The effects of land use at different spatial scales on instream features in agricultural streams

The conversion of forests into agriculture has been identified as a key process for stream homogenization. However, the effects of this conversion can be scale-dependent. In this context, our aim was to identify the influence of different land uses at different spatial scales (catchment, drainage network and local) on instream features in agricultural streams. We defined six classes of land use: native forest, reforestation, herbaceous and shrubs, pasture, sugarcane and other categories. We obtained 22 variables related to instream, riparian area, stream morphology and water physicochemical characteristics in 86 stream reaches. To identify and isolate the effect of different land uses at different spatial scales on instream features, we performed a partial redundancy analysis (p-RDA). Different land uses and scales influenced instream features and defined two stream groups: (i) homogeneous streams with a higher proportion of sand substrate and instream grasses that were associated with the proportion of herbaceous vegetation at the local scale and with pasture at all scales and (ii) heterogeneous streams with a higher physical habitat integrity associated with the proportion of forest and sugarcane at the local and catchment scales. Land use at the catchment scale affected the physicochemical water properties and stream morphology, whereas stream physical habitat (i.e., substrate, instream cover, marginal vegetation and stream physical habitat condition) was mainly influenced by land use at the local scale (i.e., 150 m radius). Pure catchment, drainage network and local land uses explained 9%, 7% and 4%, respectively, of the total variation of instream features. Thus, to be most effective, stream conservation and restoration efforts should not be limited to only one scale.     

Evaluating the performance of topobathymetric LiDAR to support multi-dimensional flow modelling in a gravel-bed mountain stream

Stream biophysical processes are commonly studied using multi-dimensional numerical modelling that quantifies flow hydraulics from which parameters such as habitat suitability, stream carrying capacity, and bed mobility are derived. These analyses would benefit from accurate high-resolution stream bathymetries spanning tens of kilometres of channel, especially in small streams or where navigation is difficult. Traditional ground-based survey methods are limited by survey time, dense vegetation and stream access, and are usually only feasible for short reaches. Conversely, airborne topobathymetric LiDAR surveys may overcome these limitations, although limited research is available on how errors in LiDAR-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) might propagate through flow models. This study investigated the performance of LiDAR-derived topobathymetry in support of multi-dimensional flow modelling and ecohydraulics calculations in two gravel-bedded reaches (approximately 200 m long), one morphologically complex and one morphologically simple, and at the segment scale (32 km-long stream segment) along a 15 m-wide river in central Idaho, USA. We compared metre and sub-metre-resolution DEMs generated from RTK-GPS ground and Experimental Advanced Airborne Research LiDAR-B (EAARL-B) surveys and water depths, velocities, shear stresses, habitat suitability, and bed mobility modelled with two-dimensional (2D) hydraulic models supported by LiDAR and ground-surveyed DEMs. Residual statistics, bias (B), and standard deviation (SD) of the residuals between depth and velocity predicted from the model supported by LiDAR and ground-survey topobathymetries were up to −0.04 (B) and 0.09 m (SD) for depth and −0.09 (B) and 0.20 m s⁻¹ (SD) for velocity. The accuracy (B = 0.05 m), precision (SD = 0.09 m), and point density (1 point m⁻²) of the LiDAR topobathymetric survey (regardless of reach complexity) were sufficient to support 2D hydrodynamic modelling and derivative stream habitat and process analyses, because these statistics were comparable to those of model calibration with B = 0 m and SD = 0.04 m for water surface elevation and B = 0.05 m s⁻¹ and SD = 0.22 m s⁻¹ for velocity in our investigation. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nondimensional sediment transport capacity of sand soils and its response to parameter in the Loess Plateau of China

