Influence of flow variability on macroinvertebrate assemblages in an intermittent stream of semi-arid Brazil

This study aims to evaluate the effects of variable water flow on macroinvertebrate composition and taxon richness in a semi-arid intermittent stream. Chironomid larvae were the most abundant group of insects in the intermittent stream studied. Nevertheless, their response to flow was similar to the macroinvertebrate fauna as a whole. Macroinvertebrates were more abundant in the late wet phase and in the drying phase. A higher richness was also observed during this period, when new taxa where registered. Discharge, temperature, conductivity and dissolved oxygen were the main variables explaining the variation in richness and density of macroinvertebrate. These variables were also important in explaining the variation in community composition through time. It is suggested that invertebrates cope with the extreme intermittent flows by resilience during variable flows in the wet phase and by resistance during the dry phase. It is however important to notice that frequently high discharges drive the community to lower richness and densities, whereas the resistance during the dry phase is characterized by a taxonomic shift resultant from the survival of the few taxa that supports the initial desiccation and the opportunism of colonizing predaceous taxa overcoming non-resistant taxa.     

Physical, chemical and faunal characteristics of a perennial stream in arid northern Oman

A study of a 1·5 km stretch of a perennial stream in arid northern Oman describes the physical, chemical and faunal characteristics of riffles, runs and pools. Air temperature seems to influence invertebrate recruitment. Flooding is the most important catastrophic event that alters the physical and chemical environment. Current velocity and substrate composition are also probable factors affecting the community structure. All other chemical conditions except nitrate (–N) were significantly similar in all biotopes. Three vertebrate and 33 invertebrate taxa were recorded. The low faunal diversity is a reflection of a physically controlled system.     

Floods,drought, and seed mass of riparian plant species

Plant communities in dryland riparian ecosystems are influenced by flood disturbance and water availability. As global climate change alters stream flow regimes, there is increasing need to understand which traits allow plant species to persist under increased stress and disturbance. Small seed mass is part of a strategy that adapts for disturbance, but the role of seed mass as an adaptation for drought is less well documented. For dryland riparian plant communities, we asked, does seed mass vary with water availability and flood frequency? We compared community seed mass between sites that vary in flow permanence (longitudinal water gradient) and between hydrogeomorphic surfaces within sites (lateral gradients of moisture and disturbance). Using data from four rivers in Arizona, we contrasted seed mass between plant groups. We found community seed mass to be greater at sites with ephemeral than perennial flow, and to increase laterally from wet, frequently-flooded channel edges to dry, less disturbed terraces. Seed mass varied by moisture group (smallest for hydroriparian species) and by disturbance group (smallest for disturbance species), and showed a trend for being greater in introduced species. We conclude that small seed mass is independently associated with wet and disturbed conditions in dryland riparian ecosystems.     

Mediterranean saline streams in southeast Spain: What do we know?

Many Mediterranean streams in arid and semiarid areas are naturally saline systems due to the presence of evaportic rocks of Miocene or Triassic origin. Despite the fact that these aquatic ecosystems are rare in Europe, they are common in southeast of Spain. The environmental constraints of these semiarid saline streams are imposed by both geological and climatic conditions. This paper is a compilation and summary of the principal results obtained from various studies on semiarid saline streams in the Iberian southeast. Available data for these typical environments in the region covers diverse issues such as those regarding their physical and chemical features, typology, biodiversity, community structure and ecosystem functioning, as well as different ecological and evolutionary aspects of their biota (e.g. ecophysiological responses, life cycles and phylogeography). Issues concerning the conservation of these habitats, such as the main human uses, impacts, threats and their management are also summarised. Finally, topics in need of further research are provided. The current knowledge of saline streams in southeastern Spain highlights the physical and ecological singularity of these environments, and their high conservation value. Saline streams are particularly interesting due to their halotolerant/halophilic biota and high number of rare and endemic species.     

