Toward the application of ecological concepts in EU coastal water management

The EU Water Framework Directive demands the protection of the functioning and the structure of our aquatic ecosystems. The defined means to realize this goal are: (1) optimization of the habitat providing conditions and (2) optimizing the water quality. The effects of the measures on the structure and functioning of the aquatic ecosystems then has to be assessed and judged. The available tool to do this is ‘monitoring’. The present monitoring activities in The Netherlands cover target monitoring and trend monitoring. This is insufficient to meet the requirements of the EU. It is, given the EU demands, the ongoing budget reductions in The Netherlands and an increasing flow of unused new ecological concepts and theories (e.g. new theoretical insights related to resource competition theory, intermediate disturbance hypothesis and tools to judge the system quality like ecological network analysis) suggested to reconsider the present monitoring tasks among governmental services (final responsibility for the program and logistic support) and the academia (data analyses, data interpretation and development of concepts suitable for ecosystem modelling and tools to judge the quality of our ecosystems). This will lead to intensified co-operation between both arena’s and consequently increased exchange of knowledge and ideas. Suggestions are done to extend the Dutch monitoring by surveillance monitoring and to change the focus from ‘station oriented’ to ‘area oriented’ without changing the operational aspects and its costs. The extended data sets will allow proper calibration and validation of developed dynamic ecosystem models which is not possible now. The described ‘cost-effective’ change in the environmental monitoring will also let biological and ecological theories play the pivotal role they should play in future integrated environmental management.     

Marine monitoring: Its shortcomings and mismatch with the EU Water Framework Directive's objectives

The main goal of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) is to achieve good ecological status across European surface waters by 2015 and as such, it offers the opportunity and thus the challenge to improve the protection of our coastal systems. It is the main example for Europe's increasing desire to conserve aquatic ecosystems. Ironically, since c. 1975 the increasing adoption of EU directives has been accompanied by a decreasing interest of, for example, the Dutch government to assess the quality of its coastal and marine ecosystems. The surveillance and monitoring started in NL in 1971 has declined since the 1980s resulting in a 35% reduction of sampling stations. Given this and interruptions the remaining data series is considered to be insufficient for purposes other than trend analysis and compliance. The Dutch marine managers have apparently chosen a minimal (cost-effective) approach despite the WFD implicitly requiring the incorporation of the system's 'ecological complexity' in indices used to evaluate the ecological status of highly variable systems such as transitional and coastal waters. These indices should include both the community structure and system functioning and to make this really cost-effective a new monitoring strategy is required with a tailor-made programme. Since the adoption of the WFD in 2000 and the launching of the European Marine Strategy in 2002 (and the recently proposed Marine Framework Directive) we suggest reviewing national monitoring programmes in order to integrate water quality monitoring and biological monitoring and change from 'station oriented monitoring' to 'basin or system oriented monitoring' in combination with specific 'cause-effect' studies for highly dynamic coastal systems. Progress will be made if the collected information is integrated and aggregated in valuable tools such as structure- and functioning-oriented computer simulation models and Decision Support Systems. The development of ecological indices integrating community structure and system functioning, such as in Ecological Network Analysis, are proposed to meet a cost-effective approach at the national level and full assessment of the ecosystem status at the EU level. The WFD offers the opportunity to re-consider and re-invest in environmental research and monitoring. Using examples from the Netherlands and, to a lesser extent, the United Kingdom, the present paper therefore reviews marine monitoring and marine environmental research in combination and in the light of such major policy initiatives such as the WFD.     

水生态评价方法研究进展及展望

水生态系统是人类赖以生存的基础,近年来气候变化和水资源开发、水体污染、过度捕捞等人类活动导致水生态系统严重受损,水生态系统的保护和修复已成为全球面临的重大挑战。科学合理的水生态评价方法是实现水生态系统稳定、健康和可持续管理的基本保障,也是目前我国各相关管理部门高度重视的关键问题,多个部门围绕水生态评价展开了积极探索与实践。本文系统回顾了水生态评价方法的发展历程并阐释了水生态评价的内涵,梳理了常用的水生态评价方法,明晰了各方法的基本理念和应用场景,分析了各方法的优点和不足,提出了基于生态完整性的水生态健康评价方法,最后对目前我国水生态评价需进一步完善的工作进行了展望。本文以期与相关领域研究者和管理者在水生态评价理论和方法方面进行探讨,为我国水生态考核工作提供理论支持。     

