Dam promotes downriver functional homogenization of phytoplankton in a transitional river-reservoir system in Amazon

Castro, Luana Silva de; Lopes, Adriani Aragão de Souza; Colares, Lucas Ferreira; Palheta, Leandra; Menezes, Mayko de Souza; Fernandes, L.; Dunck, Bárbara

doi:10.1007/s10201-021-00650-6

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Second, water flow levels are an important factor influencing species richness. River width increased, extending from upstream to downstream, reflecting similar spatial trends of water flow that would impact spatial patterns of species richness (Castro et al, 2021). Third, increased water residence time in downstream areas compared with upstream areas likely contributed to increased species richness (Ha, Jang, & Joo, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Phytoplankton species richness as an ecological indicator in a subtropical, human‐regulated, fragmented river

Wei

Yang

et al. 2022

River Research & Apps

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Since the serial discontinuity concept (SDC) of rivers is proposed, few studies have tested it in a highly fragmented river ecosystem. In this study, environmental factors, phytoplankton species richness, and SDC predictions were demonstrated along the 13 cascade dams in a subtropical river (China). Our results indicated that among environmental factors, water temperature and transparency have seasonal differences, and river width has spatial differences; total species richness (TSR) increases from upstream to downstream, and distance is the reason for its variation. In addition, TSR also has spatial variations in each cascade dam, with the maximum or minimum value of each cascade section often occurring near the dam. A predictive model was constructed and revealed that seasonal differences in species richness were more significant than spatial differences, which were mainly observed during wet periods. Taken together, these results suggest that the construction of cascading dams enhances spatial differences in phytoplankton species richness, especially during periods of abundant water. In addition, environmental parameters such as water temperature, pH, and DO and TSR all support SDC predictions. In the future, we will continue to investigate this aquatic ecosystem to study more phytoplankton-related indices affected by the cascade damming, and hope to fully validate the SDC predictions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Phytoplankton species richness as an ecological indicator in a subtropical, human‐regulated, fragmented river

Wei

Yang

et al. 2022

River Research & Apps

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“…Some studies have been using functional diversity metrics as a measure of ecosystem functioning [55,80,81], as we did in this study. Indeed, we have evidenced that functional diversity is associated with primary production, an essential function provided by periphytic algal species in aquatic ecosystems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Diversity and Primary Production Predict Future Patterns of Periphyton Productivity after Species Extinction

et al. 2022

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Understanding of the trait-based ecology of the periphytic algal community has increased in the last decade. However, the relationship between their functional diversity and ecosystem functions, such as primary production, has been speculated on, but yet not proven. Human impacts promote changes in biotic communities leading to a risk of extinction, with consequences for the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we unraveled the associations between the taxonomic and functional components of periphytic algal diversity, stream eutrophication, and productivity patterns. Furthermore, we simulated future patterns of species extinction to predict how productivity may change when facing extinction. Primary production and taxonomic and functional diversity of the periphytic algal communities were estimated in five streams across a trophic gradient in the Ave River basin (northwest Portugal). Our results demonstrated that eutrophication led to a unimodal pattern of taxonomic diversity, while functional diversity tended to increase with increasing eutrophication. We found that only functional diversity had a positive association with primary production. The extinction estimations indicated that almost all species found in our study were at high extinction risk. When we spatially scaled our extinction simulations, we found poor-productive streams after the extirpation of a few species. However, at the regional scale, the ecosystem supports the extinction of at least 40% of species before turning into a poor-productive system. Intermediate levels of disturbance are probably beneficial for the diversity of periphytic algal communities, to a certain extent. Moreover, functionally diverse communities were more productive, and the alleged future extinction of species is likely to lead to poor-productive streams if regionally focused conservation initiatives are not implemented. We recommend that, using simulations of functional extinction, it is possible to infer how the loss of these microorganisms could alter ecosystem functioning, to better predict human impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

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“…More than 70,000 large dams have been built worldwide; approximately 70% of the world’s rivers are intercepted by large reservoirs, and this number will continue to increase in the foreseeable future ( Kummu and Varis, 2007 ; Maavara et al, 2015 ). Dams can cause changes in physical, chemical and biological aspects of the environment ( Castro et al, 2021 ). They have not only brought social and economic value to human beings, but have also changed the natural river ecological environment ( Humborg et al, 1997 ; Bednarek and Hart, 2005 ; Domingues et al, 2014 ; Chen et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of South-to-North Water Diversion Project Cascade Dams on Riparian Vegetation Along the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Hanjiang River, China

Yang

et al. 2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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The influence of the construction of dams for water diversion on the ecological environment has attracted recent widespread attention. Over time, dams have emerged as one of the most important factors affecting the vegetation along the riparian zones of rivers. To elucidate the effects of cascade dams on riparian vegetation along the middle and lower reaches of the Hanjiang River, we examined riparian vegetation types upstream and downstream from dams. A total of 14 sample sites and 131 quadrats perpendicular to the river were investigated in June 2019, and 14 sample sites and 134 quadrats were investigated in October 2019. The riparian vegetation was divided into 15 (in June) and 11 (in October) vegetation types by two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN). Significant differences were found between the vegetation types upstream and downstream of dams. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that soil moisture content, distance from the water, altitude and soil total nitrogen (TN) were the main environmental factors affecting plants distributions, and soil moisture content was the main factor affecting the zonal distribution of vegetation. By analyzing the impact of cascade dams on the hydrological regime, we found that the construction of cascade dams led to the differentiation of vegetation types upstream and downstream of the dam, and the riparian habitats were fragmented by these dams. This study provides both an important reference for the protection of riparian vegetation and riparian ecosystems and a basis for the management and restoration of river ecosystems after the construction of cascade dams.

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Dam promotes downriver functional homogenization of phytoplankton in a transitional river-reservoir system in Amazon

Cited by 15 publications

References 54 publications

Phytoplankton species richness as an ecological indicator in a subtropical, human‐regulated, fragmented river

Phytoplankton species richness as an ecological indicator in a subtropical, human‐regulated, fragmented river

Functional Diversity and Primary Production Predict Future Patterns of Periphyton Productivity after Species Extinction

Effects of South-to-North Water Diversion Project Cascade Dams on Riparian Vegetation Along the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Hanjiang River, China

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