Environmental Impact of Stream Channelization1

Duvel, William A.; Volkmar, Robert D.; Specht, W.L.; Johnson, Fred W.

doi:10.1111/j.1752-1688.1976.tb02747.x

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…These authors interpret differences caused by the morphological changes of the river bottom as the reason for general reduction of habitat diversity. Other studies (Duvel et al 1976;Whitaker et al 1979;Bloesch et al 1998), however, did not reveal any differences between assemblages of channelized and unchannelized stretches. However, these works concern rather small streams without any specific bankside habitats.…”

Section: Habitat Diversity and The Role Of Natural Banksmentioning

confidence: 74%

Impact of reservoirs and channelization on lowland river macroinvertebrates: A case study from Central Europe

et al. 2009

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In order to assess and compare the ecological impacts of channelization and shallow lowland reservoirs, macroinvertebrate communities of a lowland metapotamal river below reservoirs with epilimnial release were studied. The study was carried out in the Dyje River (Czech Republic) at five sites located from 1.5 to 22.5 km downstream of the reservoir outfall. The five sites differed in the degree of channel modification from natural muddy banks to riprap regulation. Seven samples were collected during the years 1998 and 1999 at each site using a semiquantitative method. The data were processed using multivariate analyses and methods for assessing the ecological and functional structure of communities. Altogether, 261 species of benthic macroinvertebrates were recorded including several rare and threatened taxa. Based on the results of principal component analysis (PCA), most of the variability within the species data (the first PCA axis) was explained by the degree of channel modification, from natural muddy banks with aquatic vegetation to a man-made riprap. The second axis was strongly correlated with current velocity. The sites differed in species richness, total abundances, proportion of individual functional feeding groups, pattern of the distribution of the current preference groups, and values of several biotic indexes, all of which also corresponded to the degree of channel modification. Thus, the morphological man-made modifications of the river channel were found to be the main factor affecting lowland river macroinvertebrates and their biodiversity. Our results suggest that the biggest threat to benthic macroinvertebrate diversity of lowland rivers comes from channelization. The impact of reservoirs can be completely overwhelmed by the impact of channelization, especially when muddy banks with aquatic vegetation present a substantial part of habitat diversity and significantly contribute to the total species pool.

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Section: Habitat Diversity and The Role Of Natural Banksmentioning

confidence: 74%

Impact of reservoirs and channelization on lowland river macroinvertebrates: A case study from Central Europe

et al. 2009

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“…The period required for recolonization of disturbed substrates usually depends on the severity and duration of the disturbance, and the availability of sources of recolonization (Cairns et al, 1971). Most substrates recolonize quite rapidly with no long-term deleterious effects on periphyton orbenthic macroinvertebrates, achieving the undisturbed diversity and density within a year or less (Hynes, 1970;Waters, 1972;Barber & Hevern, 1973;Duvel et al, 1976;Whitaker, McCuen, & Brush, 1979).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroinvertebrate colonization of replacement substrate below a hypolimnial release reservoir

Boles¹

1981

Hydrobiologia

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Loss of substrate from occasional high flows below reservoirs on the Trinity River prompted government agencies to replace the gravels to protect the anadromous fisheries resource. Several riffles were restored using 2.5 to Io cm gravels. Three of these and two natural riffles, with gravels ranging up to 20 cm, were surveyed over a two-year period to determine the effect of this gravel replacement on the macroinvertebrate fauna. Replaced gravels were too small to support the diversity of organisms found on natural riffle gravels. In addition, temperature alteration by the hypolimnial release reservoir prevented colonization by all but a few organisms able to tolerate such conditions in the riffles below the dam. Large but unstable populations of Simulium, Baetis, and the Chironominae developed below the dam, aided by an abundant periphyton and detrital food supply and lack of competition and predation. It is concluded that habitat diversity through the use of a range of gravel sizes up to the size naturally found in productive riffles should be used in riffle restoration projects in order to increase habitat complexity, species diversity, density, and biomass important in maintaining fishery stocks.

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“…In some situations, however, channelization has had only small long-term effects (Duvel et al, 1976). Management regimes involving repeated disturbance by dredging, plant cutting and the use of herbicides along man-made drainage channels and navigation canals consistently induced changes, albeit small ones, in vegetation composition (Wade and Edwards, 1980;Murphy et al, 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exotic and native vegetation establishment following channelization of a western Iberian river

Aguiar¹,

Ferreira²,

Moreira³

2001

Regul. Rivers: Res. Mgmt.

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Channelization is often a major cause of human impacts on river systems. It affects both hydrogeomorphic features and habitat characteristics and potentially impacts riverine flora and fauna. Human-disturbed fluvial ecosystems also appear to be particularly vulnerable to exotic plant establishment. Following a 12-year recovery period, the distribution, composition and cover of both exotic and native plant species were studied along a Portuguese lowland river segment, which had been subjected to resectioning, straightening and two-stage bank reinforcement, and were compared with those of a nearby, less impacted segment. The species distribution was also related to environmental data. Species richness and floristic composition in the channelized river segment were found to be similar to those at the more 'natural' river sites. Floral differences were primarily consistent with the dominance of cover by certain species. However, there were significant differences in exotic and native species richness and cover between the 'natural' corridor and the channelized segment, which was more susceptible to invasion by exotic perennial taxa, such as Eryngium pandanifolium, Paspalum paspalodes, Tradescantia fluminensis and Acacia dealbata. Factorial and canonical correspondence analyses revealed considerable patchiness in the distribution of species assemblages. The latter were associated with small differences in substrate composition and their own relative position across the banks and along the river segments in question. Data was also subjected to an unweighted pair-group arithmetic average clustering, and the Indicator Value methodology was applied to selected cluster noda in order to obtain significant indicator species.

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Environmental Impact of Stream Channelization1

Cited by 19 publications

References 3 publications

Impact of reservoirs and channelization on lowland river macroinvertebrates: A case study from Central Europe

Impact of reservoirs and channelization on lowland river macroinvertebrates: A case study from Central Europe

Macroinvertebrate colonization of replacement substrate below a hypolimnial release reservoir

Exotic and native vegetation establishment following channelization of a western Iberian river

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