An ecological causal assessment of tributaries draining the Red River Valley,Manitoba

Water resources on the Canadian Prairies are at risk due to human settlement, agricultural intensification, and climatic change. The Red River Valley (RRV), Manitoba, Canada, represents a nexus of these cumulative stressors. Here land use change, combined with a recent increase in precipitation and runoff, imperils the protective function of tributaries draining to Lake Winnipeg. A concerted research effort over the past decade has greatly improved availability of data and knowledge about the RRV. However, a full synthesis of these data and information remain lacking. We undertook a review to identify and compare contemporary and historical land use, climatic, hydrologic, and water quality condition within the RRV. Then, using current knowledge of the ecological condition of streams in the RRV and elsewhere, we completed an ecological causal assessment of RRV tributaries to identify linkages and knowledge gaps between anthropogenic drivers and ecological endpoints. We found wastewater to be the candidate cause of ecological effects in RRV streams best supported by empirical evidence. A lack of complete lines of evidence linking agriculture, the greatest diffuse source of nutrient inputs, and ecological effects in RRV tributaries underscored a need for stressor-specific indicators and improved biomonitoring strategies to better detect likely impacts of land use. We also identified a need for research to connect well-known causal elements in the RRV, such as climatic variables and hydrological alteration, to ecological effects. Our findings provide direction for future research and can aid in development of an adaptive management strategy for tributaries of the RRV.     

Spatial organization of fish diversity in a species‐rich basin

Many abiotic and biotic environmental characteristics in river basins show spatial gradients from river source to main stem. We examined the spatial organization of fish within the Duck River Basin to document patterns in diversity that could help guide conservation strategies relevant to controlling the detrimental effects of basin development. In all, over 0.33 million fishes representing 145 species and 18 families, including 9 non‐native species, were collected in 207 samples distributed throughout the basin. Main stem sites with large catchment areas supported more fish diversity than smaller sites in tributaries. Moreover, rare species were most common in the main stem and ubiquitous species in tributaries. The spatial organization of species assemblages was mostly nested, as assemblages appeared to disassemble in an upstream direction from main stem sites and confluences. These findings suggest that fish conservation efforts might emphasize main stem segments and confluences that support higher biodiversity including the rare species often most in need of protection. The main stem can support the populations needed to recolonize tributaries and rescue populations that might periodically go extinct after droughts or other major disturbances. In tributaries, conservation of species assemblages may focus on managing between‐patch connectivity via corridor maintenance or creation.     

INFLUENCE OF SCALE ON THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS IN A LARGE MONTANE RIVER BASIN

This study monitored stream temperatures over two hydrological years at various nested scales within the large, unregulated river Dee catchment (North East Scotland). These scales were (i) the whole catchment (11 sites along main stem Dee); (ii) the tributary (single sites in main tributaries); (iii) the Girnock (five sites in one subcatchment); and (iv) the reach (26 points across single reach). The aim was to characterize the thermal regime of all locations and compare the magnitude of variation between each scale. The controls on this variation were assessed via a multiple linear regression model using Geographic Information System‐derived catchment data. Temperatures were collected at 15‐min resolution and for further analysis and discussion combined to daily means. At the catchment and subcatchment scales, a west to east gradient in mean and minimum temperatures was observed, largely paralleling changes in altitude. Temperature differences between subcatchments were generally greater than between the sites along the main stem of the Dee. Differences between tributaries reflected differences in their morphology and land use. However, some tributaries had similar thermal regimes, despite different catchment and riparian characteristics. Subcatchment differences in thermal regimes of one of the tributaries corresponded to riparian vegetation reduced diurnal variability in sections dominated by broadleaf woodland. Compared with the larger scales, reach differences in thermal regime were small (e.g. mean temperatures of riffle, pool and margin habitats were within 0.3°C). The most noticeable difference was in relation to the point samples within the backwater area, which has a more constant thermal regime, most probably reflecting its groundwater source. The regression analysis indicated that monthly mean temperatures can be predicted well using elevation and catchment area. Forest cover was a significant explanatory variable during the summer months. However, some of the empirical temperature data from the Dee indicate that similar thermal regimes can result from different physical controls and processes that have important implications for the extrapolation of such predictive models. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cumulative effects of dams on migratory fishes across the conterminous United States: Regional patterns in fish responses to river network fragmentation

