How is ecosystem health defined and measured? A critical review of freshwater and estuarine studies

O’Brien, Allyson L.; Townsend, Kallie; Hale, Robin; Sharley, David; Pettigrove, Vincent

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.05.004

Cited by 125 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Fish are a major component of freshwater ecosystems, with healthy fish populations reflective of a healthy system (Durance et al, 2016;Lynch et al, 2016;O'Brien et al, 2016). Globally, freshwater fish populations have been severely impacted by human activities including direct overexploitation, pollution, habitat degradation, and habitat fragmentation which has resulted in severe reductions and, in certain cases, extirpation of fish populations and species (Arthington et al, 2016;Grill et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Swimming performance traits of twenty-one Australian fish species: a fish passage management tool for use in modified freshwater systems

Watson

Goodrich

Cramp

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Freshwater ecosystems have been severely fragmented by artificial in-stream structures designed to manage water for human use. Significant efforts have been made to reconnect freshwater systems for fish movement, through the design and installation of dedicated fish passage structures (fishways) and by incorporating fish-sensitive design features into conventional infrastructure (e.g. culverts). Key to the success of these structures is making sure that the water velocities within them do not exceed the swimming capacities of the local fish species. Swimming performance data is scarce for Australian fish, which have a reduced swimming capacity when compared to many North American and European species. To help close this knowledge gap and assist fisheries management and civil engineering, we report the swimming performance capacities of twenty-one small-bodied fish and juveniles (< 10 cm) of large bodied species native to Australia as measured by critical swimming speed (Ucrit) and burst swimming speed (Usprint) in a recirculating flume. This data is complemented by endurance swim trials in a 12-meter hydraulic flume channel, and by measures of flume traverse success. Building on the utility of this dataset, we used a panel of morphological, behavioural and ecological traits to first assess their relative contributions to the observed swimming performance data, and second, to determine if they could be used to predict swimming performance capacity -a useful tool to assist in the management of species of conservation concern where access to swimming performance data may be limited. We found that body length combined with depth station (benthic, pelagic or surface) explained most of the interspecific variation in observed swimming performance data, followed by body shape and tail shape. These three traits were the most effective at predicting swimming performance in a model/unknown fish. This data will assist civil engineers and fisheries managers in Australia to mitigate the impact of in-stream structures on local fish populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Swimming performance traits of twenty-one Australian fish species: a fish passage management tool for use in modified freshwater systems

Watson

Goodrich

Cramp

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies have shown that macroinvertebrate metrics, for example, can be effective indicators of combined impacts of geomorphic and hydrologic change (Besacier‐Monbertrand et al, ; Dolédec et al, ; Dunbar et al, ). Use of taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional trait metrics—as recently proposed by (van Looy et al, )—and metrics representing ecosystem function (e.g., primary productivity; O'Brien et al, ) can help link abiotic outcomes of coupled approaches to expected ecosystem responses. As no single metric can represent complex riverine processes and interactions, multimetric assessments and indices can be used to capture different processes and functions (Einheuser et al, ; van Looy et al, ).…”

Section: Elements Of Coupled Approaches Are Emergent In the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Coupling landscapes and river flows to restore highly modified rivers

Whipple

Viers

2019

Water Resources Research

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Modifications to landscapes and flow regimes of rivers have altered the function, biodiversity, and productivity of freshwater ecosystems globally. Reestablishing geomorphological and hydrological conditions necessary to sustain ecosystems is a central challenge for restoration within highly altered systems. Meeting this challenge requires simultaneously addressing multiple and interacting stressors within the context of irreversible changes and socio-economic constraints. Traditionally, river restoration approaches either physically change the landscape or channel (channel-floodplain manipulation) or adjust hydrology (environmental flows), and such actions are often independent. We juxtapose these two subfields of river restoration, which have undergone parallel transformations, from goals of reproducing static representations of form and flow regime to goals of reestablishing processes. The parallel transformations have generated shared ideas, which point to benefits of coupling channel-floodplain manipulation and environmental flow actions to achieve process-based goals. Such coupling supports comprehensive river restoration efforts aimed at supporting resilient ecosystems within human dominated landscapes in a nonstationary climate. We identify four elements of coupled approaches for restoring highly modified rivers:(1) identify physical and ecological process potential given interactive effects of altered landscapes and flows;(2) consider capacity for sustaining identified processes under potential future change; (3) model alternatives for coupled restoration actions to support identified processes; and (4) evaluate alternatives using metrics representing integrative effects of coupled actions. We suggest these emergent elements contribute to the development of standard practices for restoring highly modified rivers and encourage an increasing number and quality of coupled applications.

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“…Structural metrics are widely used in aquatic ecology and toxicology to evaluate water quality and biological integrity in aquatic ecosystems. Indeed, most studies aimed at distinguishing outcomes of anthropogenic stressors at a population/ecosystem level use structural indicators to determine toxicological effects (O'Brien et al ). This is primarily because they are easy to measure, with most requiring limited resources, person power, and/or technical expertise.…”

Section: Ecosystem Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of functional metrics to evaluate ecosystem integrity has been relatively limited in the field of ecotoxicology. Although certain indicators of function (e.g., leaf‐litter decomposition) have been extensively studied in relation to chemical contamination and anthropogenic pressure (Freedman and Hutchinson ; Rasmussen et al ), a large number of ecotoxicological studies have exclusively concentrated on using structural metrics to assess ecosystem integrity (O'Brien et al ). This is primarily because of the expense and manpower required for functional indicator measurement, the high rate of variability (plus the associated required large numbers of biological samples) often associated with measurement of functional response (Crossey and La Point ), and the functional redundancy that can exist within an ecosystem (Rosenfeld ).…”

Section: Ecosystem Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do we take the pulse of an aquatic ecosystem? Current and historical approaches to measuring ecosystem integrity

Maloney

2019

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Global environmental monitoring has indicated that the structure and function of some aquatic ecosystems has been significantly altered by human activities. There are many potential causes for these changes; however, one major concern is the increasing release of anthropogenic contaminants into aquatic environments. Although toxicological responses of individual organisms are typically well characterized, few studies have focused on characterizing toxicity at the ecosystem level. In fact, because of their scale and complexity, changes in ecosystem integrity are rarely considered in assessments of risks to ecosystems. This work attempts to move the conversation forward by defining integrity of ecosystems, reviewing current and historical approaches to measuring ecosystem integrity status (e.g., structural and functional measurements), and highlighting methods that could significantly contribute to the field of ecosystem toxicology (e.g., keystone species, environmental energetics, ecotoxicological modeling, and adverse outcome pathways [AOPs]). Through a critical analysis of current and historical methodologies, the present study offers a comprehensive, conceptual framework for the assessment of risks of contaminant exposure for whole ecosystems and proposes steps to facilitate better diagnoses of the integrity of aquatic systems. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:289-301. C 2018 SETAC Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2019;38:289-301-E.M. Maloney C 2018 SETAC wileyonlinelibrary.com/ETC

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How is ecosystem health defined and measured? A critical review of freshwater and estuarine studies

Cited by 125 publications

References 66 publications

Swimming performance traits of twenty-one Australian fish species: a fish passage management tool for use in modified freshwater systems

Swimming performance traits of twenty-one Australian fish species: a fish passage management tool for use in modified freshwater systems

Coupling landscapes and river flows to restore highly modified rivers

How do we take the pulse of an aquatic ecosystem? Current and historical approaches to measuring ecosystem integrity

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