Soil erosion is a major contributor to land degradation in the Loess Plateau in China. To clarify the sediment transport capacity of overland flow influenced by hydraulic parameters, such as shear stress, sand shear stress (hydraulic gradient partition method and hydraulic radius partition method), mean flow velocity, Froude number, stream power, and unit stream power, indoor experiments with eight-unit-width flow discharges from 0.0667 × 10⁻³ to 0.3333 × 10⁻³ m²·s⁻¹, six slope gradients from 3.49 to 20.79%, and two kinds of sand soils (d₅₀ = 0.17 and 0.53 mm) were systematically investigated. A nondimensional method was adopted in data processing. Results showed that there was a partition phenomenon of relation curves because of the different median grain diameters. The correlation between the nondimensional stream power and nondimensional sediment transport capacity was the highest, followed by the correlation between the nondimensional unit stream power and nondimensional sediment transport capacity. However, there was a poor correlation between the flow intensity indices of velocity category and nondimensional sediment transport capacity. Nondimensional stream power, nondimensional unit stream power, and nondimensional shear stress could predict sediment transport capacity well. Ignoring the partition phenomenon of the relation curves, stream power could be used to predict sediment transport capacity, with a coefficient of determination of .85. Furthermore, a general flow intensity index was obtained to predict sediment transport capacity of overland flow. Finally, an empirical formula for predicting sediment transport capacity with a coefficient of determination of .90 was established by multiple regression analyses based on the general flow intensity index. During the analysis between measured sediment transport capacities in present study and predicted values based on Zhang model, Mahmoodabadi model, and Wu model, it was found that these three models could not accurately predict sediment transport capacities of this study because different models are estimated on the basis of different experimental conditions.     

Effects of sediment load on hydraulics of overland flow on steep slopes

Eroded sediment may have significant effects on the hydraulics of overland flow, but few studies have been performed to quantify these effects on steep slopes. This study investigated the potential effects of sediment load on Reynolds number, Froude number, flow depth, mean velocity, Darcy–Weisbach friction coefficient, shear stress, stream power, and unit stream power of overland flow in a sand‐glued hydraulic flume under a wide range of hydraulic conditions and sediment loads. Slope gradients were varied from 8·7 to 34·2%, unit flow rates from 0·66 to 5·26×10^?3 m² s^?1, and sediment loads from 0 to 6·95 kg m^?1 s^?1. Both Reynolds number (Re) and Froude number (Fr) decreased as sediment load increased, implying a decrease in flow turbulence. This inverse relationship should be considered in modeling soil erosion processes. Flow depth increased as sediment load increased with a mean value of 1·227 mm, caused by an increase in volume of sediment‐laden flow (contribution 62·4%) and a decrease in mean flow velocity (contribution 37·6%). The mean flow velocity decreased by up to 0·071 m s^?1 as sediment load increased. The Darcy–Weisbach friction coefficient (f) increased with sediment load, showing that the total energy consumption increased with sediment load. The effects of sediment load on f depended on flow discharge: as flow discharge increased, the influence of sediment load on f decreased due to increased flow depth and reduced relative roughness. Flow shear stress and stream power increased with sediment load, on average, by 80·5% and 60·2%, respectively; however, unit stream power decreased by an average of 11·1% as sediment load increased. Further studies are needed to extend and apply the insights obtained under these controlled conditions to real‐world overland flow conditions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using two-dimensional hydrodynamic models at scales of ecological importance

Modeling of flow features that are important in assessing stream habitat conditions has been a long-standing interest of stream biologists. Recently, they have begun examining the usefulness of two-dimensional (2-D) hydrodynamic models in attaining this objective. Current modeling practices consider relatively long channel sections with their bathymetry represented in terms of large, macro-scale, topographic features. Meso-scale topographic features, such as boulders, root-wads and other obstructions are typically not considered in the modeling process. Instead, the overall effects of these flow obstructions are captured through increased values in the channel roughness parameters. Such an approach to 2-D modeling allows one to accurately predict average depth and velocity values; however, it is not capable of providing any information about the flow patterns in the vicinity of these obstructions. Biologists though have known that such meso-scale features and the complex velocity patterns generated by their presence, play an important role in the ecology of streams, and thus cannot be ignored. It is therefore evident that there is a need to develop better tools, capable of modeling flow characteristics at scales of ecological importance. The purpose of this study is to expand the utility of 2-D hydraulic models to capture these flow features that are critical for characterizing stream habitat conditions.

