Geomorphic Disturbance and its Impact on Darter (Teleostomi: Percidae) Distribution and Abundance in the Pearl River Drainage, Mississippi

We examined channel and point bar changes over time in the Pearl River, a meandering, Coastal Plain stream in Mississippi and Louisiana. We interpreted extreme changes in bar area as evidence of channel instability and related this to the diversity and abundance of darters in the river. Darters were less diverse and abundant in more disturbed reaches in comparison with relatively undisturbed reaches. Darter abundance was positively correlated with proximity to extreme bar-area changes. The relationship between channel instability and darter abundance observed here points to the importance of landscape level approaches to in-stream habitat management. The results suggest that river management practices that prevent or mitigate extreme changes in channel or sediment dynamics should be adopted for the benefit of benthic communities.     

Land Use/Cover Change in the Middle Reaches of the Heihe River Basin over 2000-2011 and Its Implications for Sustainable Water Resource Management

The Heihe River Basin (HRB) is a typical arid inland river basin in northwestern China. From the 1960s to the 1990s, the downstream flow in the HRB declined as a result of large, artificial changes in the distribution of water and land and a lack of effective water resource management. Consequently, the ecosystems of the lower reaches of the basin substantially deteriorated. To restore these degraded ecosystems, the Ecological Water Diversion Project (EWDP) was initiated by the Chinese government in 2000. The project led to agricultural and ecological changes in the middle reaches of the basin. In this study, we present three datasets of land use/cover in the middle reaches of the HRB derived from Landsat TM/ETM+ images in 2000, 2007 and 2011. We used these data to investigate changes in land use/cover between 2000 and 2011 and the implications for sustainable water resource management. The results show that the most significant land use/cover change in the middle reaches of the HRB was the continuous expansion of farmland for economic interests. From 2000 to 2011, the farmland area increased by 12.01%. The farmland expansion increased the water resource stress; thus, groundwater was over-extracted and the ecosystem was degraded in particular areas. Both consequences are negative and potentially threaten the sustainability of the middle reaches of the HRB and the entire river basin. Local governments should therefore improve the management of water resources, particularly groundwater management, and should strictly control farmland reclamation. Then, water resources could be ecologically and socioeconomically sustained, and the balance between upstream and downstream water demands could be ensured. The results of this study can also serve as a reference for the sustainable management of water resources in other arid inland river basins.     

Effects of hydromorphological integrity on biodiversity and functioning of river ecosystems

River channels tend to a dynamic equilibrium driven by the dynamics of water and sediment discharge. The resulting fluctuating pattern of channel form is affected by the slope, the substrate erodibility, and the vegetation in the river corridor and in the catchment. Geomorphology is basic to river biodiversity and ecosystem functioning since the channel pattern provides habitat for the biota and physical framework for ecosystem processes. Human activities increasingly change the natural drivers of channel morphology on a global scale (e.g. urbanization increases hydrological extremes, and clearing of forests for agriculture increases sediment yield). In addition, human actions common along world rivers impact channel dynamics directly, e.g. river regulation simplifies and fossilizes channel form. River conservation and restoration must incorporate mechanisms of channel formation and ecological consequences of channel form and dynamics. This article (1) summarizes the role of channel form on biodiversity and functioning of river ecosystems, (2) describes spatial complexity, connectivity and dynamism as three key hydromorphological attributes, (3) identifies prevalent human activities that impact these key components and (4) analyzes gaps in current knowledge and identifies future research topics.     

