Type-specific reference conditions of fluvial landscapes: A search in the past by 3D-reconstruction

River/floodplain restoration programs are often based on type-specific reference conditions of the respective river section. Most large rivers in the industrialized world are heavily degraded and lack near-natural reference sites. For that reason, historical analyses of the pre-channelization state have been used to define adequate restoration targets at the Austrian Danube section in the Alluvial Zone National Park downstream from Vienna. This study compares new reference data derived from 3D-reconstructions in the form of digital terrain models from two historical Danube river landscapes: the Machland floodplain in 1812 and the former floodplain in Vienna in 1849. The focus is on the original hydrological surface and subsurface connectivity of the river-floodplain systems related to different flow situations. Here, we use water cover, shorelines, depth of the groundwater table and inundation depth as surrogates for measuring connectivity. The results show that the two study sites naturally constituted extreme formations of the Austrian anabranching Danube sections. The Machland section was one of the narrowest floodplains but highly dynamic, and the Vienna/Lobau section was one of the broadest, whereby only the central part close to the main channel originally showed high morphological turnover. The analyses of hydrological surface connectivity relative to total floodplain extension reveal significant differences due to their basic geological and geographical conditions. Despite these basic differences, both study sites – in absolute numbers – showed similar extensions of the water bodies at low and mean flow. The depths of the groundwater table related to mean flow were also comparable. Prior to channelization, the groundwater conditions in both floodplains favored the formation of wet to moist alluvial forest communities.     

Impacts of fishing by dewatering on fish assemblages of tropical floodplain wetlands: A matter of frequency and context

Tropical floodplain wetlands and the fish communities they support are subject to great pressure from human demands for water and aquatic living resources. In densely populated agricultural areas where such pressures are greatest, floodplain wetlands may be dewatered for the dual purpose of crop irrigation and fish harvesting. Viewed as highly destructive to fish communities, the practice is widely discouraged but remains common. We investigated the impacts of dewatering on fish abundance and assemblage structure in permanent floodplain wetlands of the lower Mekong region. Draining was carried out only in wetlands where access for fishing and water withdrawal was exclusive to individual households or groups, and where fishing was restricted to draining events. Subsequently, the impacts of draining were found to be equivalent to those of intensive fishing, rather than entirely catastrophic. Many wetlands were drained and fished repeatedly in a single dry season, with catches declining by 72% on average between consecutive events. Species richness and mean length of fish also declined with consecutive dewatering events. Fish biomass was higher in drained wetlands prior to the first and second draining events than in open access, non-drained wetlands. These surprising results suggest that draining of floodplain wetlands is not as fundamentally destructive to fish populations as is often assumed. Where fishing pressure under open access conditions is high, allocation of exclusive rights to fish and dewater wetlands can aid fish conservation as long as dewatering is carried out only once.     

The contribution of motorway stormwater retention ponds to the biodiversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates

Biodiversity conservation does predominantly focus on protected natural areas, but has to consider also the usually Human-dominated matrix in which these natural areas are embedded. Here we study highway stormwater retention ponds, which may act as refuges for native flora and fauna and contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity in Human-dominated landscapes. However, the biodiversity supported by such artificial ponds has received little attention so far. Using standardised methods, we addressed the potential role of highway stormwater ponds as refuges by comparing aquatic macroinvertebrate communities (Coleoptera, Heteroptera, Odonata and Gastropoda) in highway stormwater ponds with ponds in the wider landscape. As expected from their pollutant retention function, highway ponds differed in abiotic conditions from surrounding ponds. However, they supported aquatic macroinvertebrate communities at least as rich and diverse at the family level as surrounding ponds and exhibited similar variability in family community composition and structure. The main difference we observed was a higher abundance of small and/or short-lived invertebrates in the highway ponds. These similar community compositions and structures suggest that highway ponds contribute to the biodiversity of the pond network at a regional scale. Thus, road practitioners should consider highway ponds not only for their hydrological and pollutant retaining purposes but also as a possibility to increase the role of highway verges as a refuge and, consequently, landscape connectivity. The management of these water bodies should recognise their potential for biodiversity especially in Human-dominated landscapes.     