Developing multimetric indices for monitoring ecological restoration progress in salt marshes

Effective tools for monitoring the status of ecological restoration projects are critical for the management of restoration programs. Such tools must integrate disparate data comprised of multiple variables that describe restoration status, including the condition of environmental stressors, landscape connectivity, ecosystem resilience, and ecological structure and function, while communicating these concepts effectively to a wide range of stakeholders. In this paper we describe the process of constructing multimetric indices (MMIs) for monitoring restoration status for restoration projects currently underway on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. During this process, an initial suite of measurements is filtered for response and sensitivity to ecosystem stressors, eliminating measurements that provide little information and reducing future monitoring efforts. The retained measurements are rescaled into comparable domain metrics and assembled into MMIs. The MMIs are presented in terms of established restoration theories, including restoration trajectory and restoration endpoint targets.     

生物共现网络原理及其在淡水生态系统评估中的应用

快速有效的生物监测指标对于评估、保护、管理和恢复淡水生态系统至关重要.传统评估方法主要利用指示生物或类群的出现率和多度信息,但是忽略了水体环境中“生物”与“生物”,以及“生物”与“环境”间相互作用的复杂关系,而这些相互作用对淡水生态系统的生物多样性、生态系统服务功能以及生态系统对环境变化的响应有着深刻影响.生物共现网络是群落水平物种互作的结构模型,通过物种在群落出现及丰度数据,描述了物种间潜在的相互作用、群落的基本结构,反映群落在生态系统的功能和结构特性.生物共现网络展示了淡水生态系统中所有生物体之间潜在的相互作用关系,其拓扑结构特性可与特定的生态系统状态相关联,能够揭示生态系统的组织规律及其功能,可作为早期的、灵敏的生物指标,是一种很有应用前景的评估淡水生态系统状态和稳定性的工具.     

Impacts of pollution on coastal and marine ecosystems including coastal and marine fisheries and approach for management: a review and synthesis

The history of aquatic environmental pollution goes back to the very beginning of the history of human civilization. However, aquatic pollution did not receive much attention until a threshold level was reached with adverse consequences on the ecosystems and organisms. Aquatic pollution has become a global concern, but even so, most developing nations are still producing huge pollution loads and the trends are expected to increase. Knowledge of the pollution sources and impacts on ecosystems is important not only for a better understanding on the ecosystem responses to pollutants but also to formulate prevention measures. Many of the sources of aquatic pollutions are generally well known and huge effort has been devoted to the issue. However, new concepts and ideas on environmental pollution are emerging (e.g., biological pollution) with a corresponding need for an update of the knowledge. The present paper attempts to provide an easy-to-follow depiction on the various forms of aquatic pollutions and their impacts on the ecosystem and organisms.     

POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS OF THE GREAT PLAINS OF NORTH AMERICA

The Great Plains landscape is less topographically complex than most other regions within North America, but diverse aquatic ecosystems, such as playas, pothole lakes, ox-bow lakes, springs, groundwater aquifers, intermittent and ephemeral streams, as well as large rivers and wetlands, are highly dynamic and responsive to extreme climatic fluctuations. We review the evidence for climatic change that demonstrates the historical importance of extremes in north–south differences in summer temperatures and east–west differences in aridity across four large subregions. These physical driving forces alter density stratification, deoxygenation, decomposition and salinity. Biotic community composition and associated ecosystem processes of productivity and nutrient cycling respond rapidly to these climatically driven dynamics. Ecosystem processes also respond to cultural effects such as dams and diversions of water for irrigation, waste dilution and urban demands for drinking water and industrial uses. Distinguishing climatic from cultural effects in future models of aquatic ecosystem functioning will require more refinement in both climatic and economic forecasting. There is a need, for example, to predict how long-term climatic forecasts (based on both ENSO and global warming simulations) relate to the permanence and productivity of shallow water ecosystems. Aquatic ecologists, hydrologists, climatologists and geographers have much to discuss regarding the synthesis of available data and the design of future interdisciplinary research. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

