core questions include modeling of the processes in aquatic key habitats and their functionality based on the identification and quantification of factors which control the spatial and temporal distribution of biodiversity and productivity in aquatic ecosystems. The context and importance of research into IFEBC is illustrated using case studies from three major areas of research: (i) aquatic habitat quality and restoration ecology, (ii) the genetic and evolutionary potential of aquatic species, and (iii) the detection of stress and toxic effects in aquatic ecosystems using biomarkers. In conclusion, our understanding of the functioning of aquatic ecosystems and conservation management can greatly benefit from the methodological combination of molecular and ecological tools.     

Regional and longitudinal patterns of fish community structure in the Seine River basin, France

The fish communities of 371 sites from 4 natural regions of the Seine River basin were studied. The sites were located from small to medium size rivers (catchment area : 5 to 3895 km²). We examined the differences between local communities according to river size (estimated by catchment area) and region. In the Seine River basin, fish communities follow a general organisation rule: total species richness increases with river size and importance of limnophilic species versus rheophilic ones increases from upstream to downstream. However, fish communities show differences of total species richness, species richness of reproductive groups and species composition between the four natural regions of the basin. Particularly, river size and regional organisation of environmental factors interact on species composition of communities and several regional patterns of longitudinal changes of fish communities are identified. The origin and range of regional differences of fish communities are discussed according to historical and environmental factors.     

The distribution and environmental state of vegetated islands within human‐impacted European rivers

1. Vegetated islands within river corridors are pivotal landscape features and are among the first to disappear as a consequence of flow regulation and channelisation. However, how vegetated islands vary along human‐impacted rivers is poorly understood. 2. We carried out a detailed analysis of the contemporary distribution, diversity and environmental state of vegetated islands within 12 human‐impacted European rivers, using 75 Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite images (1999–2002), historical maps, DEM data and landscape metrics. We tested whether channel fragmentation, catchment land use and the environmental state of fringing floodplains determine the spatial patterns of the islands. We also analysed the historical change of islands within selected sections of the Upper Danube, Upper Rhine and Olt rivers. 3. We identified 2771 islands in the contemporary landscape, varying from 0.06 to 9828 ha. Islands covered up to 21% of the active channel area and contributed up to 32% of the total riparian ecotone length. Island density ranged from 0.06 islands per river‐km (River Sava) to 1.6 islands per river‐km (River Tagliamento). River regulation has led to a marked loss of island density: 94% in the Upper Danube, 93% in the Upper Rhine, and 69% in the Olt. The environmental state of the islands was significantly less altered by human activity than of their fringing floodplains; 93.4% of the vegetated islands exhibited a near‐natural state, while 86% of the fringing floodplains were expansively converted to agricultural and urban land uses. 4. Our results highlight the ubiquitous presence of vegetated islands, their sensitivity to river regulation and their pivotal role for the future restoration and management of river corridors.     

Development of new indicators to evaluate river fragmentation and flow regulation at large scales: A case study for the Mekong River Basin

Large hydropower schemes have recently gained renewed interest as a provider of efficient and renewable energy, particularly in developing countries. However, some dams may have widespread effects on hydrological and ecosystem integrity, which reach beyond the scales addressed by typical environmental impact assessments. In this paper we address two main ecological impacts—reduced river connectivity and changes in the natural flow regime—at the scale of the entire Mekong River Basin as an important component of dam evaluations. The goal is to improve our understanding of the effect of individual dams as well as clusters of dams at a very large scale. We introduce two new indices, the River Connectivity Index (RCI) as a tool to measure network connectivity, and the River Regulation Index (RRI) as a measure of flow alteration, and calculate the individual and cumulative impact of 81 proposed dams using HydroROUT, a graph-theory based river routing model. Furthermore, we demonstrate how quantitative weighting, e.g. based on river habitat characterizations or species distribution models, may be included in dam impact assessments.A global comparison of large rivers shows that the Mekong would experience strong deterioration in the fragmentation and flow regulation indices if all dams that are currently under consideration in the basin were built, placing it among other heavily impounded rivers in the world. The results illustrate the importance of considering the location of dams, both relative in the network and relative to other already existing dams. Our approach may be used as an index-based ranking system for individual dams, or to compare basin-wide development scenarios, with the goal of providing guidance for decision makers wishing to select locations for future dams with less environmental impacts and to identify and develop potential mitigation strategies.     

城市河流的景观生态学研究:概念框架

城市河流作为城市景观中一种重要的生态廊道,其功能的正常实现与否关系到整个城市的可持续发展。通过分析当前城市河流的研究概况,发现应用景观生态学原理对城市河流展开多尺度、多学科的综合研究是实现“自然-人类-水体”可持续发展的必然趋势。从景观生态学的角度出发,结合城市河流的特点,提出了更为综合的、景观水平上的城市河流研究的概念框架。特别针对景观生态学研究的核心问题,对城市河流的研究尺度、格局分析、干扰程度等重要方面进行了详细论述,以期在景观水平上构建城市河流的可持续发展预案。     

水电梯级开发对河流生境质量及纵向连通性影响评价——以五布河和藻渡河为例

河流物理生境是维持河流生物多样性及生态功能的关键因素。生境质量的好坏能反应河流健康的程度。以我国西南地区的五布河和藻渡河为例,采用河流生境调查方法(RHS)和树状水系连通性指数(DCI)定量评估水电梯级开发和水坝建设对河流物理生境质量和河流纵向连通性的影响。结果表明,水电梯级开发后,五布河干流未受水坝明显影响河段、库区河段、减水河段分别为20.48、43.34、18.09 km,占总长度的25.0%、52.9%、22.1%。藻渡河干流河口至双河口段未受水坝明显影响河段、库区河段、减水河段分别为58.61、8.28、18.99 km,占总长度的68.2%、9.6%、占22.1%。水电梯级开发后,五布河干流河流片段由26个增至29个,藻渡河干流河流片段由2个增至5个。两条河流纵向连通性分别降低了7.8%和38.0%。五布河坝下减水河段生境质量降低14.1%,库区河段生境质量变化不明显。藻渡河减水河段生境质量与近自然河段无显著差异;两座坝后式电站库区河段生境质量明显低于近自然河段。水电梯级开发对两条河流物理生境的影响与水坝位置选择、建坝前的自然阻隔数量与分布、河流地貌特征、水电资源开发方式等密切相关。