There exists a paucity of research addressing what types of topographic features should be included in 2-D model studies and to what extent a boulder or series of exposed boulders can influence predicted flow conditions and traditional useable habitat computations. Moreover, little research has been performed to evaluate the impact mesh refinement has on model results in natural streams. Numerical simulations, based on a natural river channel containing several large boulders, indicate that explicitly modeling local obstructions/boulders can significantly impact predicted flow parameters. The presence of these obstructions create velocity gradients, velocity shelters, transverse flows and other ecologically important flow features that are not reproduced when their geometry is not incorporated into the hydraulic model. Sensitivity analyses show that reducing element sizes in the vicinity of obstructions and banks is crucial in modeling the spatial flow patterns created by meso-scale topographic features. This information, combined with similar data obtained in future studies, can provide guidelines for the placement of fishrocks and other structures often used in stream restoration projects as well as determining what types of meso-scale topographic features might need to be incorporated into habitat suitability studies. Such information may also ultimately allow new spatial habitat metrics to be developed.     

A new approach to rapid,desktop-level,environmental flow assessments for rivers in South Africa

Abstract

An approach is presented for desktop-level environmental flow requirement (EFR) determination that is aligned with the Habitat Flow–Stressor Response (HFSR) method which evolved in South Africa over recent years. The HFSR method integrates hydrological, hydraulic and ecological habitat data, involves ecological and hydraulic specialists and is data-intensive and time-consuming. The revised desktop method integrates hydrological information with estimates of channel hydraulic cross-sectional characteristics to generate habitat-type frequencies under changing flow conditions. This information is used with the expected natural habitat requirements to determine acceptable habitat availability under different levels of ecological protection, which is then used with the hydraulic data to define flow regime characteristics that meet the ecological objectives. The paper describes the model components, discusses the assumptions, data requirements and limitations and presents some example results. The revised desktop approach uses approaches that are aligned with the more complex methods and generates results that are similar.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Guest editor M. Acreman

Citation Hughes, D.A., Desai, A.Y., Birkhead, A.L., and Louw, D., 2014. A new approach to rapid, desktop-level, environmental flow assessments for rivers in South Africa. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (3–4), 673–687.     

Hydraulic modelling of fish habitat in urban rivers during high flows

In urban rivers, flow regime and channel morphology are the drivers of physical habitat quality for aquatic species. Peak discharges are increased at high flows as a result of impermeable catchments and channel engineering for flood protection schemes. Hazardous conditions and flashy hydrographs mean that measurement of velocities at high flows is a difficult task. This research uses a three‐dimensional computational fluid dynamics (3D‐CFD) model to simulate hydraulic patterns in two urban river channels. A 3D‐CFD code, called SSIIM, was used to simulate hydraulic conditions in two engineered river reaches of the River Tame, Birmingham, UK. These two sites represent channels with different levels of engineering. Models were calibrated and tested using field measurements. Results show that modelled water surface levels and velocity profiles are well simulated. Calibrated roughness heights are compared with those derived from field measurement of sediment size. Numerical experiments are used to assess the relationship between grid resolution in the vertical dimension and the form of the modelled velocity profiles. Biologists have used laboratory experiments to determine maximum sustainable swimming speeds (MSSS) of fish, often in order to assess what level of a particular pollutant may be tolerable. In this work, simulations of high‐flow hydraulic patterns are used to compare velocity patterns with fish MSSS. Results show that when the water levels rise to fill the first channel of the two‐stage channels at the sites, which occurred 16 times in 2000, MSSS are surpassed in the majority of available habitat, suggesting that excessive velocities at high flows are one factor that limits fish habitat. A comparison between the two reaches shows that there is less available habitat in the more modified reach. Conclusions suggest that an approach that integrates water quality issues and physical channel characteristics must be taken in river rehabilitation schemes, as improvements to water quality alone may not be sufficient to improve habitat quality to the desired level. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impacts of river bank stabilization using riprap on fish habitat in two contrasting environments