Globally, dams fragment river networks, threatening migratory fishes which require access to distinct habitats to complete their life cycles. Efforts to understand how cumulative effects of multiple dams affect migratory fishes across large regions, such as a country or continent, could help to identify locations for connectivity-enhancing actions to conserve migratory fishes. To address this, we evaluated cumulative effects of dams on migratory fishes in rivers across nine ecoregions of the conterminous USA. First, using fish data from thousands of sites (N = 45,989), we summarized ecoregional patterns in assemblages, quantifying the number of migratory species comprising assemblages, showing the prominence of potamodromous species across the large region as well as differences in migratory life history traits among ecoregions. Next, we compared the importance of a set of river network fragmentation metrics that captured influences of multiple dams in networks versus other anthropogenic landscape stressors and natural landscape factors that impact migratory fishes by ecoregion. We found that migratory fishes were more sensitive to cumulative dam effects than other stressors including urbanization and agriculture in the eastern USA. To further identify specific effects of environmental variables on potamodromous fishes, we conducted Boosted Regression Trees analysis in the eastern ecoregions. Our results suggested that the key natural influences on river fishes included catchment area as well as river baseflow and air temperature, suggesting that migratory fishes may be affected by changing climate. Additionally, we found that downstream dams were more influential than other human stressors to potamodromous fishes, underscoring the importance of enhancing connectivity within river networks to conserve migratory fishes. Collectively, our results provide new insights in identifying threats to migratory fish species across the USA, providing information that can aid in conserving this vulnerable but ecologically and socioeconomically important group of fishes.     

Landscape and flow path-based nutrient loading metrics for evaluation of in-stream water quality in Saginaw Bay,Michigan

Landscape metrics are often used to model nonpoint source pollution from agricultural and urban surface runoff. By considering topography and the spatial arrangement of land cover, landscape metrics can better account for hydrologic connectivity, loading quantity, and vegetated buffer filtering between nutrient loading sources and streams. For this study we develop a surface runoff nutrient loading metric that considers source (i.e. cropland or developed) loading and buffer filtering along hydrologic transport vectors, or flow paths. We use General Additive Modeling to evaluate the relationship between this metric and in-stream nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in the Saginaw Bay watershed in Michigan, US and compare the relative predictive power between this metric and other landscape metrics that do not consider hydrologic connectivity. The flow path-based cropland loading metric was a stronger predictor of in-stream NO₃ concentrations than alternative metrics. In-stream P concentrations were best predicted by models that included 48-h antecedent precipitation and catchment-wide proportion of developed landcover. Metric maps reveal high nutrient loading areas where only a small proportion of loading reaches streams via surface runoff, highlighting the need to consider nutrient loading via drainage tiles and other subsurface pathways in efforts to quantify nonpoint source loading to surface waters. The flow path-based loading metric is represented spatially as a gridded dataset showing estimates of nutrient loading adjacent to streams, and with higher resolution stream delineation data it could be used by land managers to target locations for precision buffer placement to intercept surface runoff and reduce nutrient loading.     

Elevated Nutrient Levels from Agriculturally Dominated Watersheds Stimulate Metaphyton Growth

