Interspecific competition for a shelter between non-native racer goby and native European bullhead under experimental conditions – Effects of season,fish size and light conditions

Under laboratory conditions, we assessed by video-recorder whether or not the interference competition of invading racer goby Babka gymnotrachelus affects the habitat (refuge) use and behaviour of European bullhead Cottus gobio, a native nest-guarding species, during and after the spawning season, spring and autumn respectively, when available refuge (nesting) habitat is limited. A bullhead was placed in a tank for 24 h and then an intruder, either a goby or another bullhead was added for the next 24 h. We assessed: (1) the time spent by the two fish in the shelter; and (2) acts of aggression and attempts to enter the shelter. In spring, the amount of time spent in the shelter by the bullhead was considerably lower in the presence of a racer goby of larger or equal size than when the bullhead was alone. In autumn, bullheads occupied shelters at a similar frequency with and without a goby present. Smaller gobies were not able to replace bullhead residents in the shelter. Racer gobies were much more aggressive than bullheads of equal or smaller size, particularly in spring. Bullheads kept outside of the shelter by a resident goby made more attempts to enter the refuge during spring. In summary, under experimental conditions, racer gobies modified the typical behaviour of bullheads by reducing the use of shelter and potential nesting places.     

Hydrological model for urban catchments – analytical development using copulas and numerical solution

Abstract

A model based on analytical development and numerical solution is presented for estimating the cumulative distribution function (cdf) of the runoff volume and peak discharge rate of urban floods using the joint probability density function (pdf) of rainfall volume and duration together with information about the catchment's physical characteristics. The joint pdf of rainfall event volume and duration is derived using the theory of copulas. Four families of Archimedean copulas are tested in order to select the most appropriate to reproduce the dependence structure of those variables. Frequency distributions of runoff event volume and peak discharge rate are obtained following the derived probability distribution theory, using the functional relationship given by the rainfall–runoff process. The model is tested in two urban catchments located in the cities of Chillán and Santiago, Chile. The results are compared with the outcomes of continuous simulation in the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and with those from another analytical model that assumes storm event duration and volume to be statistically independent exponentially distributed variables.

Citation Zegpi, M. & Fernández, B. (2010) Hydrological model for urban catchments – analytical development using copulas and numerical solution. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(7), 1123–1136.     

Subarctic catchment water storage and carbon cycling – Leading the way for future studies using integrated datasets at Pallas,Finland

Subarctic ecohydrological processes are changing rapidly, but detailed and integrated ecohydrological investigations are not as widespread as necessary. We introduce an integrated research catchment site (Pallas) for atmosphere, ecosystems, and ecohydrology studies in subarctic conditions in Finland that can be used for a new set of comparative catchment investigations. The Pallas site provides unique observational data and high-intensity field measurement datasets over long periods. The infrastructure for atmosphere- to landscape-scale research in ecosystem processes in a subarctic landscape has recently been complemented with detailed ecohydrological measurements. We identify three dominant processes in subarctic ecohydrology: (a) strong seasonality drives ecohydrological regimes, (b) limited dynamic storage causes rapid stream response to water inputs (snowmelt and intensive storms), and (c) hydrological state of the system regulates catchment-scale dissolved carbon dynamics and greenhouse (GHG) fluxes. Surface water and groundwater interactions play an important role in regulating catchment-scale carbon balances and ecosystem respiration within subarctic peatlands, particularly their spatial variability in the landscape. Based on our observations from Pallas, we highlight key research gaps in subarctic ecohydrology and propose several ways forward. We also demonstrate that the Pallas catchment meets the need for sustaining and pushing the boundaries of critical long-term integrated ecohydrological research in high-latitude environments.