Riverbank stabilization using rock riprap is commonly used for protecting road and bridge structures from fluvial erosion. However, little is known about how streams adjust to such perturbation or how this can affect fish habitat in different fluvial environments, particularly for non‐salmonid species in small streams. The objective of this study is to assess impacts of riprap on fish habitat quantity and quality through a pairwise comparison of 27 stabilized and non‐stabilized stream reaches in two physiographic regions, the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Appalachian highlands of Montérégie‐Est (Quebec, Canada). Both quantitative (Hydro‐morphological Index of Diversity, HMID) and qualitative (Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index, QHEI) fish habitat assessment techniques are applied in order to compare results between methods. For each stream reach depth and velocity were measured to calculate HMID. In‐stream cover (woody debris, overhanging vegetation, undercut banks, aquatic macrophytes) and habitat units (pools, riffles, runs, glides) were also documented and used to determine QHEI. Results show that overall bank stabilization using riprap at bridge and stream crossings alters fish habitat characteristics. Loss of in‐stream covers and riparian vegetation lower QHEI scores at stabilized reaches, especially in more pristine Appalachian streams, but has less impact on already altered straightened Lowlands streams. In this latter context, some positive alterations of fish habitat were observed in riprapped reaches due to the coarsening of the substrate and an induced increase of slope. The two metrics (HMID and QHEI) revealed similar differences between stabilized and non‐stabilized sites for Lowlands sites, but their level of agreement was much less in the Appalachian streams, suggesting caution when interpreting habitat quality results based on a single metric. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

One‐dimensional and two‐dimensional hydrodynamic modeling derived flow properties: impacts on aquatic habitat quality predictions

Studies of the effects of hydrodynamic model dimensionality on simulated flow properties and derived quantities such as aquatic habitat quality are limited. It is important to close this knowledge gap especially now that entire river networks can be mapped at the microhabitat scale due to the advent of point‐cloud techniques. This study compares flow properties, such as depth and velocity, and aquatic habitat quality predicted from pseudo‐2D and fully 2D hydrodynamic modeling. The models are supported by high‐resolution, point‐cloud derived bathymetries, from which close‐spaced cross‐sections were extracted for the 1D modeling, of three morphologically and hydraulically different river systems. These systems range from small low‐gradient meandering pool–riffle to large steep confined plane‐bed rivers. We test the effects of 1D and 2D models on predicted hydraulic variables at cross‐sections and over the full bathymetry to quantify the differences due to model dimensionality and those from interpolation. Results show that streambed features, whose size is smaller than cross‐sectional spacing, chiefly determine the different results of 1D and 2D modeling whereas flow discharge, stream size, morphological complexity and model grid sizes have secondary effects on flow properties and habitat quality for a given species and life stage predicted from 1D and 2D modeling. In general, the differences in hydraulic variables are larger in the bathymetric than in the cross‐sectional analysis, which suggests that some errors are introduced from interpolation of spatially disaggregated simulated variables with a 1D model, instead of model dimensionality 1D or 2D. Flow property differences are larger for velocity than for water surface elevation and depth. Differences in weighted usable area (WUA) derived from 1D and 2D modeling are relatively small for low‐gradient meandering pool–riffle systems, but the differences in the spatial distribution of microhabitats can be considerable although clusters of same habitat quality are spatially comparable. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatiotemporal variation of streambed quality and fine sediment deposition in five freshwater pearl mussel streams,in relation to extreme drought,strong rain and snow melt

Oxygenated streambeds are considered a key requirement for the successful recruitment of stream fauna, including highly endangered freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera. Excessive amounts of fines impede exchange between open water and interstitial, leading to colmation and low oxygen levels in the juvenile habitat. Understanding the dynamic relationship between sediment delivery, transport, deposition and remobilization in relation to anthropogenic drivers is still poorly understood, yet is essential for conservation and restoration.This study analysed spatiotemporal sediment dynamics and interstitial habitat quality in five pearl mussel streams at the border region between Bavaria, Saxony and the Czech Republic during 2018 and 2019, comparing extremely dry periods with higher discharge events caused by snow melt and rainfall. Physicochemical habitat conditions within the streambed and sediment deposition were recorded in high spatial resolution along the stream courses, with a particular focus on the effects of tributaries and outflows of man-made fishponds.Habitat conditions were unsuitable for juvenile pearl mussels at the majority of sites, indicated by pronounced differences in physicochemical parameters between open water and the substrate, independent of discharge conditions. Sediment deposition varied markedly between discharge events, in terms of both the quality and quantity of deposits. Snow melt resulted in the highest sedimentation rates, but the smallest proportion of fine particles. During low flow conditions, fine sediment deposition was highly variable, ranging from 0.048 to 4.170 kg/week/m², mostly independent of flow velocity. High spatiotemporal variation was observed within and amongst stream systems, revealing different longitudinal patterns of fine sediment deposition, with catchment land use as the main driver. Temporal variability in sediment deposition was mainly associated with the discharge condition while abiotic parameters varied mainly with season.The high site-specificity of sedimentation rates and substrate conditions in response to different discharge events highlights the importance of an adapted conservation management which considers anthropogenic effects at the local scale.     