Insights into Human Impacts on Streams from Tolerance Profiles of Macroinvertebrate Assemblages

We present the concept of assemblage tolerance profiles (ATPs) as an aid to freshwater bioassessment, and illustrate it with a practical example. An ATP describes the proportion of taxa in an observed assemblage that is estimated to tolerate each level of a specific stressor within a defined range. We used an extensive compilation of biomonitoring field data to estimate the lower tolerances for pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) of common families of macroinvertebrates in rivers of south-eastern Australia. These limits were then used to establish ATPs for macroinvertebrate assemblages at 30 sites across six river systems with varying levels of exposure to drainage from disused mines and discharges from sewage treatment plants. We hypothesised that sites with more exposure to mine drainage would have ATPs indicating greater tolerance of low pH, whereas sites with more exposure to sewage discharges would have ATPs indicating greater tolerance of low DO, and found that these hypotheses were confirmed for five of the six river systems. We suggest that stressor-specific ATPs, based on tolerances derived from either field distributions or laboratory tests, can help to verify or eliminate candidate causes of inferred human impacts on aquatic ecosystems.     

The occurrence of inland acid sulphate soils in the floodplain wetlands of the Murray–Darling Basin,Australia, identified using a simplified incubation method

From 2006 to 2010, low water levels resulted in the drying of previously submerged inland acid sulphate soils (IASS) in wetlands of the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB). The potential for widespread severe acidification resulting from the oxidation of pyrite in these wetland soils triggered a basin‐wide study to assess the occurrence and risks posed by IASS material in the floodplain wetlands of the MDB. The results of pH measurements before and following soil incubation from more than 7200 samples (representing ca. 2500 profiles from 1055 georeferenced wetlands) were used to assess the potential occurrence of sulphuric and sulphidic material in IASS across the MDB. Their occurrence was investigated on a regional basis by dividing the MDB into 13 geographical regions whose boundaries roughly follow hydrological catchment boundaries. A total of 238 floodplain wetlands, representing 23% of the total wetlands assessed, were found to contain soils that became ultra‐acidic (pH < 4) when oxidized and therefore present a severe acidification hazard. These soils, the majority of which are likely to be IASS materials, were found in 11 of the 13 geographical regions. Among the 11 geographical regions likely containing IASS materials, the proportion of wetlands that presented an acidification hazard varied between 2 and 52% of those assessed. The geographical regions found to present the greatest acidification hazard were in the southern MDB, downstream of the Murray–Darling confluence, and in catchments on the southern side of the Murray River channel in Victoria. This study provided policy makers with a valuable screening tool, which helped them to identify priority wetlands and regions that required more detailed IASS investigations.     

降雨侵蚀力对河岸滩区耕地土壤养分流失的影响

河岸滩区的人类农业活动最为直接地影响着河流的水文生态.自1997年小浪底水利枢纽工程成功截流以来,下游孟津扣马黄河滩区1 955hm2的天然滨河湿地有72%常年出露.为当地农业开发提供了原生动力.在10 a期间滩区的土地利用状况也发生了明显的改变,其中28.8%转变成鱼塘-荷花塘等人工湿地,39.8%转变成小麦棉花等旱地农作物,剩下的328 hm2的河床湿地因受农业活动的影响,正发生着严重的退化和萎缩.通过野外定位观测,对孟津黄河滩区河岸耕地土壤养分随降雨径流流失的特征进行了研究.研究结果表明,次降雨侵蚀力(R)是影响径流量和土壤养分流失的重要因素.在弱侵蚀力下,产生的径流以蓄满产流为主;当降雨侵蚀力大于19.0,产生的径流以超渗产流为主.径流土壤养分流失量与次降雨侵蚀力之间存在明显的二次曲线关系.根据滩区土壤的渗透特征,在次降雨侵蚀力R=10.0～45.0之间的中等强度降雨将产生较为严重的土壤养分流失.并强调河岸带的水土保持工作应亟待加强.     