A comparison of habitat diversity and interannual habitat dynamics in actively and passively restored mountain rivers of Germany

We compared habitat diversity and morphodynamics of ‘actively’ restored reaches (including removal of bank fixation, widening and large wood placement) with ‘passively’ restored reaches (abandonment of channel maintenance) and adjacent non-restored control reaches in medium-sized Central European mountain rivers. Habitat diversity and river morphology were mapped in two consecutive years and changes in habitat composition (channel features, substrates) and morphological changes (active depth and width) were quantified. In both years, habitat diversity was generally higher in the restored reaches compared to their non-restored counterparts, and significantly differed between restoration approaches, with average values in actively restored reaches being about 60% larger than in passively restored reaches. Channel feature composition differed significantly, both between restored and unrestored reaches, and between restoration approaches, whereas substrate composition was similar in all investigated reaches, indicating that restoration had a higher effect on mesohabitat than on microhabitat conditions. Interannual habitat dynamics in respect to channel feature composition were larger in the actively restored compared to the passively restored reaches, while substrate composition remained fairly constant in all reaches. Regarding morphodynamics, changes in depth and width of actively restored reaches differed significantly from changes in passively restored ones in three of the four elements compared. Our findings imply increased habitat richness, diversity and habitat dynamics in the restored reaches, especially in actively restored ones. Analysis of discharge data suggests that flood events exceeding critical shear stress of the bed material, and the time span since restoration determine the potential for morphological changes.     

Flow regulation by dams affects ecosystem metabolism in Mediterranean rivers

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Impacts of small hydropower plants on macroinvertebrate communities

Several nitrogen (N) field experiments were carried out in Nanjing and Anyang, China, to study the dynamic characteristics of biomass accumulation and N uptake, and to define the dilution curve for critical N concentration in cotton reproductive organ over the growth period. The results show that the total biomass and N accumulation were affected significantly by the rate of N application, exhibiting a sigmoid curve over time. The beginning time of fast N accumulation was 1–5 d earlier than that of biomass accumulation. The cotton lint yield was correlated with N concentration in the reproductive organ and fluctuated with varying N concentration, indicating the existence of luxurious N consumption in the cotton reproductive organ. The N concentration increased with increasing N application rates, and decreased gradually during the growth period. The relationship between biomass and N concentration can be described with a power equation. The patterns of the N concentration dilution model were consistent at both experimental sites, but the model parameter values of a differed. The results presented in this paper indicate that a critical N concentration dilution curve for cotton reproductive organ is independent of ecological region and can be described with a power equation.     

引水型电站对河流底栖动物群落结构的影响

于2005年10月对香溪河干流5个小水电站对河流底栖动物的影响进行调查研究,按影响情况,各电站设5个采样点.应用底栖动物物种组成、现存量、优势类群、功能摄食类群等参数,衡量小水电站对河流底栖动物群落结构的影响.在研究区域共采集到底栖动物4656条,平均密度为658ind./m2,蜉蝣目的四节蜉属(Baetis spp.)是该区域的优势类群.研究结果表明:电站的修建对河流水化学指标没有显著影响,但河流生境的物理因子(如流速和水深)都发生了较大的改变;对河流底栖动物的各方面均有一定的影响,特别是密度在5个样点间差异显著,而功能摄食类群中滤食者和捕食者的百分含量也有明显差异.另外,各项指标在5个样点间均有一致的变动趋势.相似性分析表明,坝下3号样点的群落组成差异最大,这意味着完全阻隔的坝不利于河流生物多样性的保护.     

