The importance of small waterbodies for biodiversity and ecosystem services: implications for policy makers

Biggs, Jeremy; Fumetti, Stefanie von; Kelly‐Quinn, Mary

doi:10.1007/s10750-016-3007-0

Cited by 372 publications

(284 citation statements)

References 195 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

274

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Understanding the ecological and socio-ecological value of artificial aquatic systems requires that we understand their extent and distribution, their physical and chemical condition and how they relate to biotic communities, and the range of ecosystem services that they provide, but considerable uncertainty surrounds all of these characteristics [8]. Artificial aquatic systems are likely to be ecologically important, due to their extent, which may rival that of natural drainage systems and waterbodies.…”

Section: The Ecological Significance Of Artificial Aquatic Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within this inventory, the remaining degraded "natural" streams, and even perhaps "natural" streams in good condition as well, likely occupy less length than artificial channels. Known lengths of "natural" streams, especially ephemeral and intermittent ones, likewise underestimate their extent [8]. [46], and Leopold [42].…”

Section: Deliberately Modified Waterbodiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Water quality of artificial aquatic systems such as ditches responds to catchment land use in much the same way as that of waterbodies of natural origin [8,98], and agricultural land cover impacts reservoirs food webs [99]. In the Salt River in Arizona, level of urbanization explained much of the …”

Section: Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Available evidence suggests that setting does exert a strong and often overwhelming influence on artificial waterbodies, and that these effects are similar to those observed in natural systems. Water quality of artificial aquatic systems such as ditches responds to catchment land use in much the same way as that of waterbodies of natural origin [8,98], and agricultural land cover impacts reservoirs food webs [99]. In the Salt River in Arizona, level of urbanization explained much of the variance in communities of plants, birds, non-avian reptiles, and amphibians, for reference, restored, and accidentally restored river reaches alike [15].…”

Section: Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Artificial Aquatic Ecosystems

Clifford

Heffernan

2018

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:As humans increasingly alter the surface geomorphology of the Earth, a multitude of artificial aquatic systems have appeared, both deliberately and accidentally. Human modifications to the hydroscape range from alteration of existing waterbodies to construction of new ones. The extent of these systems makes them important and dynamic components of modern landscapes, but their condition and provisioning of ecosystem services by these systems are underexplored, and likely underestimated. Instead of accepting that artificial ecosystems have intrinsically low values, environmental scientists should determine what combination of factors, including setting, planning and construction, subsequent management and policy, and time, impact the condition of these systems. Scientists, social scientists, and policymakers should more thoroughly evaluate whether current study and management of artificial aquatic systems is based on the actual ecological condition of these systems, or judged differently, due to artificiality, and consider resultant possible changes in goals for these systems. The emerging recognition and study of artificial aquatic systems presents an exciting and important opportunity for science and society.

show abstract

Section: The Ecological Significance Of Artificial Aquatic Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Deliberately Modified Waterbodiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Artificial Aquatic Ecosystems

Clifford

Heffernan

2018

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Ponds are dynamic habitats that support significant biological diversity and provide important ecosystem services globally (Hill et al in review;Biggs et al 2017;Stewart et al 2017;Vad et al 2017). There has been a significant increase in research attention directed towards pond habitats and their biota in recent years (Cereghino et al 2014), yet the majority of studies have focussed on ecological communities among ponds in rural and agricultural landscapes (e.g., Usio et al 2013;De Marco Jr et al 2014;Simaika et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community heterogeneity of aquatic macroinvertebrates in urban ponds at a multi-city scale

et al. 2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Urbanisation is a leading cause of biotic homogenisation in urban ecosystems. However, there has been little research examining the effect of urbanisation and biotic homogenisation on aquatic communities, and few studies have compared findings across different urban landscapes. We assessed the processes that structure aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity within five UK cities and characterise the heterogeneity of pond macroinvertebrate communities within and among urban areas. Methods A total of 132 ponds were sampled for invertebrates to characterise biological communities of ponds across five UK cities. Variation among sites within cities, and variation among urban settlements, was partitioned into components of beta diversity relating to turnover and nestedness.Results We recorded 337 macroinvertebrate taxa, and species turnover almost entirely accounted for the high beta-diversity recorded within each urban area and when all ponds were considered. A total of 40% of all macroinvertebrates recorded were unique to a particular urban settlement. In contrast to the homogenisation of terrestrial and lotic communities in urban landscapes reported in the literature, ponds support highly heterogeneous communities within and among urban settlements. Conclusions The high species turnover (species replacement) recorded in this study demonstrates that urban pond biodiversity conservation would be most 123Landscape Ecol (2018) 33:389-405 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-018-0608-1 efficient at a landscape-scale, rather than at the individual ponds scale. Pond conservation practices need to consider the spatial organization of ecological communities (landscape-scale) to ensure that the maximum possible biodiversity can be protected.

show abstract

Co‐design of a citizen science study: Unlocking the potential of eDNA for volunteer freshwater monitoring

Clarke,

Long,

Biggs

et al. 2023

Ecol Sol and Evidence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Citizen science is increasingly being promoted as a means of gathering more data to help inform the management of ecosystems. Involving the participants in the design of data collection activities is a form of co‐design often proposed by those calling for a translational ecology. In addition, novel monitoring approaches have the potential to improve the quality of data collected by citizen scientists. We explored the potential of environmental DNA (eDNA) for vertebrate (mainly fish) species monitoring through a co‐designed catchment monitoring strategy. Having been introduced to the potential of eDNA, citizen scientists designed and executed an eDNA‐based survey of a small chalk stream catchment to explore questions of concern. The eDNA survey provided data about fish and other vertebrate diversity in the catchment which would have otherwise required sampling approaches difficult for citizen scientists. These data give a preliminary answer to some of the citizen scientists' priority questions and are comparable to fish data collected through traditional electrofishing surveys. Recommendations are offered for co‐design and the use of novel research techniques by citizen scientists.

show abstract

The importance of small waterbodies for biodiversity and ecosystem services: implications for policy makers

Cited by 372 publications

References 195 publications

Artificial Aquatic Ecosystems

Artificial Aquatic Ecosystems

Community heterogeneity of aquatic macroinvertebrates in urban ponds at a multi-city scale

Co‐design of a citizen science study: Unlocking the potential of eDNA for volunteer freshwater monitoring

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About