The linkage between land use in a catchment basin and downstream aquatic ecosystems, especially effects on algae attached to substrata or loosely aggregated in the littoral zone, represents a void in our understanding of lake systems. The occurrence of beds of metaphyton at some stream mouths and not others in Conesus Lake, NY (USA) provided an opportunity to consider the relationship between land use and phosphorus and nitrogen losses on the development of shoreline metaphyton blooms. Experiments were performed in the littoral zone of a large temperate lake to test the hypothesis that effluent high in phosphorus and nitrate from tributaries draining agricultural watersheds had a stimulatory effect on the growth of littoral metaphyton, while effluent from a forested watershed did not. The study encompassed six watersheds of varying agricultural use (60–80%) and a forested watershed (12% agriculture). For each experiment, two quadruplicate sets of plexiglass incubation chambers (height = 50 cm, interior diameter = 9.5 cm) containing native assemblages of metaphyton received lake or tributary water continuously over a 3-day lake incubation period. Growth of metaphyton incubated in lake water and in tributary water was compared and differences appeared to be related to nutrient concentrations. A statistically significant stimulatory effect was measured for the six tributaries draining agricultural watersheds but not for the forested watershed. Tributary loadings appear to stimulate metaphyton at sites where the hydrology and hydrodynamincs are suitable. A significant positive linear relationship existed between percent metaphyton cover in the littoral zone and the percent of land use in agriculture. Metaphyton abundance is impacted by land use practices and subsequent loss of nutrients from the catchment.     

塔里木河流域绿色生态空间与景观格局变化研究

本文以1990—2018年4期遥感解译数据为基础,在RS与GIS的支持下,运用景观单一动态度、转移矩阵模型及景观格局指数等方法对塔里木河流域的绿色生态空间与景观格局变化进行研究。结果表明:全流域的绿色生态空间总体呈持续减小的趋势,尤其是2010年后绿色生态空间急剧萎缩,其中减少量最大的绿色空间为草地。在各景观类型中,以建设用地和耕地等人为利用为主的人工景观增多,而以草地等自然覆被为主的自然景观减少。1990—2018年间人类活动对全流域景观格局的干扰不断增强,且在1990—2000年间,人类干扰强度最为显著;各类景观的空间分布结构均趋于失稳状态,总体呈现出景观破碎程度不断加深、景观异质性不断增强和景观格局趋于复杂化的特点。     

Nitrogen cycling in large temperate floodplain rivers of contrasting nutrient regimes and management

Hydraulic connection between channels and floodplains (“connectivity”) is a fundamental determinant of ecosystem function in large floodplain rivers. Factors controlling material processing in these rivers depend not only on the degree of connectivity but also on the sediment conditions, nutrient loads, and source. Nutrient cycling in the nutrient‐rich upper Mississippi River (MISS) is relatively well studied, whereas that of less eutrophic tributaries is not (e.g., St Croix River; SACN). We examined components of nitrogen cycling in 2 floodplain rivers of contrasting nutrient enrichment and catchment land use to test the hypothesis that N‐cycling rates will be greater in the MISS with elevated nutrient loads and productivity in contrast to the relatively nutrient‐poor SACN. Nitrate (NO₃^?‐N) concentrations were greatest in flowing habitats in the MISS and often undetectable in isolated backwaters except where groundwater inputs occurred. In the SACN, NO₃^?‐N concentrations were greatest in the flowing backwater where groundwater inputs were high. Ambient nitrification in the MISS was twice that in the SACN and tended to be lowest in the main channel. Denitrification was 3× greater in the MISS than that in the SACN, N‐limited in both rivers. Community production/respiration was >1 in the MISS and likely provisioned labile C to fuel microbial metabolism and dissimilatory NO₃^?‐N reduction, whereas the heterotrophic (production/respiration < 1) nature of the SACN likely limited microbial metabolism and NO₃^?‐N dissimilation. It appears that N‐cycling in the SACN was driven by groundwater, whereas that in the MISS was supported mainly by water column N‐sources.     

Point source pollution influences water quality of Patagonian streams more than land cover

Understanding how anthropogenic activities affect water quality is crucial for water resource management and protection. We explored the relationship between land cover variables, point sources of pollution, and water quality in north-western Patagonian streams during the summer of 2019. We measured eight water quality parameters at 103 sampling sites, and used a self-organizing map to cluster, analyse, and visualize our data. We also used boosted regression trees to model the relationship between land cover, position with respect to the nearest point source of pollution, and each water quality parameter. We found that water quality was generally good, with just 15 sites showing signs of severe anthropogenic degradation. Boosted regression trees revealed that the spatial variation in water quality was mainly driven by the presence of point sources of pollution, whereas land cover variables generally had a modest effect. The overall good condition of the streams in the study area indicates that in contrast with more impacted regions of the world, water quality management in Patagonia should focus on water quality preservation, not water quality restoration.     