孟津黄河滩区降雨产流及面源污染特征研究

通过对2006~2007年孟津段黄河滩区降雨及其产流特征的研究,探讨了滩区农业开发模式对地表径流及其面源污染产生的影响。研究表明:在3种降雨类型中,均匀分布型降雨产生径流的可能性最大。降雨侵蚀力(R)是影响径流量的重要因素,对于侵蚀力小的降雨,地表植被类型的差异对径流产生量的影响不大;而当R>19.00(耕地)、R>33.00(林地)时会产生超强径流,地表植被类型的差异对径流产生量有显著影响。滩区开发成农耕旱地后,径流中年颗粒物、有机物、总氮和总磷产生量分别为:45.0,0.904,0.443,0.050 kg/hm2,约是经济林的2倍。     

Frog communities and wetland condition: relationships with grazing by domestic livestock along an Australian floodplain river

Frogs are in decline worldwide, and are known to be sensitive indicators of environmental change. Floodplains of the Murray-Darling Basin in southeastern Australia have been altered in many ways by livestock grazing, by the introduction of exotic fish, and by changes to flooding regimes. These changes have led to declines in wetland condition and hence to the availability of habitat for wetland frogs. This study examined relationships between frogs, wetland condition and livestock grazing intensity at 26 wetlands on the floodplain of the Murrumbidgee River. Frog communities, species richness, and some individual species of frogs declined with increased grazing intensity. Wetland condition also declined with increased grazing intensity, particularly the aquatic vegetation and water quality components. There were clear relationships between frog communities and wetland condition, with several taxa responding to aquatic and fringing vegetation components of wetland condition. Thus, grazing intensity appeared to influence frog communities through changes in wetland habitat quality, particularly the vegetation. Reduced stocking rates may result in improved wetland condition and more diverse frog communities. River management to provide natural seasonal inundation of floodplain wetlands may also enhance wetland condition, frog activity and reproductive success.     

Valley morphology and sediment cascades within a wetland system in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg Foothills,Eastern South Africa

Sedimentological connectivity within drainage systems may be controlled spatially by ‘pockets’ of intact valley fill, alluvial fans impinging laterally on mainstem rivers, floodouts impinging longitudinally on valley floors, and downstream resistant rock bands and their effect on valley width. Where local conditions favor prolonged inundation of the uppermost ~ 0.5 m of the sediment surface, these environments of deposition host wetlands that provide several ecosystem services to society. In this paper, we examine the long-term (millennia), large-scale mediation of connectivity by geological and geomorphological controls, highlighting the relationship between drainage disconnectivity and wetland origin, and appraise ongoing rehabilitation efforts in light of the long-term natural dynamic. The paper uses a wetland system in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg Foothills, eastern South Africa, as a case study, focusing particular attention on part of the system in which cut-and-fill processes are evident, and proceeds, using observations from this and other similar wetland systems in the region, to discuss successive breaks in connectivity with increasing spatial scale and time. Implications for valley morphology are discussed, and channel incision is shown to play an important role in long-term valley and wetland morphodynamics in certain geomorphological settings, creating a diversity of geomorphological features and hydrological regimes. Thus, rehabilitation practitioners should focus on interventions that improve or stabilize desired functional outcomes, rather than on restoring or maintaining what is perceived to be ‘the natural dynamic’ in which erosion is absent.     

Wetland creation in agricultural landscapes: Biodiversity benefits on local and regional scales

Wetland creation aiming at a simultaneous increase in nutrient retention and species diversity in agricultural landscapes has recently become applied as a catchment-scale compensation measure for past wetland losses. Here, we evaluate if, and to what extend, dual-purpose wetlands benefit local and regional diversity of agricultural landscapes. We analysed composition and α, β, and γ diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages among dual-purpose wetlands in an agricultural region in southwest Sweden in relation to local (water quality, wetland morphology, succession stage, proximity to other aquatic habitats) and landscape parameters (regional connectivity, wetland density). Diversity of mature agricultural ponds was used as a standard to evaluate the value of dual-purpose wetlands. Dual-purpose wetlands sustained α, β, and γ diversity similar to that of natural lentic water bodies in agricultural landscapes in the region and elsewhere. Over 80% of the overall species richness was attributed to β diversity, and each created wetland contributed to overall species accumulation. Ecosystem parameters explained 19% of the compositional variation among assemblages, but were only marginally related to diversity. Wetland density promoted α and γ diversity, while spatial heterogeneity (β) remained equally high, independent of wetland density. Our results indicate that catchment-scale wetland creation for simultaneous retention and diversity purposes benefits the biodiversity of agricultural landscapes, particularly if the density of aquatic habitats is increased by at least 30%.     