DIVERSITY OF EPHEMEROPTERA, PLECOPTERA AND TRICHOPTERA IN VARIOUS TRIBUTARIES OF TEMENGGOR CATCHMENT, PERAK, MALAYSIA

Ephemeroptera(mayfly),Plecoptera(stonefly)and Trichoptera(caddisfly)(EPT,3 kinds of insectorders)reach their maximum development in streamsand contain families that are entirely or almost con-fined to running water.Ross(1963)suggested thatthe early evolut…     

Macroinvertebrate communities in two salt affected tributaries of the Hopkins Rives,Victoria

Macroinvertebrate communities were studied in two saline tributaries of the Hopkins River, western Victoria. Monthly sampling from May to August, 1990, showed the mean salinity of Bushy Creek was 5 g L⁻¹ while in Back Creek mean salinity varied from 9 to 20 g L⁻¹ between sites. Macroinvertebrate species richness and relative abundance were measured on each sampling occasion. Cluster analysis showed that community composition varied between creeks and between sites within a creek. Bushy Creek sites were more similar to each other than to Back Creek sites. A negative relationship was found between site salinity and species richness over the range 4 to 26 g L⁻¹, although there was a wide range of salinity (up to 12 g L⁻¹) over which the relationship of species richness to salinity was not clear cut. The effects of salinity on species richness in stream communities appear to be similar to that described elsewhere in salt lakes.     

Hydrological exchange and subsurface water chemistry in streams varying in salinity in south-western Australia

Many streams in Westrn Australia are naturally saline. In others, especially in the south-western corner, land-clearance and other human activities in the catchment have accelerated rates of salinisation of surface and groundwater. Trends in surface water salinity are well-documented but the extent of penetration of saline stream water into the sediments has been little studied. As many of these streams have porous sandy beds and their flows may derive from groundwater, hydrologic exchange patterns between surface water and subsurface hyporheic water were hypothesised to govern the water chemistry of such rivers. We predicted high rates of hydraulic conductivity, leading to a close relationship between surface and subsurface (to a depth of 50 cm) salinity, and to a lesser extent, pH and dissolved oxygen. Where surface and hyporheic water differed in salinity, other chemical differences were hypothesised to be similarly marked, perhaps resulting from disjunct shallow subsurface aquifers. Triplicate wells were sampled from upwelling and downwelling zones of thirteen streams ranging in salinity from ca. 0.2 to 18 g L⁻¹. Despite the seemingly-porous sandy beds at many sites, subsurface water chemistry only 20–40 cm below the bed sometimes differed markedly from surface water. For example, hyporheic water was only one-fifth the salinity of surface water at some saline sites (e.g., the Tone River) or 20 per cent more saline in streams with fresh surface water (e.g., the Weld River). At some sites of intermediate salinity (e.g., the Warren River), subsurface water was up to three times fresher than surface or downwelling water. Percentage saturation of dissolved oxygen in the hyporheic water was consistently low (<40%) whereas pH was more acidic than surface water, presumably due to microbial activity. Vertical hydraulic conductivity may be limited by layers of fine sediments and clays, implying that the meso-scale (1–100 cm) hydrological dynamics within the hyporheic zones of these rivers are more complex than their sandy beds would indicate. Assumptions of ecosystem dynamics in saline streams must be tempered by an understanding of hyporheic salinities as subsurface fresher water may support microbial and faunal assemblages excluded from the surface benthos by high salinity. In saline streams, as in fresh ones, the hyporheic zone is an important component of the stream ecosystem and equally prone to disruption by human activities.     

Patterns of plant diversity in ironstone ranges in arid south western Australia

Patterns of plant diversity were examined across 24 ironstone ranges in arid south western Australia. The high levels of beta diversity displayed between ranges primarily resulted from high turnover of perennial species and was not influenced by the lower species richness on the more arid ranges. The variance in composition of the vegetation across the ranges was evenly distributed between the broad spatial pattern and environmental factors measuring climate gradients, local site variables and soil chemistry. In contrast broad scale spatial and climatic gradients were most important in explaining the variance in perennial species richness. Ranges along the boundary of the Arid Zone appear to have acted as refugia during the climatic cycles of the Tertiary with several hotspots of species endemism and taxa with distributions centered on these ranges. On the more arid ranges these specialist ironstone taxa are largely absent. The variation in richness of these specialists taxa was strongly influenced by patterns in soil chemistry in addition to the broad scale spatial and climate gradients. The concentration of the ironstone specialist taxa is largely coincidental with the most prospective areas for iron ore mining and this will provide considerable challenges in conserving these unique ecosystems.     