鄱阳湖湿地南部区域景观格局演变与动态模拟

基于3S技术对鄱阳湖湿地南部区域景观格局变化的分析和预测为管理和保护湿地提供科学依据。基于2000年、2005年、2010年和2015年的4期Landsat遥感影像数据,构建MCE-CA-Markov复合模型模拟鄱阳湖湿地南部区域的景观格局变化,利用遥感解译图检验模型精度,并根据已检验的景观演变限制条件和因子组合制作较优的适宜性图集,最后对2025年景观格局变化进行预测。研究结果表明:①2000—2015年期间,耕地面积不断减少,建设用地和林草地面积呈上升趋势,未利用地大幅下降,水域面积相对稳定;景观要素增多且连通性变弱,景观破碎化程度增强;②鄱阳湖湿地景观格局的动态变化受到自然因素和人为因素的共同影响,其中社会经济发展和城镇化进程因素起着主导作用;③预测模拟得到的2010年和2015年的景观格局与解译的景观格局基本一致,Kappa系数分别为0.927 1和0.863 2,模拟预测精度较高;④2025年模拟预测结果显示,耕地面积和未利用地面积将持续减少,建设用地和林草地面积呈上升趋势,水域面积无明显变化。预测结果表明研究区域景观格局变化比较活跃,生态环境压力大,需要加强耕地保护和合理利用未利用地。     

Effects of Watershed Vegetation on Tributary Water Yields During the Wet Season in the Heishui Valley,China

The relationships between water yields of tributaries and coverage of different vegetation types in the corresponding sub-watersheds were investigated during the wet season in the Heishui River Valley, located in the upper portion of the Yangtze River in western China. Stable isotope analysis was used to calculate the relative contributions of the tributaries to water yield in the main stem of the Heishui River, while relative coverages of the different vegetation types were calculated from classified Landsat 7 TM satellite images of the study area. We found that all the sub-watersheds were dominated by two vegetation types (subalpine forest and alpine shrub-meadow) which influenced water yields in opposite ways. Lower subalpine forest coverage was significantly associated with higher tributary water yield, whereas lower alpine shrub-meadow coverage was associated with lower tributary water yield. Comparing our results to similar studies at different spatial scales, we found increasing uncertainty in the relationship between vegetation coverage (total and individual community types) and water yields as scale increased. Nevertheless, the quantitative relationships found in our study may prove useful at the appropriate scales by allowing policy makers and managers to use vegetation coverage as an indicator or index of water yield when attempting to manipulate the vegetation of watersheds to reduce the risk of flooding in this region.     

移民安置综合开发区土地利用变化及驱动力分析——以疏勒河中游干流区为例

分析移民安置综合开发区土地利用变化与驱动力对于揭示人类活动与气候变化对土地利用影响具有重要科学意义。为此,以疏勒河中游干流移民安置区为例,利用GIS和RS技术分析区域内从1970—2013年土地利用变化特征,基于景观指数分析了不同年代土地利用类型的变化特点。基于移民城乡建设、农业耕地开发、农田水利建设、生态治理和气候变化等五个方面分析了对区域土地利用的影响,并结合不同土地利用相互转化关系定量分析了五个驱动力的贡献程度,从而系统全面地揭示了移民安置区土地利用变化与驱动力的相互关系,为构建区域生态屏障保护技术提供基础支撑。     

三峡水库试验性蓄水期间水环境质量监测分析

为了分析三峡水库蓄水后的水体质量变化情况,选取水库干流全程和主要支流典型断面进行了水质监测。水库蓄水期间水质分析的结果表明：库区干流水质较好且总体稳定,但支流水质总体较差,支流回水区各断面水质以Ⅳ类为主,主要超标因子为总磷,与蓄水前相比,支流水质明显下降,大部分处于中营养或富营养状况,部分支流回水区的局部河段发生了水华。水质分析结果为针对性地制定三峡水库水环境保护措施奠定了基础。     

