Effects of Disturbance on River Food Webs

Wootton, J. Timothy; Parker, Michael S.; Power, Mary E.

doi:10.1126/science.273.5281.1558

Cited by 329 publications

(305 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In addition to debris recruitment, large floods probably provide a number of additional ecological benefits to streams and riparian areas, including stimulating recruitment of aquatic fauna, maintenance of habitat heterogeneity and providing pulses of biologically important material that stimulate productivity (Michener and Haeuber, 1998). This is consistent with the growing recognition that diverse natural hydrological regimes are important in controlling the structure and function of stream ecosystems (Decamps et al, 1995;Gore and Shields, 1995;Stanford et al, 1996;Wootton et al, 1996;Richter et al, 1997). While large floods are infrequent, and thus unpredictable events, their occurrence can be linked to long-term variations in climate.…”

Section: Factors Influencing Debris Recruitment and Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 65%

Large wood debris recruitment on differing riparian landforms along a Gulf Coastal Plain (USA) stream: a comparison of large floods and average flows

Golladay

Battle

Palik

2007

River Research & Apps

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In southeastern Coastal Plain streams, wood debris can be very abundant and is recruited from extensive forested floodplains. Despite importance of wood debris, there have been few opportunities to examine recruitment and redistribution of wood in an undisturbed setting, particularly in the southeastern Coastal Plain. Following extensive flooding in 1994, measurements of individual downed trees (species, dbh, orientation, distance from base-flow channel and condition) were made across replicated riparian landforms in a Gulf Coastal Plain 5th-order stream. Annually, the fate of these trees was determined and newly recruited trees were noted. More than 300 downed trees have been recorded. Recruitment varied across landforms with more constrained reaches having greatest mortality. Total tree mortality varied substantially across years. Generally, tree recruitment was greatest in years with substantial floods (1994 and 1998). For each riparian landform type, tree mortality was correlated with the maximum daily flow during the period preceding annual debris surveys. This relationship was particularly strong for sand ridges (r 2 ¼ 0.942) and low terraces (r 2 ¼ 0.915), but was significant for floodplains (r 2 ¼ 0.413). Greatest rates of debris recruitment per maximum daily flow were observed for sand ridges followed by low terraces. Flood characteristics also influenced debris recruitment. The 1994 flood was caused by a tropical storm and resulted in a rapid rise in streamflow. Much of the debris recruited during this flood was from toppled trees and was oriented parallel to the stream channel. In contrast, the 1998 flood was preceded by a wetter than average winter with more gradually rising flows and there was no relationship between riparian landform and debris characteristics. These results indicate that wood recruitment dynamics in Coastal Plain streams are complex. Wood recruitment rates are controlled by cyclical variations in climate interacting with riparian geomorphology. Infrequent high flows appear critical in the maintenance of the instream debris pool.

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Section: Factors Influencing Debris Recruitment and Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 65%

Large wood debris recruitment on differing riparian landforms along a Gulf Coastal Plain (USA) stream: a comparison of large floods and average flows

Golladay

Battle

Palik

2007

River Research & Apps

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“…Erosion reduces abundance (Wooton et al 1996) and affects feeding types of caddisflies (Gurtz & Wallace 1984;Smith-Cuffney & Wallace 1987). Despite their high channel diversity (and thus total habitat diversity), in the most impacted streams (sites 4 and 5) we recorded, reduced taxonomic and functional diversity and equitability; the most likely explanation is the increased amount of fine sediment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Caddisflies (Trichoptera) as good indicators of environmental stress in mountain lotic ecosystems

2014

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Abstract:We analysed the influence of environmental stress (mainly deforestation of catchment due to windstorm) on taxonomic structure as well as composition of functional groups (FG) based on zonation preferences and feeding types of caddisfly species in 11 streams (12 sites) with various environmental conditions situated in the High Tatra Mts, Slovakia. Using Spearman correlation, we confirmed an expected positive association between taxonomic and functional groups richness (Ri), diversity (Shannon -Wiener Index) (Di) and equitability (Eq), but not with habitat diversity (HQA indices). By testing measured physiographical, physico-chemical and hydromorphological factors using CCA analysis we found that stream order and temperature best explained the functional and taxonomic structure of caddisfly assemblages. The occurrence of Rhyacophila glareosa decreased with increasing daily mean water temperature positively correlated with deforestation, whereas R. tristis (dominating at sites most affected by erosion) showed the opposite pattern. Composition of functional groups based on zonation preferences and feeding types distinguished well near natural sites from impacted ones, dominated by crenal/rhithral predators, and explained more of the overall variance of the species-environment relationships than taxonomic composition of caddisfly assemblages.

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“…The timing of R. boylii's complex life history is synchronized with the seasonality of runoff during the predictable cycle of wet winters and dry summers occurring across its range in California and Oregon (Kupferberg 1996;Lind and Welsh in revision). The success of this strategy to avoid flood mortality and maximize opportunities for larval growth is disrupted in regulated rivers when pulsed flow discharges are de-coupled from the physical and biological factors that normally vary with runoff, such as air temperature, precipitation, and the abundance of algae (Power 1992;Wootton et al 1996). These factors are important determinants of when the transitions from one amphibian life stage to the next occur.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Velocity Tolerance in Tadpoles of the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog (Rana boylii): Swimming Performance, Growth, and Survival

Kupferberg¹,

Lind²,

Thill³

et al. 2011

Copeia

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Effects of Disturbance on River Food Webs

Cited by 329 publications

References 23 publications

Large wood debris recruitment on differing riparian landforms along a Gulf Coastal Plain (USA) stream: a comparison of large floods and average flows

Large wood debris recruitment on differing riparian landforms along a Gulf Coastal Plain (USA) stream: a comparison of large floods and average flows

Caddisflies (Trichoptera) as good indicators of environmental stress in mountain lotic ecosystems

Water Velocity Tolerance in Tadpoles of the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog (Rana boylii): Swimming Performance, Growth, and Survival

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