Effects of Silviculture Using Best Management Practices on Stream Macroinvertebrate Communities in Three Ecoregions of Arkansas, USA

We examined aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in six Arkansas low-order streams across three ecoregions. Samples were taken at locations above and below silviculture sites using Best Management Practices (BMPs) and were compared in winter and spring for 1 year prior to logging and 2 years after treatments. Implementation at all sites scored between 89 and 100% in compliance assessments using state BMP guidelines. Deficiencies were generally limited to engineering controls designed to prevent soil erosion; however, no clear evidence of sedimentation was observed in any of the study streams. Water quality variables were similar between sites upstream and downstream of the harvests in all survey periods. Analysis of variance did not indicate reduced taxonomic richness that could clearly be attributed to silviculture operations, but did reveal several significant differences in relative abundance variables that could be associated with negative impacts, primarily at a single site. Euclidean distance indicated that macroinvertebrate assemblage similarity between reference and treatment stations decreased after treatments at two additional study sites. At most sites, however, there was not an assemblage shift from organisms using coarse particulate organic matter as the primary food source to those using fine particulate organic matter downstream of the harvests. Our results indicated that BMPs were moderately to strongly effective in protecting water quality and biological integrity in five of the six study streams.     

小型河流泛滥平原生态蓄洪措施设计

[目的]在保证防洪和尽量不影响现有土地利用和水工设施的前提下,设计一系列措施将洪水重新引入泛滥平原,促进泛滥平原蓄集洪水,使得水资源配置更加合理。[方法]结合当前的河流整治工作,通过影像分析、实地调查等方法,依据生态学的理论进行生态蓄洪设计研究。[结果]以山西省宁武县恢河的一个泛滥平原为例,提出泛滥平原分洪网的生态蓄洪设计,具体包括浅滩深潭序列渠、池塘链分洪渠、分洪出入口等措施,将河道中的洪水引入泛滥平原并蓄集下来,尽可能地恢复泛滥平原的蓄水功能,调节河流流量、消洪减灾。[结论]泛滥平原分洪网设计符合河流生态系统自然规律,在保证经济、社会发展的前提下,最大程度地发挥小型河流泛滥平原的生态效益,重视发挥小型河流的生态蓄水功能,恢复健康的河流和流域。     

Heavy Metal Content of Soils and Plum Orchards in an Uncontaminated Area

There are multiple stressors derived from urbanizations that result in frequent disturbances on streams and rivers reducing water quality and threatens aquatic biota. P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) is a defence mechanism analogous to multidrug resistance (MDR), which has been demonstrated in several aquatic organisms. This system protects cells against the entry and the accumulation of xenobiotics and has been proposed as a biomarker for pollution assessment. We conducted a study in a post-urban reach of Esquel stream (Chubut Province) downstream a wastewater treatment plant, in order to assess the presence and activity of MXR in five freshwater macroinvertebrate species (Helobdella michaelseni, Helobdella simplex, Patagoniobdella variabilis, Hyalella curvispina and Chironomus riparius). We measured the accumulation of the model P-gp substrate rhodamine B (RB) in organisms previously exposed to pollution. Our results described the activity of the MXR system in the three species of leeches suggesting their suitability as the in vivo biomonitoring. We also identified a dependence of the transporter activity with the development stage in H. simplex, highlighting the importance of using organisms of similar size classes since it may affect observed results. Finally, we concluded that benthic freshwater macroinvertebrates possess different species-specific levels of MXR activity possibly influencing their natural distribution as well as their survival.     