The zoogeomorphology of case-building caddisfly: Quantifying sediment use

Caddisfly (Trichoptera) larvae are an abundant and widespread aquatic insect group characterized by the construction of silk structures, including nets and cases. Case-building caddisfly have the potential to modify the sorting and mobility of sand and fine gravel via: (1) case construction, resulting in altered sediment properties; (2) transporting sediment incorporated into cases over the river bed; and (3) changing the structure of river beds via burrowing activity. To investigate these mechanisms, it is necessary to understand the mass, size distribution and spatial variability of sediment use by case-building caddisfly larvae. We quantified the mineral sediment used by individuals and communities of case-building caddisfly in 27 samples, from three sites on a gravel-bed stream. The mass and size distribution of sediment in individual cases varied between taxa (mass = 0.001–0.83 g, D₅₀ = 0.17–4 mm). The mean mass of sediment used by the caddisfly community was 38 g m⁻² and varied locally. Sediment use was predominantly coarse sand (D₅₀ = 1 mm). 64% of sediment use was attributable to Agapetus fuscipes (Glossosomatidae). Due to within-species variability in case mass, the abundance of most taxa, including A. fuscipes, was only weakly associated with the mass of sediment used by this species, at the river scale. Whilst the caddisfly community used a small percentage of the total sediment available (average 2.99% of the 1–1.4 mm size fraction), A. fuscipes used more fine sediment in their cases at sites where it was more available. Despite variability in local habitat, all sites supported diverse case-building caddisfly communities utilizing mineral sediment. Consequently, geomorphological effects of case-building caddisfly are potentially widespread. The results provide novel insights into the specific grain sizes and quantities of fine sediment used by caddisfly larvae, which represents an important step towards understanding their zoogeomorphic activities. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

The impact of flow discharge on the hydraulic characteristics of headcut erosion processes in the gully region of the Loess Plateau

Headcut erosion is associated with major hydraulic changes induced by the gully head of concentrated flow. However, the variation in the hydraulic characteristics of the headcut erosion process is still not clear in the gully region of the Loess Plateau. A series of rainfall combined scouring experiments (flow discharges ranging from 3.6 to 7.2 m³ hr⁻¹, with 0.8 mm min⁻¹ rainfall intensity) were conducted on experimental plots to clarify the variation in the hydraulic parameters induced by gully head and erosion processes under different flow discharges. The results showed that concentrated flows in the catchment area and gully bed were turbulent (Reynolds number ranging from 1,876 to 6,693) and transformed between supercritical and subcritical (Froude number ranging from 0.96 to 3.73). The hydraulic parameters, such as the flow velocity, Reynolds number, shear stress, stream power, Darcy–Weisbach friction factor, and unit stream power in the catchment area were 0.45–0.59 m s⁻¹, 2086–6693, 1.96–5.33 Pa, 0.89–2.86 W m⁻², 0.08–0.16, and 0.023–0.031 m s⁻¹, respectively. When the concentrated flows dropped from the gully head, the hydraulic parameters in the gully bed decreased by 3.39–26.07%, 1.49–29.99%, 65.19–67.14%, 67.25–74.96%, 28.53–61.31%, and 67.82–77.14%, respectively, which contributed to the flow energy consumption at the gully head. As flow discharge increased, Reynolds number, shear stress, and stream power increased, while flow velocity, Froude number, unit stream power, and Darcy–Weisbach friction factor did not. The flow energy consumption at the gully head was 9.66–10.13, 13.25–13.74, 15.68–16.41, and 19.28–20.25 J s⁻¹, respectively, under different flow discharges and accounted for 60.58–68.50% of the flow energy consumption of the experimental plots. Generally, the sediment discharges increased rapidly at the initial stage, then increased slowly, and finally reached a steady state condition, which showed a significant declining logarithmic trend with experimental duration (P<.01) and increased with increasing flow discharge. Accordingly, the flow energy consumption was significantly correlated with the sediment yield. These findings could improve our understanding of the hydraulic properties and flow energy characteristics of headcut erosion.     