Is the analysis of plant community structure better than common species-diversity indices for assessing the effects of livestock grazing on a Mediterranean arid ecosystem?

Grazing in arid Mediterranean ecosystems brings about changes in species diversity, but the best way to measure such changes is unclear. In this study we compared various methods in order to identify indicators that might be useful for the management and conservation of grazed arid Mediterranean ecosystems.Changes in community structure and composition were compared along a previously studied grazing gradient in Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park. Plant diversity was measured by calculating diversity (Shannon information index), evenness (Pielou index) and richness (species number). Rarefaction curves were used to measure plant species richness and the results were compared with traditional richness values. Community structure was measured as the percentage of bare ground and the coverage of overall perennial grasses, Stipa tenacissima L., perennial shrubs and annual plants. Our results showed that the proportion of bare ground, the cover of perennial shrubs and the relative abundance of S. tenacissima are good indicators of grazing effects on vegetation. Overall plant community structure was more sensitive to the grazing gradient than were the diversity indices. Finally, the adequacy of standardized methods for comparing species richness (i.e. rarefaction curves) along a grazing gradient are discussed.     

Benthos of a perennially-astatic, saline, soda lake in Mexico

The effects of multiple stressors on the benthic macroinvertebrate community were monitored in Tecuitlapa Norte, a shallow, perennially-astatic, warm, mesosaline, sodaalkaline lake in Mexico. Physico-chemical and biological variables were determined monthly for one year. Tecuitlapa Norte displayed a clear seasonal environmental pattern (dry and rainy seasons). The benthic macroinvertebrate community consisted of five species:Culicoides occidentalis sonorensis Jorgensen,Ephydra hians Say,Stratiomys sp.,Eristalis sp., andLimnophora sp. of which the first two were dominant and the rest scarce.C. occidentalis was the most important species numerically (76 percent of the total), whileE. hians dominated the biomass (73 percent of the total). Primarily salinity and secondarily pH appear to be the most important environmental factors controlling dominance of benthic organisms in Tecuitlapa Norte. Seasonal abundance dynamics of the dominant organisms was associated with phases in their reproductive cycles: environmentally-triggered (i.e., temperature rise, water-level descent) pupation and emergence periods. We concluded that whereas physical and chemical factors (i.e., salinity, pH) exerted the primary control on benthic macroinvertebrate community composition in Tecuitlapa Norte, another assembly of variables (e.g., water-level, temperature) influenced species distribution and abundance.     

宁夏盐池沙地3种植物群落的数量特征

采用样线法和样方法对盐池沙地典型植物群落牛枝子群落、牛枝子-黑沙蒿群落、黑沙蒿群落数量特征进行了研究。结果表明：从牛枝子群落经牛枝子-黑沙蒿群落至黑沙蒿群落,物种组成变化较大,优势种的相对重要值也发生了较大的变化;植物种从占优势地位的草原种,逐步让位于耐旱、抗风蚀的多年生和一年生草本植物,并最终被沙生、一年生草本植物和灌木、半灌木取代;土壤沙化程度逐渐加重。从生活型组成看,从牛枝子群落经牛枝子-黑沙蒿群落至黑沙蒿群落,地面芽植物和地下芽多年生草本植物种类数和重要值所占比例逐渐下降,一年生植物种类数和重要值所占比例逐渐增加。牛枝子-黑沙蒿群落的物种α多样性指数最高,黑沙蒿群落最低。β多样性指数变化反映出植物群落组成已发生分化,物种出现根本性的变化。     

Hydrologic variation with land use across the contiguous United States: Geomorphic and ecological consequences for stream ecosystems