极端暴雨下山地丘陵区小流域洪水淹没强度对景观特征的响应——以河南“7·20”暴雨为例

通过分析郑州7·20暴雨事件中贾峪河山地丘陵区小流域的洪水过程,探究景观特征对洪水淹没强度影响的时空分布规律,并提出增强流域洪水韧性的规划建议,以缓解河南省山区所面临的社会经济发展、生态环境改善等问题。基于高分6号遥感数据、先进陆地观测卫星(ALOS,Advance Land Observing Satellite)相控阵L频段合成孔径雷达(PALSAR)的地表高程数据和小时降雨量数据,利用MIKE 21水动力模型构建贾峪河流域二维水文模型,分析其2021年7月20日0-24时期上、中、下游的洪水淹没深度和面积,并结合双变量空间自相关模型方法,探究洪水淹没强度与各景观组成和地形因素在时间和空间上的相关性的差异以及其空间聚类类型。研究表明:(1)贾峪河流域淹没面积在0-6时快速增长,于18时达到最大9.59km²,此时各区域淹没面积占比从大到小依次为下游18.88%、上游8.25%、中游12.03%,淹没深度在3m以上的面积占36.11%。(2)地形因素(平均Moran''s I=0.159)对洪水强度的影响大于土地类型(平均Moran''s I=0.096),主要影响因子相对高程、地形湿度指数、矿坑面积百分比、水体面积百分比、建设用地面积百分比、耕地面积百分比以及林地和草地面积百分比与洪水淹没强度之间的相关性随时间变化呈增大趋势,均在暴雨中后期18-24时达到最强。(3)交互探测结果表明,多因子叠加会增强各景观特征对洪水淹没强度的影响。上游影响洪水淹没强度的主要驱动力为矿坑和相对高程,中游和下游的主要影响为水体和地形湿度指数。(4)洪水淹没强度24时的平均值与景观特征指数之间的"高-高"和"高-低"地区的面积占比约0.47%-9.85%,主要分布在上游的中部山区和北部河道周围、中游的河道两侧和下游的河道以及常庄水库周边地区。研究结论建议在上游露天矿坑就地改造为蓄水池并恢复植被,中游和下游应提升河岸带绿地质量,增加下游城区绿色基础设施,减轻城市洪水风险。     

基于河流生境调查的东河河流生境评价

河流生境是河流生态系统的重要组成部分,是河流生物赖以生存的基础。以位于三峡库区腹心区域的典型山区河流东河为研究对象,采用河流生境调查(RHS)方法调查河流生境,选择河流生境质量评价指数(HQA)、河流生境退化指数(HMS)评估河流生境现状,分析生境质量和人为干扰的空间分布规律。结果表明,51个河段的HQA值介于24—66之间。29.4%河段的HQA为优,29.4%为良,23.5%为中,9.8%为较差,7.8%为差。从HMS看,7.8%的河段保持较自然状态,19.6%受到轻微的破坏,41.2%退化明显,27.5%退化严重,3.9%受到剧烈破坏。HQA与HMS存在显著的负相关关系。东河上、中、下游河段的HQA无明显差异,但HMS差异显著。从干扰来源看,东河上游和中游河流生境主要受引水式小水电、沿河公路、河道采砂影响。东河下游河流生境受高强度的土地开发(农业用地、建设用地),河道采砂,河堤、排污管、桥梁等水工构筑物的修建和三峡水库水位的波动影响。RHS评价结果能较直观地反映河流生境状况,以及导致河流生境质量衰退的原因。     

Sediment microbial enzyme activity as an indicator of nutrient limitation in the great rivers of the Upper Mississippi River basin

We compared extracellular enzyme activity (EEA) of microbial assemblages in river sediments at 447 sites along the Upper Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio Rivers with sediment and water chemistry, atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfate, and catchment land uses. The sites represented five unique river reaches—impounded and unimpounded reaches of the Upper Mississippi River, the upper and lower reaches of the Missouri River, and the entire Ohio River. Land use and river chemistry varied significantly between rivers and reaches. There was more agriculture in the two Upper Mississippi River reaches, and this was reflected in higher nutrient concentrations at sites in these reaches. EEA was highest in the two Upper Mississippi River reaches, followed by the lower Missouri River reach. EEA was generally lowest in the upper Missouri River reach. Canonical correlation analysis revealed a strong correlation between EEA and the suite of water and sediment chemistry variables, and the percent of the catchment in anthropogenically dominated land uses, including agriculture and urban development. Nutrient ratios of the waters and sediments suggested carbon (C), nitrogen (N), or phosphorus (P) limitation at a large number of sites in each reach. C-limitation was most pronounced in the unimpounded Mississippi River and lower Missouri River reaches; N-limitation was prevalent in the two Missouri River reaches; and P-limitation dominated the Ohio River. Linking microbial enzyme activities to regional-scale anthropogenic stressors in these large river ecosystems suggests that microbial enzyme regulation of carbon and nutrient dynamics may be sensitive indicators of anthropogenic nutrient and carbon loading.