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Urban streams experience high levels of stormwater runoff and channel erosion, and represent a significant challenge for ecological restoration. Nevertheless, it’s generally agreed that urban stream restoration should aim to mimic the natural (pre-development) flow regime as closely as possible. It’s been proposed that ecologically important aspects of flow can be used as a basis […]
December 21, 2017
Comments Off on Deforestation means defishation
The impacts of tropical deforestation on terrestrial biodiversity are well known but only a few studies have considered the impacts of deforestation on freshwater systems. Such effects are likely to be significant, given the importance of riparian vegetation as a source of nutrients and the high abundances of fish in tropical floodplain forests. In a […]
September 25, 2017
Comments Off on Restoration and invertebrates: Build it and at least some of them will come
It’s commonly assumed that the biodiversity of a disturbed ecosystem can be improved by restoring its original physical and chemical conditions. According to this “Field of Dreams” view (“build it and they will come”), ecosystem recovery occurs through the recolonization activities of lost species. While a lot of river restoration is founded on Field of […]
September 25, 2017
Comments Off on Restoration and invertebrates: Reappraising stream condition indicators
In degraded rivers and stream systems, the replanting of riparian vegetation is a common restoration activity, partly because increases in shading, nutrient interception and litter fall are expected to provide food and habitat benefits for aquatic communities. Changed habitat conditions should be reflected in indices of stream condition, such as those based on macroinvertebrate richness. […]
June 19, 2017
Comments Off on Coarse, shallow and wooden… but useful nonetheless
Coarse woody debris (CWD) derived from shoreline trees provides an important, spatially complex habitat and a food source for lake-dwelling organisms. Here are some interesting facts about lake CWD, taken from a recent review paper: In the absence of the physical action of flowing water, CWD breaks down more slowly in lakes than in streams. […]
June 19, 2017
Comments Off on Planting vegetation to stop stream bank erosion: where’s the evidence?
Increased rates of stream bank erosion and sediment movement in disturbed catchments have been attributed to changes in catchment hydrology caused by land clearing, channel modification, the trampling activities of livestock and the removal of riparian vegetation. Given that these effects are human-induced, it’s commonly assumed that they can also be reversed by human intervention, […]
March 27, 2017
Comments Off on Tree cover makes for lower fish diversity
A pervasive feature of lowland streams, especially in areas where land has been cleared for agriculture or urban development, is a decrease in forested cover from the headwaters to the mouth. The presence or absence of streamside tree cover has a profound influence on stream ecology. Streams running through undisturbed forests typically contain large woody […]
December 21, 2017
Comments Off on Simplifying urban stream assessment