Using daily discharge data from the USGS, we analyzed how hydrologic regimes vary with land use in four large hydrologic regions that span a gradient of natural land cover and precipitation across the continental United States. In each region we identified small streams (contributing area < 282 km²) that have continuous daily streamflow data. Using a national database, we characterized the composition of land cover of the watersheds in terms of aggregate measures of agriculture, urbanization, and least disturbed (“natural”). We calculated hydrologic alteration using 10 ecologically-relevant hydrologic metrics that describe magnitude, frequency, and duration of flow for 158 watersheds within the Southeast (SE), Central (CE), Pacific Northwest (NW), and Southwest (SW) hydrologic regions of the United States. Within each watershed, we calculated percent cover for agriculture, urbanized land, and least disturbed land to elucidate how components of the natural flow regime inherent to a hydrologic region is modified by different types and proportions of land cover. We also evaluated how dams in these regions altered the hydrologic regimes of the 43 streams that have pre- and post-dam daily streamflow data. In an analysis of flow alteration along gradients of increasing proportion of the three land cover types, we found many regional differences in hydrologic responses. In response to increasing urban land cover, peak flows increased (SE and CE), minimum flows increased (CE) or decreased (NW), duration of near-bankfull flows declined (SE, NW) and flow variability increased (SE, CE, and NW). Responses to increasing agricultural land cover were less pronounced, as minimum flows decreased (CE), near-bankfull flow durations increased (SE and SW), and flow variability declined (CE). In a second analysis, for three of the regions, we compared the difference between least disturbed watersheds and those having either > 15% urban and > 25% agricultural land cover. Relative to natural land cover in each region, urbanization either increased (SE and NW) or decreased (SW) peak flows, decreased minimum flows (SE, NW, and SW), decreased durations of near-bankfull flows (SE, NW, and SW), and increased flow variability (SE, NW, and SW). Agriculture had similar effects except in the SE, where near-bankfull flow durations increased. Overall, urbanization appeared to induce greater hydrologic responses than similar proportions of agricultural land cover in watersheds. Finally, the effects of dams on hydrologic variation were largely consistent across regions, with a decrease in peak flows, an increase in minimum flows, an increase in near-bankfull flow durations, and a decrease in flow variability. We use this analysis to evaluate the relative degree to which land use has altered flow regimes across regions in the US with naturally varying climate and natural land cover, and we discuss the geomorphic and ecological implications of such flow modification. We end with a consideration of what elements will ultimately be required to conduct a more comprehensive national assessment of the hydrologic responses of streams to land cover types and dams. These include improved tools for modeling hydrologic metrics in ungauged watersheds, incorporation of high-resolution geospatial data to map geomorphic and hydrologic drivers of stream response to different types of land cover, and analysis of scale dependence in the distribution of land-use impacts, including mixed land uses. Finally, ecological and geomorphic responses to human alteration of land cover will have to be calibrated to the regional hydroclimatological, geologic, and historical context in which the streams occur, in order to determine the degree to which stream responses are region-specific versus geographically independent and broadly transferable.     

The effect of sub-alpine landslides on headwater stream gradient and beaver habitat

During previous work in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, we observed that headwater (first-order) streams draining landslides were often characterized by the presence of beaver (Castor canadensis) dams whereas other headwater tributaries typically lacked evidence of beaver. Here, we hypothesize that hummocky landslide topography attracts beaver. To test the hypothesis, we examined 10 landslides and 11 adjacent headwater streams in the area, noting location, vegetation, elevation, and evidence of beaver activity, and then compared the landslide and non-landslide headwater streams using the G-test to determine whether or not variables were independent of one another. We reject the null hypothesis that beaver dam presence is unrelated to landslide deposits (p = 0.003). We further hypothesize that this relationship results from differences in stream gradient and concavity between landslide streams and other streams. We found streams on landslides to have a greater portion of their gradients below what geologic and ecologic literature suggests is a reasonable upper threshold (12%) for beaver dam maintenance. Additionally, streams on landslides are more concave. We conclude that the relationship between beaver presence and landslides results from a higher proportion of reaches below the 12% threshold and increased concavity of headwater streams on landslides.     

Plastic litter in streams: The behavioral archaeology of a pervasive environmental problem

Plastic deposition in hydrological systems is a pervasive problem at all geographic scales from loci of pollution to global ocean circulation. Much attention has been devoted to plastic deposition in marine contexts, but little is known about inputs of plastics into local hydrological systems, such as streams. Attempts to prevent plastic litter must incorporate the role of people's behaviors, so we employ a behavioral archaeological framework to distinguish between various cultural inputs (e.g., littering) and noncultural forces (e.g., stream transport and wind) that affect litter patterns on the landscape. Four sites with varying cultural uses were surveyed monthly for eight months along a creek in Texas, and analysis of the data included chi-square and Kruskal Wallis tests, and abundance indices comparing material types across sites. We found that sites have drastically different distributions in plastic litter, and these patterns appear to align with the cultural uses (hiking, fishing, roadway) and presence or absence of noncultural forces at each site. This information can be used to inform efforts to reduce littering at these and potentially other locations with similar characteristics. This study illustrates that an archaeological framework provides an efficient and accurate way to generate local data on littering behaviors.     

