Streams and riparian forests depend on each other: A review with a special focus on microbes

Tolkkinen, Mari J.; Heino, Jani; Ahonen, Saija; Lehosmaa, Kaisa; Mykrä, Heikki

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2020.117962

Cited by 52 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 319 publications

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“…These previous results are parallel to our novel findings from the large nationwide assessment dataset. One explanation for why the importance of adjacent forests depends on river size is that small streams are more strongly associated with the riparian zone than large rivers (Allan and Castillo 2007); therefore, small streams are more likely to suffer from anthropogenic changes in the riparian zone (Tolkkinen et al 2020). Catchment-scale pressures in larger Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Riparian Forest Cover to the Ecological Status of Agricultural Streams in a Nationwide Assessment

Tolkkinen

Vaarala

Aroviita

2021

Water Resour Manage

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Forested riparian corridors are a key management solution for halting the global trend of declining ecological status of freshwater ecosystems. There is an increasing body of evidence related to the efficacy of these corridors at the local scale, but knowledge is inadequate concerning the effectiveness of riparian forests in terms of protecting streams from harmful impacts across larger scales. In this study, nationwide assessment results comprising more than 900 river water bodies in Finland were used to examine the importance of adjacent land use to river ecological status estimates. Random forest models and partial dependence functions were used to quantify the independent effect of adjacent land use on river ecological status after accounting for the effects of other factors. The proportion of adjacent forested land along a river had the strongest independent positive effect on ecological status for small to medium size rivers that were in agricultural landscapes. Ecological quality increased by almost one status class when the adjacent forest cover increased from 10 to 60%. In contrast, for large rivers, adjacent forested land did not show an independent positive effect on ecological status. This study has major implications for managing river basins to achieve the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) goal of obtaining good ecological status of rivers. The results from the nationwide assessment demonstrate that forested riparian zones can have an independent positive effect on the ecological status of rivers, indicating the importance of riparian forests in mitigating the impacts of catchment-level stressors. Therefore, forested buffer zones should be more strongly considered as part of river basin management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Riparian Forest Cover to the Ecological Status of Agricultural Streams in a Nationwide Assessment

Tolkkinen

Vaarala

Aroviita

2021

Water Resour Manage

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“…Streams and riparian forests are, thus, tightly linked by double transfer of energy and matter (e.g. plant litter flows from the vegetation to the streams, while adult invertebrates flow in the opposite direction) (Marks, 2019;Tolkkinen et al, 2020). Therefore, streams are highly sensitive to forest changes, including changes in tree species composition (Chauvet et al, 2016;Ferreira et al, 2016a).…”

Section: The Invasion Of Temperate Deciduous Broadleaf Forests Bymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…submerged roots, branches and logs); it stabilizes the banks, limiting erosion and the input of fine sediments; and it also buffers the impact of human activities, such as forestry, agriculture or urbanization, on streams (e.g. by reducing the input of nutrients and pesticides) (Cummins et al, 1989;Wenger, 1999;Dosskey et al, 2010;Tolkkinen et al, 2020). However, given their position in the interface between the aquatic and terrestrial environments, riparian forests are one of the most susceptible habitats to species invasions, especially in landscapes highly disturbed by human activities (Pyšek et al, 2010), and are listed among the most invaded habitats (Richardson et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasion of temperate deciduous broadleaf forests by N‐fixing tree species – consequences for stream ecosystems

et al. 2021

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Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Forest invasion by alien woody species can have cross-ecosystem effects. This is especially relevant in the case of stream-riparian forest meta-ecosystems as forest streams depend strongly on riparian vegetation for carbon, nutrients and energy. Forest invasion by woody species with dissimilar characteristics from native species may be particularly troublesome. The invasion of temperate deciduous broadleaf forests with low representation of nitrogen (N)-fixing species by N-fixers has the potential to induce ecosystem changes at the stream level. Although effects of tree invasion on stream ecosystems have been under assessed, knowledge of native and invasive tree characteristics allows prediction of invasion effects on streams. Here we present a conceptual model to predict the review of the literature addressing effects of increasing cover of N-fixing species on streams suggests a wide application of the model, while it highlights the need to consider differences in the type of system and species when making generalizations. Changes induced by N-fixing species invasion on streams can jeopardize multiple ecosystem services (e.g. good quality water, hydroelectricity, leisure activities), with relevant social and economic consequences.

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“…Restoring and maintaining natural vegetation in riparian zones will provide buffer zones where nutrients can infiltrate in the soil and be used by the terrestrial vegetation, and thereby reduce losses to the water bodies (Turunen et al 2019). Riparian zones also have many important ecological functions (Tolkkinen et al 2020).…”

Section: Anthropogenic Activities That Impact Water Quality In Nordicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential impacts of a future Nordic bioeconomy on surface water quality

Marttila

Lepistö

Tolvanen

et al. 2020

Ambio

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Nordic water bodies face multiple stressors due to human activities, generating diffuse loading and climate change. The ‘green shift’ towards a bio-based economy poses new demands and increased pressure on the environment. Bioeconomy-related pressures consist primarily of more intensive land management to maximise production of biomass. These activities can add considerable nutrient and sediment loads to receiving waters, posing a threat to ecosystem services and good ecological status of surface waters. The potential threats of climate change and the ‘green shift’ highlight the need for improved understanding of catchment-scale water and element fluxes. Here, we assess possible bioeconomy-induced pressures on Nordic catchments and associated impacts on water quality. We suggest measures to protect water quality under the ‘green shift’ and propose ‘road maps’ towards sustainable catchment management. We also identify knowledge gaps and highlight the importance of long-term monitoring data and good models to evaluate changes in water quality, improve understanding of bioeconomy-related impacts, support mitigation measures and maintain ecosystem services.

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Streams and riparian forests depend on each other: A review with a special focus on microbes

Cited by 52 publications

References 319 publications

The Importance of Riparian Forest Cover to the Ecological Status of Agricultural Streams in a Nationwide Assessment

The Importance of Riparian Forest Cover to the Ecological Status of Agricultural Streams in a Nationwide Assessment

Invasion of temperate deciduous broadleaf forests by N‐fixing tree species – consequences for stream ecosystems

Potential impacts of a future Nordic bioeconomy on surface water quality

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