Hydrologic indicators of hydraulic conditions that drive flow–biota relationships

Abstract

This article tests the association between streamflow alteration and the alteration of ecologically significant hydraulic environments. There has been a recent shift in environmental flow assessments to develop rapid desktop-based approaches that are applicable in a regional context. Streamflow statistics (e.g. minimum monthly flow) are often chosen to predict the impact of streamflow alteration on aquatic ecosystems. The assumption that the flow–biota relationship will be obscured by the effect of how streamflow interacts with channel morphology is often acknowledged, but not quantified. In this study, streamflow statistics are derived for 19 reaches in four river systems in Victoria, Australia. Hydraulic metrics were used to quantify ecologically significant surface flow conditions (Froude number) and the area of bench inundation, shallow and deep water. Multivariate analysis was used to investigate the correlation between streamflow statistics altered with regulation and the hydraulic metrics. It was found that streamflow statistics have a weak correlation to surface flow condition and the area of shallow water under natural streamflow conditions. The results show that hydrologic statistics have limited utility in quantifying changes in hydraulic environments. A similar magnitude of flow alteration can produce diverse hydraulic results. The confounding influence of channel morphology prevents streamflow statistics being an adequate surrogate for the assessment of hydraulic alteration. Modelling flow–biota relationships in a regional context is limited by the inadequacy of streamflow statistics to model ecologically significant hydraulic function. Improving knowledge of ecohydraulically significant hydrologic statistics will improve the effectiveness of environmental flow planning to sustain instream habitat conditions. A probabilistic approach is required to enable a risk-based approach to desktop generalization of flow–biota relations.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Guest editor M. Acreman

Citation Turner, M. and Stewardson, M., 2014. Hydrologic indicators of hydraulic conditions that drive flow–biota relationships. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (3–4), 659–672.     

基于越冬水鸟生境模拟的拟建鄱阳湖水利枢纽生态控制水位探讨

长江及鄱阳湖水系上游水库群运用后鄱阳湖枯季水文节律出现新的变化,为应对新的枯水情势,鄱阳湖水利枢纽作为一个选项被提出,如何确定其适宜的调控水位才能维持鄱阳湖湿地生态系统健康是其中的重点与难点.本文选择鹤类、小天鹅、鸿雁等食植物块茎水鸟作为鄱阳湖湿地生态系统的指示物种,基于EFDC水动力学模型和生境适宜度曲线构建了鄱阳湖越冬水鸟生境数值模拟模型;从食物资源与取食可及性两个方面,分苦草(Vallisneria natans)生长期和水鸟越冬期两个时段,以水深作为关键生境因子,对近10年鄱阳湖苦草及水鸟取食潜在生境面积变化进行了连续模拟;揭示了鄱阳湖苦草及水鸟取食潜在生境面积随水位的变化规律并构建了定量响应函数:苦草潜在生境面积随水位呈单峰型变化,在星子站水位为14.8 m时达到最大,约为1703 km2;越冬水鸟取食潜在生境面积随水位呈三段式变化,最大和最小面积分别约为564和476 km2,相应星子站水位分别为11.73和9.56 m.在此基础上,针对拟建的鄱阳湖水利枢纽工程,基于不同调度分期内生境保护目标的差异确定了符合天然水位波动特征的生态水位动态调控方案:下闸蓄水期内水位宜控制在16 m以下,后续根据越冬水鸟迁入情况逐步下降以增加取食生境面积,在12月次年1月的越冬水鸟数量峰值期水位宜控制在12.5 m以下,后续根据来水情况逐步过渡至江湖连通期的自然状态.成果从保护越冬水鸟食物资源与取食可及性两个方面提出了鄱阳湖水利枢纽生态水位的动态调控阈值,为江湖新水沙条件下鄱阳湖湿地生态系统保育提供了量化依据.     