The relationship between electrical conductivity and selected macroinvertebrate communities in four river systems of south-west Victoria, Australia

In order to relate macroinvertebrate fauna to electrical conductivity (EC), a survey of selected orders of macroinvertebrates was conducted in the Glenelg, Hopkins, Merri and Barwon River Catchments in south-west Victoria, Australia. The survey consisted of sampling 21 paired sites at confluences of streams. There was little difference between the in-stream habitat but there was a range of differences in EC between each of the paired sites. The dissimilarity of macroinvertebrate fauna between the paired sites was compared to the proportional difference in EC and other water quality variables (dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, NO₂−N, NO₃−N, PO₄ and turbidity). This allowed the elimination of EC being confounded with geographical scale parameters and took into account other water quality parameters that may be confounded with EC. A positive relationship was found between the dissimilarity of the fauna at each of the two paired sites and the proportional difference in EC. No such relationship was found for any other measured water quality variable. The results of this survey show that macroinvertebrate community structure is associated with EC of the river systems investigated after eliminating large scale geographical patterns, in-stream habitat and the measured water quality parameters.     

Freshwater macroinvertebrate distribution in two basins with different salinity gradients (Guadalete and Guadaira river basins,south-western Spain)

This work reports the results of one year's sampling of aquatic macroinver-brates in various streams with different salinity gradients. The study area was the headwaters of the rivers Guadaíra and Guadalete, located in the same geographical area in south-western Spain. The most interesting feature of the Guadaíra basin is the natural salinity of its waters due to the abundance of gypsum in its headwaters. Lithologically, the headwaters of the Guadalete basin flow over marls, clay, sandstone and limestone. Salinity values in most streams do not reach 1 mS cm^–1. At least at the levels of salinity found in the Guadaíra basin headwaters, the existence of a well-structured community of macroinvertebrates can be claimed. Of the groups studied, Diptera and Coleoptera showed the highest species richness, being distributed preferentially at the ends of the conductivity spectrum. Groups including taxa inhabiting waters of low salinty and taxa inhabiting waters with high salinity could be reliable indicators of salinity.     

Microfungal community associated with rhizosphere soil of Zygophyllum qatarense in arid habitats of Bahrain

Population density and species diversity of microfungal communities were investigated in the rhizosphere soil of the halophytic plant Zygophyllum qatarense inhabiting saline and nonsaline habitats of the arid desert environment of Bahrain. Unlike the nonsaline habitat which is situated in the physiographic zone of multiple escarpment and backslopes, the saline site is located in the coastal lowlands and is featured by high chloride content, electrical conductivity, total soluble salts and low organic matter. Soils of both habitats are sandy, slightly alkaline, poor in nutrient sources, low in water-holding capacity and mainly dominated by a salt-tolerant flora. Quantification of data for the recovery of fungi were based on colony identification and counts by a series of ten-fold dilutions plate method, using various natural, synthetic and selective media. A total of 2780 isolates, fluctuating between 25 and 1109 per sample, were recovered during the present study among all habitats, seasons and plant sizes. Grouping of these isolates has resulted in a maximum of 28 fungal taxa varied between 5 and 15 species, of which 24 were hyphomycetes, 3 ascomycetes and one was an unknown species. All the recorded species in this study, excluding the genus Fusarium, are newly reported from the arid terrestrial habitats of Bahrain. Of the encountered fungi,Cladosporium sphaerospermum was the most dominant and frequent genus, among all plant sizes, followed by Penicillium citrinam and Aspergillus fumigatus, a finding with consistent documented data from similar arid Sahara ecosystems. Examination of data, supported by analysis of relative density values, percentage recovery rates, polar ordination and diversity indices revealed that the nonsaline habitat during the dry period yielded the highest isolate frequency, species abundance, and diversity when compared with the saline habitat. Moreover, a progressive increase in colony occurrence and species diversity was equivalently associated with increment in plant size in the nonsaline habitat. Apparently, the vast majority (moderate to low occurrence class) of the reported species are rhizosphere indigenous saprophytic cellulose-decomposers, whilst the sparse taxa (high occurrence class), e.g. C. sphaerospermum, are regarded as thermo-osmotolerant. Comparison of species richness among samples suggests that small plants inhabiting nonsaline habitats during the wet and dry season were richest in species composition. It is proposed that inter- and intra-specific variation in fungal community between the above habitats reflect not only the influence of plant age and season but also extends to critical multi-soil edaphic and biotic factors involving essentially soil moisture, salinity and root growth dynamic and exudates.     

