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River restoration commonly concentrates on improving habitat quality for threatened fish populations. However, because stream fish are strongly influenced by food availability, competition and predation, a case can be made for also incorporating food web modelling into the restoration process. A group of environmental scientists developed an ecosystem model and applied it to a river-floodplain […]
July 5, 2018
Comments Off on Successful stream restoration can take decades
Although assessments of the success of stream restoration projects depend on post-restoration monitoring, in most cases the monitoring period ends long before the system reaches full functional maturity. Given this situation, it can be helpful to refer to performance curves that forecast how stream restoration projects will perform over time. American environmental scientists set out […]
December 21, 2017
Comments Off on Simplifying urban stream assessment
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 […]
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. […]
October 8, 2018
Comments Off on How the food web affects river restoration