Mineral grain availability and pupal-case building by lotic caddisflies: Effects on case architecture, stability and building expenses

The retreat-making larvae of many lotic caddisflies build entirely new pupal cases with fine gravel and sand that they collect in the neighbourhood of the building place to fix it with silk to cobbles in swift flow (where finer sediments are generally rare). Previous field observations on Hydropsyche siltalai pupal cases illustrate that natural local resource limitations of the preferred grain fraction (2.5–3.15 mm) produced chained effects across other grain fractions, as the alternative use of more grains in the 1.6–2 mm fraction (an unlimited resource) induced an increased use of more grains in the 0.315–0.5 mm fraction (another unlimited resource). To examine the implications of these observations for H. siltalai, we used (1) mesocosms to created minor deviations in the availability of the natural grain size composition of the building material of pupal cases at otherwise carefully replicated natural stream habitat conditions and (2) recently developed technologies to assess many case characteristics so far ignored in studies of caddisfly cases. When the preferred coarser grains (2.5–3.15 mm) were unavailable, more grains with intermediate size (1.25–2.0 mm) were used (and not other, still available coarse grains) and fewer larvae built cases in groups, thereby not only loosing the benefits (lower costs for grain transport and silk) but also avoiding potential disadvantages associated with grouped cases (more aggressive encounters with conspecifics for rare building material, less flow exposure and thus reduced water renewal in the pupal chamber). Unavailability of 2.5–3.15-mm and 0.315–0.5-mm grains caused a reduction of larvae building in groups, more use of grains with intermediate size, changes of several other grain characteristics (e.g. number, circularity) and considerable investment into silk to maintain the case resistance. Finally, grain availability deviating most from that observed in nature (no grains of 2.5–3.15 mm and 1.6–2.0 mm) caused dramatic responses, as mortality increased so that fewer pupal cases were built, using typically more coarse grains so that many cases had an elevated resistance against crushing forces; in addition, many males had a retarded development, whereas female development was unaffected. Thus, the response of H. siltalai to any of the three types of grain limitations differed, illustrating an immense diversity to respond to grain-size shortage.     

The influence of riparian vegetation on near‐bank turbulence: a flume experiment

Measurements from a fixed‐bed, Froude‐scaled hydraulic model of a stream in northeastern Vermont demonstrate the importance of forested riparian vegetation effects on near‐bank turbulence during overbank flows. Sections of the prototype stream, a tributary to Sleepers River, have increased in channel width within the last 40 years in response to passive reforestation of its riparian zone. Previous research found that reaches of small streams with forested riparian zones are commonly wider than adjacent reaches with non‐forested, or grassy, vegetation; however, driving mechanisms for this morphologic difference are not fully explained. Flume experiments were performed with a 1:5 scale, simplified model of half a channel and its floodplain, mimicking the typical non‐forested channel size. Two types of riparian vegetation were placed on the constructed floodplain: non‐forested, with synthetic grass carpeting; and forested, where rigid, randomly distributed, wooden dowels were added. Three‐dimensional velocities were measured with an acoustic Doppler velocimeter at 41 locations within the channel and floodplain at near‐bed and 0·6‐depth elevations. Observations of velocity components and calculations of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), Reynolds shear stress and boundary shear stress showed significant differences between forested and non‐forested runs. Generally, forested runs exhibited a narrow band of high turbulence between the floodplain and main channel, where TKE was roughly two times greater than TKE in non‐forested runs. Compared to non‐forested runs, the hydraulic characteristics of forested runs appear to create an environment with higher erosion potential. Given that sediment entrainment and transport can be amplified in flows with high turbulence intensity and given that mature forested stream reaches are wider than comparable non‐forested reaches, our results demonstrated a possible driving mechanism for channel widening during overbank flow events in stream reaches with recently reforested riparian zones. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

When does bedload transport begin in steep boulder‐bed streams?

The paper presents the results of field measurements of critical conditions for bedload motion conducted in the Rio Cordon, a steep boulder‐bed stream in the Italian Alps, under conditions of high Reynolds numbers and low relative submergence poorly explored before. Two methods have been used to determine threshold of motion: the displacement of marked clasts and the flow competence approach, which uses the largest grain size diameter transported by each flood event. The high values of confirm the great relevance of non‐bedload effective shear stresses in step–pool streams given by the additional form drag associated with this morphology. Relative submergence effects on the dimensionless critical shear stress have been quantified by considering the relative submergence ratio R_h/D₈₄, and the major effect of relative size on the mobility of each particle in steep, widely graded bed mixtures has been evaluated. Finally, the dimensionless critical unit discharge has also been adopted in the regression equations as the critical hydraulic parameter, because it may represent an easier parameter to use than the critical shear stress for steep, rough mountain rivers. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.