An Assessment of Fish Assemblage Structure in a Large River

The Penobscot River drains the largest watershed in Maine and once provided spawning and rearing habitats to 11 species of diadromous fishes. The construction of dams blocked migrations of these fishes and likely changed the structure and function of fish assemblages throughout the river. The proposed removal of two main‐stem dams, improved upstream fish passage at a third dam, and construction of a fish bypass on a dam obstructing a major tributary is anticipated to increase passage of and improve habitat connectivity for both diadromous and resident fishes. We captured 61 837 fish of 35 species in the Penobscot River and major tributaries, through 114 km of boat electrofishing. Patterns of fish assemblage structure did not change considerably during our sampling; relatively few species contributed to seasonal and annual variability within the main‐stem river, including smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, white sucker Catostomus commersonii, pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus, and golden shiner Notemigonus crysoleucas. However, distinct fish assemblages were present among river sections bounded by dams. Many diadromous species were restricted to tidal waters downriver of the Veazie Dam; Fundulus species were also abundant within the tidal river section. Smallmouth bass and pumpkinseed were most prevalent within the Veazie Dam impoundment and the free‐flowing river section immediately upriver, suggesting the importance of both types of habitat that supports multiple life stages of these species. Further upriver, brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus, yellow perch Perca flavescens, chain pickerel Esox niger, and cyprinid species were more prevalent than within any other river section. Our findings describe baseline spatial patterns of fish assemblages in the Penobscot River in relation to dams with which to compare assessments after dam removal occurs. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phosphorus and nitrogen in the waters of the El-Kabir River watershed in Syria and Lebanon

In order to assess the quality of the waters of the El‐Kabir River, which forms the border between Lebanon and Syria, water samples were collected for phosphorus (P) and nitrogen analyses at 39 sample stations in the river watershed (18 in Syria, 21 in Lebanon). These samples were collected on the main stem and three major tributaries (Nahr al‐Arous and Nahr Nasrive in Syria, Chadra River in Lebanon). Three major springs also were sampled. The sampling was carried out in September 2001, and January, April and August 2002. Nutrient analyses were carried out on samples taken in September 2001, January and April 2002 in Syria, and in September 2001 and August 2002 in Lebanon. The P concentrations were extremely high throughout the watershed, as were the ammonia‐nitrogen and nitrate‐nitrogen concentrations, indicating extensive pollution. Although the nitrite‐nitrogen concentration was relatively low, it is at the upper end of what might be considered normal, thereby perhaps being indicative of some anthropogenic sources. The spring waters were found to be polluted by nutrients. The nutrient sources contributing to the river pollution were mainly from piped, direct sewage discharges from the many settlements throughout the basin. These were supplemented by diffuse sources directly from agricultural fertilizer use and from the indiscriminate disposal of solid wastes into the river and on the stream banks and lands adjacent to the roads of the watershed.     

每州城区防洪堤玻璃钢子堤新技术研究

针对梅州城区河道平坦、坡降较小,遇暴雨往往出现干支流洪水同时暴涨汇聚于梅江,洪水呈现峰高、量大,外江水位变幅大的特点,提出装配式玻璃钢防洪子堤技术解决方案,充分考虑了维护城市景观和提高景观品位的需要,较好地满足城市防洪安全建设和城市景观之间的矛盾。     

Watershed-scale landuse is associated with temporal and spatial compositional variation in Lake Michigan tributary bacterial communities