水生生物监测质量保证、质量控制与标准化:动态与展望

水生生物监测是流域水生态状况评价的重要基础,监测数据的准确性和可靠性直接影响水生态环境质量评价与流域水生态管理成效。目前我国水生生物监测质量保证和质量控制体系尚处于持续完善的阶段,关键环节的控制要求和质控目标等亟待明确和细化。本文总结了欧美发达国家水生生物监测质量保证与质量控制体系建设中的经验,通过梳理我国水生生物监测工作基础与进展,较为系统地提出了适合我国现状的水生生物监测质量保证与质量控制体系标准化建设对策建议,包括实验室内部和外部质量保证与质量控制、水生生物监测质控数据库、人工智能识别和环境DNA新技术质控要点等标准化建议,为实现水生生物监测业务化运行,准确评估我国流域水生态质量状况的变化提供技术支撑。     

Implementing environmental flows in integrated water resources management and the ecosystem approach

Abstract

In many of the world’s river basins, the water resources are over-allocated and/or highly modified, access to good quality water is limited or competitive and aquatic ecosystems are degraded. The decline in aquatic ecosystems can impact on human well-being by reducing the ecosystem services provided by healthy rivers, wetlands and floodplains. Basin water resources management requires the determination of water allocation among competing stakeholders including the environment, social needs and economic development. Traditionally, this determination occurred on a volumetric basis to meet basin productivity goals. However, it is difficult to address environmental goals in such a framework, because environmental condition is rarely considered in productivity goals, and short-term variations in river flow may be the most important driver of aquatic ecosystem health. Manipulation of flows to achieve desired outcomes for public supply, food and energy has been implemented for many years. More recently, manipulating flows to achieve ecological outcomes has been proposed. However, the complexity of determining the required flow regimes and the interdependencies between stakeholder outcomes has restricted the implementation of environmental flows as a core component of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). We demonstrate through case studies of the Rhône and Thames river basins in Europe, the Colorado River basin in North America and the Murray-Darling basin in Australia the limitations of traditional environmental flow strategies in integrated water resources management. An alternative ecosystem approach can provide a framework for implementation of environmental flows in basin water resources management, as demonstrated by management of the Pangani River basin in Africa. An ecosystem approach in IWRM leads to management for agreed triple-bottom-line outcomes, rather than productivity or ecological outcomes alone. We recommend that environmental flow management should take on the principles of an ecosystem approach and form an integral part of IWRM.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis

Citation Overton, I.C., Smith, D.M., Dalton J., Barchiesi S., Acreman M.C., Stromberg, J.C., and Kirby, J.M., 2014. Implementing environmental flows in integrated water resources management and the ecosystem approach. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (3–4), 860–877.     

Regional coupled C-N-H2O cycle processes and associated driving mechanisms

From a molecular level to an ecosystem scale, different coupling mechanisms take place during coupled carbonnitrogen-water(C-N-H_2O) cycle, of which essential are water flux and related biogeochemical processes through physicochemical reactions associated with terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Meanwhile, regional coupled C-N-H_2O cycle will subsequently impact regional gross primary productivity(GPP) and C and N exchanges during air-water interactions that occur downstream of watersheds. This study aimed to first synthetically analyze the regional dynamics of C, N and H_2O cycles in ecosystems and determine their interactional relationships; second, to specify regional C-N-H_2O coupled relationships of ecosystems and their theoretical ecological principles; third, to classify coupled regional response and adaptation of the C-N-H_2O cycle to climatic and environmental changes under anthropogenic activities, providing a theoretical basis to fully understand and make adjustments to interactional C, N and H_2O cycling relationships at different ecosystem scales and under associated coupling processes.     

我国流域水生态监测与评价体系研究进展及发展对策

水生态监测与评价是水生态系统管理、保护和可持续利用的基础。20世纪80年代开始,欧美发达国家水环境管理政策开始强调生态保护,重视流域水生态质量,先后开展了以水生生物为核心的河流水生态监测与评价研究计划。然而我国目前流域水环境监测与评价的指标主要以传统的理化监测指标为主,缺乏指示水生态变化的水生生物指标,单一的水质改善无法反映水生态环境好转这一长远目标,不能满足“十四五”水生态环境管理由以水污染防治为主向水环境、水生态、水资源“三水”统筹转变的总体要求。本研究系统分析发达国家和地区(如美国、欧盟、澳大利亚等)水生态监测与评价技术体系与业务化运行方面的先进经验,总结梳理我国水生态监测与评价试点已有的工作基础,分析制约我国当前流域水生态监测与评价的关键问题,从保护目标、管理模式、监测网络、科学研究和公众参与五个方面,提出开展我国流域水生态监测与评价体系构建和业务化运行的有关建议,为准确评估和预测流域水生态质量状况的变化、开展保护修复成效评估提供决策支持和重要参考。     