Rates of stream incision in the middle part of the Arkansas River basin based on late Tertiary to mid-Pleistocene volcanic ash

Ages and elevations of ash layers correlated with late Tertiary and Pleistocene eruptions in the western US and present stream elevations are used to calculate net rates of incision by streams in the middle reaches of the Arkansas River basin in the south central US. The mean of the 23 measurements of rate of stream incision in the study area is 4.2±2.7 cm/ky with a range of 0.6 to 9.7 cm/ky. Major influences on rate of stream incision in the study area include the arid to semi-arid climate of the region, the type of material being incised by streams, stream captures, and salt dissolution in the bedrock that underlies the region. Rates of incision exceeded rates of basin filling but significant deposits of unconsolidated late Cenozoic sediments occur in the study area. Basins of streams that have incised the slowest since the late Tertiary contain the thickest and most extensive amounts of unconsolidated Quaternary sediments. Rates of incision by streams in the study area are similar to or slower than rates reported for streams elsewhere in the US and the world. Streams in mountainous regions and areas affected by rapid uplift have incised at rates orders of magnitude faster than streams in the study area.     

A catchment-scale model of mountain stream channel morphologies in southeast Australia

The position of mountain streams high in the channel network and their proportional dominance mean that channel modifications and adjustments within these systems will have important implications for downstream processes and linkages. This study develops an analysis framework for examining the catchment-scale distribution of reach morphologies, and the relationship among reach type, catchment lithology and flow competence in southeast Australian mountain streams. The analysis framework is applied to three catchments which have contrasting proportions of the two dominant lithologies of the region, Devonian granites and Ordovician metasediments.The model successfully delineated 68% of reach types, and the resultant spatial maps allowed the effects of stream network position and catchment specific controls on channel morphology to be evaluated. Maximum lengths of the majority of reach morphology types were in second-order streams and the maximum number of morphology types (six) was present in third-order streams, with dramatic reductions in reach type variability as the network expands. The position of catchment lithology within the channel network structure was recognized as more important than the aerial extent of a particular lithology on the distribution and abundance of reach morphologies. The model provides an important tool in the management of channel networks for the protection or restoration of ecological diversity, by identifying river segments and tributaries with high morphological diversity.     

Impact of sediment type,light and nutrient availability on benthic diatom communities of a large estuarine bay: Moreton Bay,Australia

Shifts in diatom species composition may be used to infer past changes in environmental conditions in fresh, estuarine and marine systems. Establishing the primary drivers of present day diatom community composition is a vital step in their use as a proxy for past conditions. Moreton Bay, Australia, has experienced extensive modification of its catchments and western and southern shorelines. Regional weather patterns and terrestrial runoff have created a gradient in water quality from relatively degraded western and southern areas to relatively pristine northern and eastern areas. The aim of this study was to examine the relative impact of short term changes to light and/or nutrient availability and long term changes in sediment type, light and nutrient availability to subtidal benthic community composition. Short term changes were imposed using a manipulative field experiment whilst long term changes were obtained from a field survey of sites across the gradient of water quality. Diatoms were found to be the dominant microalgal group at all studied sites. The diatom communities were comprised primarily of small benthic epipsammic species and community composition was primarily driven by changes in sediment silt content. Short term changes in light and/or nutrient availability had little impact on community composition. In this open estuarine system the use of diatom indices to infer past water quality must take into account the sediment silt content in their interpretations.