Ecological Models to Infer the Quantitative Relationship between Land Use and the Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Community

Abstract

Land-use changes influence the ecological water quality. In spite of this knowledge, land-use information is often missing in ecological water quality studies. Therefore, in the present research, we selected 39 peer-reviewed model-based scientific papers that study the relationship between land use and aquatic macroinvertebrates. From the selected papers, we found that certain water bodies responded more to local land use, while other water bodies were more likely to be affected by catchment land use. Hence, combined land-use information from both the local scale and the catchment scale will provide a better understanding of the impact of land-use changes on the ecological water quality. To gain this knowledge, efforts need to be taken to acquire land-use information from field observations and remote sensing or a geographic information system (GIS) data source. Furthermore, we concluded on the benefits of using models to better understand the relationship between the ecological water quality and environmental variables. Depending on the aim of the study and the nature of the data, researchers can select the most suitable model to ensure fast analysis.

Effects of Land Use on Stream Water Quality in the Rapidly Urbanized Areas: A Multiscale Analysis

“…To explore the spatial scale effects of land use on water quality, two kinds of buffer scales were utilized, i.e., the riparian buffer zone along a specific stream and the circular buffer zone around the sampling point. In the literature, the buffer extent (width or radius) generally ranges from 50 to 1000 m, even 2000 m, according to the topography or sampling density in a case-specific manner, and the intervals between neighboring buffer zones are usually 50 to 100 m [28,41,42]. In this study, a series of buffers with varying widths/radiuses were tested to screen the optimal buffering schema.…”

Regression Tree Analysis for Stream Biological Indicators Considering Spatial Autocorrelation

“…In this study, two buffer scales were selected based on the sampling points to investigate the impact of green and urban areas and topographical variables on biological indicators. Multiple different scales have been used in previous studies [ 38 , 75 ]. Generally, the effectiveness of the riparian buffer improves with an increase in the buffer width, but various landscaping indicators have been reported to have different effects at different scales [ 76 ].…”

“…However, specifying buffer widths is challenging because the buffer scale typically used varies depending on topography, geology, hydrology, rainfall intensity, and vegetation type [ 37 ]. Additionally, the responses of stream ecosystems to anthropogenic modification (e.g., land use, subsurface modification, groundwater abstraction, stream channelization, and damming) depends on the modification types and scales [ 38 , 39 ]. Thus, buffer widths might need to be determined based on the specific response (e.g., water availability, productivity, water quality, the composition of species, microclimate regulation, habitat loss, flow regime) and scale (e.g., catchment scale, landscape scale, segment scale) of the stream ecosystem.…”

“…Thus, buffer widths might need to be determined based on the specific response (e.g., water availability, productivity, water quality, the composition of species, microclimate regulation, habitat loss, flow regime) and scale (e.g., catchment scale, landscape scale, segment scale) of the stream ecosystem. Damanik-Ambarita et al [ 38 ] conducted an extensive review about the various riparian and catchment scales used in previous studies as a part of a study in exploring the quantitative relationship between land use and the aquatic macroinvertebrate community in previous studies. According to their study, the scale of the riparian buffer used in previous studies is ranging from 30 to 5000 m width (or radius) [ 40 , 41 , 42 ].…”

Advances in Ecological Water System Modeling: Integration and Leanification as a Basis for Application in Environmental Management

“…Integrated ecological models can support environmental management and policy development in various ways. These models provide insights into water-related disease control [4], assessments of environmental impact of wastewater and combined sewer overflows [5], wastewater treatment selection [6] and improvement [7], ecosystem services analysis [8,9], effects of land use on water quality [10] and aquatic community composition [11], as well as ecological water quality [12], determination of habitat restoration projects [13,14], distribution prediction and control of invasive species [15], integration of ecological insights into flood mitigation [16], and flow control related to reservoir management [17]. Moreover, models can be used for exploration purposes [18] and trade-off analysis [19], and environmental impact assessment [20] to inspire stakeholders and to support decision-making for policy developers.…”