Diversity and functions of microscopic fungi: a missing component in pelagic food webs

Fungi are a highly complex group of organisms of the kingdom Eumycota (i.e. the true-fungi) and other fungus-like organisms traditionally studied by mycologists, such as slime molds (Myxomycota) and oomycota (Straminopiles or Heterokonts). They constitute a significant proportion of the as yet undiscovered biota that is crucial in ecological processes and human well-being, through at least three main trophic modes: saprophytism, parasitism, or symbiosis. In addition to direct benefit (sources of antibiotics) or adverse effects (agents of disease), fungi can impact many environmental processes, particularly those associated with the decomposition of organic matter. They are present in almost all regions and climates, even under extreme conditions. However, studies have focussed mostly on economically interesting species, and knowledge of their diversity and functions is mainly restricted to soil, rhizosphere, mangrove, and lotic ecosystems. In this study, we review the diversity and potential functions of microscopic fungi in aquatic ecosystems, with focus on the pelagic environments where they often are regarded as allochthonous material, of low ecological significance for food-web processes. Recent environmental 18S rDNA surveys of microbial eukaryotes have (1) unveiled a large reservoir of unexpected fungal diversity in pelagic systems, (2) emphasized their ecological potentials for ecosystem functioning, and (3) opened new perspectives in the context of food-web dynamics. In spite of persisting methodological difficulties, we conclude that a better documentation of the diversity and quantitative and functional importance of fungi will improve our understanding of pelagic processes and biogeochemical cycling.     

Advances in environmental behaviors and effects of dissolved organic matter in aquatic ecosystems

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a group of compounds that have complex chemical structures and multiple interactions with their surrounding materials. More than one trillion tons of DOM are stocked in the world’s aquatic ecosystems. DOM is a very important part of aquatic ecosystem productivity and plays a crucial role in global carbon cycling. DOM has rich environmental behaviors and effects such as influencing the bioavailability of contaminants, serving as an important inducer of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and protecting aquatic organisms from the harm of dangerous ultraviolet radiation. There have been many systematic studies on the composition, structure, and sources of DOM because such studies are much easier to conduct than studies on the environmental behaviors and effects of DOM. Due to many factors, the research systems of DOM’s environmental behaviors and effects are still being developed and have become a hotspot of environmental science. This review paper focuses on some critical progress, problems, and trends of DOM’s environmental behaviors and effects in aquatic ecosystems, including mutual exchange mechanisms between DOM and particulate organic matter (POM) with influencing factors, photochemical behaviors of DOM especially inducing ROS, binding interactions between DOM and anthropogenic organic contaminants (AOC), interactions between DOM and microorganisms, effects of DOM on pollutants’ bioavailability, ecotoxicity, and ecological risks. Hopefully, this paper will contribute to a more systematic understanding of the DOM environmental behaviors and effects and to promoting further relevant studies.     

From fluvial dynamics to eco-fluvial dynamics

Sediment plays a very important role in the functioning of river ecosystems. It is the basic substance for the survival of benthic animals and aquatic plants. On the other hand, the growth of biofilms and bio-disturbance of benthos affect the sediment transport characteristics. With the increasing attention to protect aquatic ecosystems, the importance of habitats has become increasingly researched. The need to study the interactions among sediment, flow, riverbed deformation, and aquatic ecosystems naturally leads to the proposed discipline of eco-fluvial dynamics. In this paper, the basic concept and main research content of eco-fluvial dynamics is introduced with the Yarlung Tsangpo River as the research example. This case study is an example of an aquatic ecosystem in an ever-changing environment because of the effects of climate change. The results of analysis of eco-fluvial dynamics will provide a scientific basis for decision support for the government.     

东太湖围网拆除前后水生植被群落遥感监测及变化

为削减东太湖养殖污染,改善湖泊水质,苏州市于2018年底基本完成东太湖养殖围网拆除工作.围网拆除后,湖泊生态环境对此如何响应,已成为学者及相关管理部门关注的重点.水生植被在维持湖泊生态系统平衡、物质循环和净化水质方面发挥着重要的作用,是诊断湖泊生态系统健康状态的关键指标.本研究基于Sentinel-2卫星数据,利用分类...     

