People, pollution and pathogens – Global change impacts in mountain freshwater ecosystems

Abstract

Mountain catchments provide for the livelihood of more than half of humankind, and have become a key destination for tourist and recreation activities globally. Mountain ecosystems are generally considered to be less complex and less species diverse due to the harsh environmental conditions. As such, they are also more sensitive to the various impacts of the Anthropocene. For this reason, mountain regions may serve as sentinels of change and provide ideal ecosystems for studying climate and global change impacts on biodiversity. We here review different facets of anthropogenic impacts on mountain freshwater ecosystems. We put particular focus on micropollutants and their distribution and redistribution due to hydrological extremes, their direct influence on water quality and their indirect influence on ecosystem health via changes of freshwater species and their interactions. We show that those changes may drive pathogen establishment in new environments with harmful consequences for freshwater species, but also for the human population. Based on the reviewed literature, we recommend reconstructing the recent past of anthropogenic impact through sediment analyses, to focus efforts on small, but highly productive waterbodies, and to collect data on the occurrence and variability of microorganisms, biofilms, plankton species and key species, such as amphibians due to their bioindicator value for ecosystem health and water quality. The newly gained knowledge can then be used to develop a comprehensive framework of indicators to robustly inform policy and decision making on current and future risks for ecosystem health and human well-being.

Variability of Water Transit Time Distributions at the Strengbach Catchment (Vosges Mountains, France) Inferred Through Integrated Hydrological Modeling and Particle Tracking Algorithms

“…Mountainous headwater catchments are widely used for water supply and bring important services to the downstream part of rivers through the export of water and associated biogeochemical and sedimentary fluxes (e.g., [1,2]). Understanding streamflow generation processes and delineating the main flow pathways in mountainous catchments are thus critical for addressing issues related to sustainable water resources and ecosystem management (e.g., [3,4]).…”

An innovative model for environmental interpretation in freshwater ecosystems: the case of a solar-wind cruise through Lake Sanabria (NW Spain)

“…The impact of tourism activities in aquatic ecosystems are well documented (e.g. Free et al, 2014;Schmeller et al, 2018;Venohr et al, 2018); however, for this lake, concrete published data concerning the impact of tourists visiting the lake seems to be nonexistent. Consequently, it is impossible the promotion of efficient management plans to regulate the tourist flows.…”

Population dynamics of Rana sierrae at Dusy Basin: influence of non‐native predators, drought, and restoration potential

“…These changes include habitat loss and fragmentation, animal trade, the spread of diseases and pesticides, the movement and spread of non-native species, and climate change (Wake and Vredenburg 2008, Ceballos et al 2015, O'Hanlon et al 2018. The local extirpation of the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog (Rana sierrae) at more than 90% of historic sites throughout its range exemplifies the consequences of multiple anthropogenic stressors (Blaustein and Wake 1995, Drost and Fellers 1996, Fellers et al 2013, Schmeller et al 2018. Rana sierrae was once highly abundant in the Sierra Nevada mountains (Grinnell and Storer 1924).…”