山丘区中小河流边滩植被分布驱动因子及响应关系

河岸带滩地植被是维持河流系统健康的重要屏障.以浙江省龙游县灵山港边滩为研究对象,运用聚类分析和RDA约束性冗余分析等方法,分析中小河流边滩植被分布特征及其主要驱动因子,并建立各驱动因子对植被分布的响应关系.结果表明:灵山港滩地植被种类丰富多样,共有62种植被(被子植物61种,蕨类植物1种),其植被群落结构包括9种类型;滩地相对水面高差因子、滩地形态系数和水文特性是植被分布空间差异性的主要影响因子,各因子贡献率分别为37.50％、27.50％和16.82％,各因子对植被分布的驱动响应机制不同.其中:在滩地相对水平面高差因子作用下,植被从滩地外缘到滩地内部,耐水性由强到弱,丰富性由低到高,生物量由小到大;当边缘线发育系数SDI值处于2.0～4.0之间,且滩地狭长指数Pe/Pa值在0.12 ～0.3之间时,至少有60％的保证率使得滩地植被多样性维持在1.03 ～1.96的高水平;水文特性能够影响植被的形态特征和滩地的生境条件,水文作用下,滩地外围砂粒质量分数随着离水距离增大而逐渐减小,植被类型也会随着离水距离的增加,从喜湿耐冲型到中生型过渡.掌握滩地植被的分布特征及其影响因子,以期为河道生态修复,提供理论依据.     

Soil–landscape relationships at the lower reaches of a watershed at Bear Creek near Oak Ridge,Tennessee

The watersheds at Bear Creek, Oak Ridge, TN, have similar soil–landscape relationships. The lower reaches of many of these watersheds consist of headwater riparian wetlands situated between sloping non-wetland upland zones. The objectives of this study are to examine the effects of (i) slope and geomorphic processes, (ii) human impacts, and (iii) particular characteristics of soils and saprolite that may effect drainage and water movement in the wetlands and adjacent landscapes in one of these watersheds. A transect was run from west to east in a hydrological monitored area at the lower reaches of a watershed on Bear Creek. This transect extended from a steep side slope position across a floodplain, a terrace, and a shoulder slope. On the upland positions of the Nolichucky Shale, mass wasting, overland flow and soil creep currently inhibit soil formation on the steep side slope position where a Typic Dystrudept is present, while soil stability on the shoulder slope has resulted in the formation of a well-developed Typic Hapludult. In these soils, argillic horizons occur above C horizons on less sloping gradients in comparison to steeper slopes, which have Bw horizons over Cr (saprolite) material. A riparian wetland area occupies the floodplain section, where a Typic Endoaquept is characterized by poorly drained conditions that led to the development of redoximorphic features (mottling), gleying, organic matter accumulation, and minimal development of subsurface horizons. A thin colluvial deposit overlies a thick well developed Aquic Hapludalf that formed in alluvial sediments on the terrace position. The colluvial deposit from the adjacent shoulder slope is thought to result from soil creep and anthropogenic erosion caused by past cultivation practices. Runoff from the adjacent sloping landscape and groundwater from the adjacent wetland area perhaps contribute to the somewhat poorly drained conditions of this profile. Perched watertables occur in upland positions due to dense saprolite and clay plugging in the shallow zones of the saprolite. However, no redoximorphic features are observed in the soil on the side slope due to high runoff. Remnants of the underlying shale saprolite, which occur as small discolored zones resembling mottles, are also present. The soils in the study have a CEC of <10 cmol kg⁻¹, silt loam textures and Fe_d values of 0.5–4.3%. These soils are also mainly acidic and low in total carbon.     

The effect of soil hydrological conditions on the growth of natural and artificially planted Oak (Quercus robur L.) stands on the floodplain of the Ural River in its middle reaches

The flood regime in the middle course of the Ural River has been studied on the basis of data obtained at hydrological stations from 1912 to 1990. Its effect on the growth and productivity of oak stands on different elements of the floodplain is discussed. The particle-size distribution and the reserves of physical clay, clay, humus, and available potassium and phosphorus under natural (three plots) and artificially planted (three plots) oak stands have been determined. It is proved that natural oak stands are allocated to levees with considerable content of physical clay (<0.01 mm) in the soil profile, which provides penetration of the tree roots to a depth of 6 m and more, down to the ground-water level during the summer low-water period. The role of water infiltration into the banks in the periods of low floods is shown to affect the ground-water level at a distance of up to 700 m from the river bed. The artificial cultivation of oak stands on the floodplain requires the proper selection of particular ecological niches. The successful growth of artificially planted oak stands is only possible near the lakes within the central floodplain. Problems of the expansion of oak stands onto the high elements of the central floodplain, the replacement of oak by other tree species, the natural regrowth of oak trees, and the shift of their southern boundary onto the floodplain in the lower course of the Ural River are discussed.     