Applications of C and N stable isotopes to ecological and environmental studies in seagrass ecosystems

Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen are increasingly used in marine ecosystems, for ecological and environmental studies. Here, we examine some applications of stable isotopes as ecological integrators or tracers in seagrass ecosystem studies. We focus on both the use of natural isotope abundance as food web integrators or environmental tracers and on the use of stable isotopes as experimental tools. As ecosystem integrators, stable isotopes have helped to elucidate the general structure of trophic webs in temperate, Mediterranean and tropical seagrass ecosystems. As environmental tracers, stable isotopes have proven their utility in sewage impact measuring and mapping. However, to make such environmental studies more comprehensible, future works on understanding of basic reasons for variations of N and C stable isotopes in seagrasses should be encouraged. At least, as experimental tracers, stable isotopes allow the study of many aspects of N and C cycles at the scale of a plant or at the scale of the seagrass ecosystem.     

Integrating water management,habitat modelling and water quality at the basin scale and environmental flow assessment: case study of the Tormes River,Spain

Abstract

Multidisciplinary models are useful for integrating different disciplines when addressing water planning and management problems. We combine water resources management, water quality and habitat analysis tools that were developed with the decision support system AQUATOOL at the basin scale. The water management model solves the allocation problem through network flow optimization and considers the environmental flows in some river stretches. Once volumes and flows are estimated, the water quality model is applied. Furthermore, the flows are evaluated from an ecological perspective using time series of aquatic species habitat indicators. This approach was applied in the Tormes River Water System, where agricultural demands jeopardize the environmental needs of the river ecosystem. Additionally, water quality problems in the lower part of the river result from wastewater loading and agricultural pollution. Our methodological framework can be used to define water management rules that maintain water supply, aquatic ecosystem and legal standards of water quality. The integration of ecological and water management criteria in a software platform with objective criteria and heuristic optimization procedures allows realistic assessment and application of environmental flows to be made. Here, we improve the general methodological framework by assessing the hydrological alteration of selected environmental flow regime scenarios.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Guest editor M. Acreman

Citation Paredes-Arquiola, J., Solera, A., Martinez-Capel, F., Momblanch, A., and Andreu, J., 2014. Integrating water management, habitat modelling and water quality at the basin scale and environmental flow assessment: case study of the Tormes River, Spain. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (3–4), 878–889.     

洪泽湖养殖网围拆除生态效应

为研究湖泊网围养殖对湖泊生态系统的影响,2018年全年3次于洪泽湖养殖网围及主要出入湖河道开展调查,通过对比洪泽湖不同区域(河口、湖心、网围区、外围区和拆除区)水质及水生生物的空间分布特征,分析养殖网围拆除后湖泊生态系统的响应机制.结果表明,洪泽湖不同区域的水质及水生生物群落结构存在明显差异,其中养殖区水体总氮、总磷及悬浮颗粒物浓度明显低于河口和湖心,但浮游动植物密度及生物量则整体高于河口和湖心,且养殖区蓝藻、轮虫所占比重较高,这种分布差异很大程度上受外源输入及水动力条件影响.与之相对,养殖区内网围区、拆除区和外围区的水质及水生生物群落结构差异并不明显,表明养殖网围拆除后的短期时间内水质并未明显改善,且高藻类密度、低透明度的水体环境也不利于沉水植物的萌发生长与群丛恢复,有必要进一步采取合理有效的生态修复措施促进养殖迹地生态系统的恢复.     

Transboundary aspect of assessing the impact of NPPs under construction on aquatic ecosystems: Case study of the Baltiiskaya NPP

The environmental feasibility assessment of the construction and operation of nuclear power stations in near-border areas must take into account the requirements of the international and European environmental legislation. For the study on environment feasibility assessment of the Baltic NPP to meet the international standards, the following steps were taken: the content and the application practice of UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo) to NPP substantiation were analyzed and compared with the Russian procedure of environmental impact assessment (EIA); water quality standards for water bodies used for fishery and the approaches to assessing the damage to aquatic bioresources in Russia, Lithuania (EU), and Belarus were compared. A transboundary network for monitoring aquatic ecosystems was developed in the zone of potential influence of the Baltic NPP, and a permanent mathematical model was developed and used to forecast the effect of the anticipated water discharge from the station on the hydrodynamic, chemical, and temperature regime of the Neman R., whose results were used to forecast the impact of water intake and discharge facilities of the Baltic NPP on the food base and migration character of ichthyofauna.