Populations of stream organisms across trophic levels, including microbial taxa, are adapted to physical and biotic stream features, and are sentinels of geological and hydrological landscape processes and anthropogenic disturbance. Stream bacterial diversity and composition can have profound effects on resident and migratory species in Great Lakes tributaries. Study objectives were to characterize and compare the taxonomic composition and diversity of bacterial communities in 18 rivers of the Lake Michigan basin during April and June 2019 and to quantify associations with stream and watershed physical features and dominant landuse practices. River water was filtered, and genomic DNA was extracted from filtrate using antiseptic techniques. We performed high-throughput amplicon sequencing using the highly variable V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize microbial community composition and diversity. Effects of landscape-scale landuse, environmental variables and dispersal predictors (e.g., inter-stream distance) on community compositional differences were quantified. Greater than 90% of variation in bacterial relative abundance between rivers and time were attributed to 11 phyla representing 10,800 operational taxonomic units. Inter-stream geographic distance, stream hydrology, and variation in stream properties that were tied to patterns of watershed landuse were significantly associated with differences in bacterial community composition among streams at both sampling time periods. based on Bray-Curtis distances. Understanding how environmental characteristics and watershed-scale landuse influence lower trophic level stream communities such as bacteria will inform managers as biological indicators of ecosystem health, sources of disturbance, and current and future bottom-up trophic changes in coupled tributary-Great Lakes ecosystems.     

Ecological connectivity in alluvial river ecosystems and its disruption by flow regulation

The dynamic nature of alluvial floodplain rivers is a function of flow and sediment regimes interacting with the physiographic features and vegetation cover of the landscape. During seasonal inundation, the flood pulse forms a ‘moving littoral’ that traverses the plain, increasing productivity and enhancing connectivity. The range of spatio-temporal connectivity between different biotopes, coupled with variable levels of natural disturbance, determine successional patterns and habitat heterogeneity that are responsible for maintaining the ecological integrity of floodplain river systems. Flow regulation by dams, often compounded by other modifications such as levee construction, normally results in reduced connectivity and altered successional trajectories in downstream reaches. Flood peaks are typically reduced by river regulation, which reduces the frequency and extent of floodplain inundation. A reduction in channel-forming flows reduces channel migration, an important phenomenon in maintaining high levels of habitat diversity across floodplains. The seasonal timing of floods may be shifted by flow regulation, with major ramifications for aquatic and terrestrial biota. Truncation of sediment transport may result in channel degradation for many kilometres downstream from a dam. Deepening of the channel lowers the water-table, which affects riparian vegetation dynamics and reduces the effective base level of tributaries, which results in rejuvenation and erosion. Ecological integrity in floodplain rivers is based in part on a diversity of water bodies with differing degrees of connectivity with the main river channel. Collectively, these water bodies occupy a wide range of successional stages, thereby forming a mosaic of habitat patches across the floodplain, This diversity is maintained by a balance between the trend toward terrestrialization and flow disturbances that renew connectivity and reset successional sequences. To counter the influence of river regulation, restoration efforts should focus on reestablishing dynamic connectivity between the channel and floodplain water bodies.     

三门峡水库运行水位对湿地水文过程影响研究

通过对三门峡库区湿地生态系统的水文过程及主要影响因素的调查和分析,研究水库运行水位变化对湿地生态系统水文过程的影响及主要生态效应,为恢复和维持河流生态系统健康提供依据.研究发现,降低水库运行水位,库区湿地面积将大幅度减少,湿地生态需水供给受阻,湿地生境状况出现不利变化,部分湿地将丧失原有的生态功能;湿地生态系统的水文过程变化将导致湿地多样性和景观结构、格局发生明显变化,严重影响区域的景观格局和生态安全;水库运行水位降低,将使库区周边地下水位降低,使地下水的供需平衡更趋恶化.鉴于生态问题的复杂性,需要对运行水位的生态效应进行长期、全面研究,以便采取有效的控制措施和对策.     

A spatial assessment of hydrologic alteration within a river network

Maintaining natural hydrologic variability is essential in conserving native riverine biota and river ecosystem integrity. Hydrologic variation plays a major role in structuring the biotic diversity within river ecosystems as it controls key habitat conditions within the river channel, the floodplain, and hyporheic (stream-influenced ground water) zones. Alterations in streamflow regimes may modify many of these habitat attributes and impair ecosystem connectivity. We demonstrate use of the ‘Range of Variability Approach’ for assessing hydrologic alteration at available streamgauge sites throughout a river basin. We then illustrate a technique for spatially mapping the degree of hydrologic alteration for river reaches at and between streamgauge sites. Such maps can be used to assess the loss of natural hydrologic variation at a river basin scale, thereby facilitating river restoration planning. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.