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Droughts can lead to lasting changes in the condition of wetlands. For example, as drying occurs water levels drop and light penetration improves, which allows aquatic plants in the seed bank to germinate. By stabilizing sediments, outcompeting algal plankton and providing refuge to zooplankton grazers, newly established stands of aquatic plants can cause originally […]
March 30, 2019
By removing riparian vegetation, wildfires can have significant effects on river ecology, especially in headwater systems where fringing plant life helps to regulate stream temperature and provides a source of carbon in the form of leaf litter and woody debris. To help understand the impacts of fire on streams, and the length of time […]
March 30, 2019
Urban stream environments typically display symptoms of degradation – such as increased temperatures, nutrient and chemical pollution, simplified habitat structure and reduced biodiversity – that are collectively referred to as the Urban Stream Syndrome. Freshwater scientists generally accept that urban stream degradation is driven mainly by hydrological changes associated with stormwater runoff over impervious […]
March 30, 2019
The practice of replacing species that have been lost from degraded environments has become widespread over the last two decades, but most animal reintroductions have involved vertebrate rather than invertebrate species, and reintroductions are still relatively rare in freshwater settings. However, because there’s often a lack of source populations in the vicinity of river […]
January 14, 2019
Comments Off on Aquatic plants neutralize insecticides
sThere’s increasing evidence that submerged aquatic plants can dramatically reduce concentrations of polluting insecticides in freshwater systems and thus mitigate the impacts of these chemicals on aquatic animals. They are thought to do this in at least two ways. The best known method is by binding hydrophobic pesticides onto and into plant tissues, and a […]
January 14, 2019
Comments Off on Recognising the biodiversity value of ponds
Although pond habitats have been relatively neglected by conservationists, several studies have shown that ponds can contribute more to regional biodiversity than running waters. Because they are isolated, small in size and often poorly protected by conservation programmes, pond ecosystems are highly vulnerable to environmental threats such as those presented by urbanisation. To help provide […]
January 14, 2019
Comments Off on Turbulent times for freshwater plants
Water movement is one of the most important factors affecting the distribution of aquatic plants, and has a beneficial or detrimental impact depending on the magnitude of flow. Japanese researchers compared the effects of steady flow and turbulence on three plant species with different types of morphology: western waterweed (Elodea nuttallii) with whorled leaves, curly-leaved […]
March 30, 2019
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