Differentiation of the soil cover in the lower Ob River valley

Specific features of the soil cover in the lower reaches of the Ob River are analyzed. The physicochemical properties and composition of the floodplain soils in different parts of the valley and on different floodplain elements are given. A comparative geographical analysis of the accumulation of macro-and microelements in the floodplain soils as a result of alluviation processes in the middle and lower reaches of the Ob River is suggested. The evolution of the floodplain soils and the results of the development of stratified humus horizons, changes in the hydrological regime, and cessation of floods are discussed.     

Assessing physical surrogates for biodiversity: Do tributary and stream type classifications reflect macroinvertebrate assemblage diversity in running waters?

Landscape classifications are increasingly being used in conservation planning and biodiversity management, although there is a dearth of studies actually showing concordant patterns between such classifications and biodiversity. We studied the utility of tributary and stream type classifications in accounting for the variability of invertebrate biodiversity in a boreal drainage system. We found that only weak, although significant, differences existed between the studied three tributaries and four stream types in macroinvertebrate assemblage structure, species distributions, and taxonomic richness. Further, the classification strengths, calculated as mean within-group-similarity minus mean between-group-similarity of assemblage structure, were rather low, suggesting that the a priori physical classifications did not effectively describe variability in macroinvertebrate assemblage structure. The low classification strengths likely resulted from the facts that: (i) most stream macroinvertebrate taxa show individualistic responses to environmental gradients; (ii) many taxa occur either across all stream types; or (iii) only sporadically in a given stream type; and (iv) only a few species show high fidelity to a given stream type. However, the significance of the differences in macroinvertebrate assemblage structure and taxonomic richness, as well as a bunch of effective indicator species for different stream types, suggest that such classifications could be used as a preliminary scheme for the conservation planning of running waters. This reasoning is also supported by the evidence from other studies that have found stream size and the distance to upstream lakes to shape considerably the biodiversity of various groups of stream organisms, although no single organism group is likely to show a perfect match with any classification scheme.     

Is Catchment Imperviousness a Keystone Factor Degrading Urban Waterways? A Case Study from a Partly Urbanised Catchment (Georges River, South-Eastern Australia)

The extent of catchment impervious surface is recognised to be an important factor associated with the condition of urban freshwater streams. We tested the hypothesis that the degree of catchment imperviousness predicted the relative ecological condition of freshwater reaches within the network of streams and rivers in the partly urbanised Georges River catchment in temperate south-eastern Australia. The 2-year study involved two spring and two autumn assessments of water quality (chemical and physical) and ecological condition, using benthic macroinvertebrates, riparian vegetation and calculation of catchment imperviousness. The study revealed that highly urbanised streams had strongly degraded water quality and macroinvertebrate communities, compared to clean non-urban reference streams. We found three clear groups of sites with varying degrees of ecological condition, being categorised according to the level of catchment effective imperviousness (low <5.0?%, moderate = 5.0?C18.0?% and high >18.0?%). Water pollution also varied according to these categories. A combination of two water chemistry attributes (total nitrogen and calcium), along with catchment imperviousness and riparian vegetation condition, were identified as being the factors most strongly associated with variation of macroinvertebrate communities. Based on our results, we recommend that protection of the ecological condition of streams should focus on not only water quality but also include catchment imperviousness and riparian vegetation condition.     

Dam construction and the degradation of floodplain forest on the Turkwel River,Kenya

A hydroelectric dam currently under construction is likely to have significant adverse impacts on riparian forest bordering the Turkwel River in northern Kenya. The forest is dominated by Acacia tortilis which depends upon river flooding. The River has a seasonal and highly ‘flashy’ flow regime, and floods are vital to recharge the floodplain aquifer. Flood regime, bruchid beetle infestation of Acacia pods, and the role of domestic herbivores in killing beetle larvae and grazing seedlings are important influences on Acacia regeneration. The riparian forest is a vital element in the grazing ecology of Turkana pastoralists, particularly in the dry season and in times of drought. Dam construction threatens the degradation of the forest both through reduced survival of existing trees and reduced regeneration. Such degradation would have serious implications for the Turkana.