A geomorphic monitoring and adaptive assessment framework to assess the effect of lowland floodplain river restoration on channel–floodplain sediment continuity

The state of the science of lowland river floodplain restoration reflects the relatively new and experimental nature of large river floodplain rehabilitation efforts. Based on results of a case study of floodplain restoration at the lowland Cosumnes River, California, we present a geomorphic monitoring and adaptive assessment framework that addresses the need to inform and utilize scientific knowledge in lowland floodplain river restoration activities. Highlighting hydrogeomorphic processes that lead to habitat creation, we identify a discharge threshold for connectivity and sediment transfer from the channel to the floodplain and integrate discharge magnitude and duration to quantify a threshold to aid determination of when geomorphic monitoring is warranted. Using floodplain sand deposition volume in splay complexes as one indicator of dynamic floodplain habitat, we develop a model to aid prediction of the sand deposition volume as an assessment tool to use to analyze future monitoring data. Because geomorphic processes that form the physical structure of a habitat are dynamic, and because the most successful restoration projects accommodate this fundamental characteristic of ecosystems, monitoring designs must both identify trends and be adapted iteratively so that relevant features continue to be measured. Thus, in this paper, adaptive assessment is defined as the modification of monitoring and analysis methods as a dynamic system evolves following restoration activities. The adaptive monitoring and assessment methods proposed facilitate long‐term measurements of channel–floodplain sediment transfer, and changes in sediment storage and morphology unique to lowland river–floodplain interactions and the habitat that these physical processes support. The adaptive assessment framework should be integrated with biological and chemical elements of an interdisciplinary ecosystem monitoring program to answer research hypotheses and to advance restoration science in lowland floodplain river systems. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi‐scale modelling of land‐use change and river training effects on floods in the Rhine basin

Land‐use changes effects on floods are investigated by a multi‐scale modelling study, where runoff generation in catchments of different sizes, different land uses and morphological characteristics are simulated in a nested manner. The macro‐scale covers the Rhine basin (excluding the alpine part), the upper meso‐scale covers various tributaries of the Rhine and three lower meso‐scale study areas (100–500 km²) represent different characteristic land‐use patterns. The main innovation is the combination of models at different scales and at different levels of process representation in order to account for the complexity of land‐use change impacts for a large river basin. The results showed that the influence of land‐use on storm runoff generation is stronger for convective storm events with high precipitation intensities than for long advective storms with low intensities. The simulated flood increase at the lower meso‐scale for a scenario of rather strong urbanization is in the order of 0 and 4% for advective rainfall events, and 10–30% for convective rain storms with a return period of 2–10 years. Convective storm events, however, are of hardly any relevance for the formation of floods in the large river basins of Central Europe, because the extent of convective rainstorms is restricted to local occurrence. Due to the dominance of advective precipitation for macro‐scale flooding, limited water retention capacity of antecedent wet soils and superposition of flood waves from different tributaries, the land‐use change effects at the macro‐scale are even smaller, for example at Cologne (catchment area 100 000 km²), land‐use change effects may result in not more than 1–5 cm water level of the Rhine. Water retention measures in polders along the Upper and Lower Rhine yield flood peak attenuation along the Rhine all the way down to the Dutch border between 1 and 15 cm. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental effects of sediment deposition on the structure and function of macroinvertebrate assemblages in temperate streams

Fine sediment in streams and rivers is one of the most globally widespread of all freshwater pollutants. However, the ecological implications are still poorly quantified, and field experiments to assess likely functional and structural effects are scarce. We assessed the response of stream invertebrates to fine sediment (i.e. inert sand) added to trays (n = 65) containing otherwise natural substrata over a three‐week period in three replicate streams in the Usk catchment, Wales. Sediment addition to 0.6–18 kg m^?2 affected both the structure and functional composition of invertebrate assemblages while also reducing overall abundance and in some common species (Baetis rhodani, Ecdyonurus sp. and Leuctra geniculata). Sediment also reduced richness and overall trait diversity (TD), while different life‐history traits were either favoured (polivoltinism, tegumental respiration and burrowing behaviour) or disfavoured (swimmers, attached taxa, gill respiration). Moreover, sediments appeared to promote a nested subset pattern in species composition, with generalists favoured at the expense of specialists either through exclusion or impaired colonization. Effects were due largely to the loss of five taxa that contributed to the significant nestedness across the sand gradient: B. rhodani, Ecdyonurus sp., Leuctra geniculata, Simuliidae and Ephemerella ignita. This short‐term experiment supports recent surveys in indicating how sedimentation can change the structural and functional composition of stream invertebrate assemblages even at low to moderate rates of deposition. In revealing direct effects on trait adversity, trait representation and nestedness, the data are also consistent with survey data in indicating that sediments have potentially important ramifications for conservation by removing organisms systematically according to life‐history features. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

环境DNA技术在河流生态系统中的应用研究进展

利用CiteSpace文献数据可视化软件分析了环境DNA技术在河流生态系统中的应用研究发文数量、发文趋势、关键词频次和突现状况;对环境DNA技术在河流生态中的应用研究重点进行了综述,主要包括生物入侵和珍稀物种检测与监测、生物量估测、生物多样性检测与分析和产卵繁殖调查等,指出环境DNA技术未来在河流生态系统中的应用应着重在环境DNA浓度与影响因素的量化关系、公共数据库的丰富、通用引物的设计以及环境DNA技术全过程标准的制定等方面。     

A two‐dimensional self‐adaptive hydrodynamic scheme for the assessment of the effects of structures on flooding phenomena in river basins

In order to assess the effects of river and floodplain engineering projects on flooding, a new self‐adaptive hydrodynamic scheme for the simulation of two‐dimensional river flows is proposed. The depth‐averaged motion equations are solved numerically using a fractional step method, in which the convective terms are calculated using the inverse characteristics method and the remaining terms with an explicit method based on a finite difference method. The integration is performed on a dynamically self‐adaptive calculus grid, which allows representation of the movable boundary between wetting and drying regions of the basins to follow the effective development, in time and space, of the expansion phenomenon of flood. The proposed procedure allows the grid's dynamic refinement to avoid coordinate transformation or the use of unstructured grids. The proposed method is simple and allows the thickening of the grid to accommodate the flooding phenomena on the floodplain and to calculate the velocity in the domain regions in which a higher space resolution is required. Therefore, flows running through structures such as weirs, gates, bridges or culverts can be simulated. In the paper two different case studies, approached with the proposed self‐adaptive calculation scheme, are discussed. The studies concern the analysis of the effects of structures, such as roads or embankments, on flooding phenomena in the Tiber and Tanaro basins respectively. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of hydro‐climatic and anthropogenic effects on the long‐term variation of commercial fisheries in a large floodplain river

This study deals with the effects of climate fluctuations and anthropogenic impacts on fisheries of Paraná River over the last 100 years. It is the first attempt to appraise the influence of hydro‐climatic and anthropogenic variables on the population changes of the most important inland fisheries of Argentina. Datasets covering more than eight decades (1935–2016) of a number of frequent and abundant commercial species inhabiting the main channel as well as the large floodplain of Paraná River were used. Our results suggest that fish catches and structure changed over time. Long and short‐term changes and reductions were closely related to fluctuations of 18 hydro‐climatic variables. Positive effects on the ichthyofauna were recorded during humid periods (1930–1940 and 1970–2000), when the frequency of large spring–summer floods increased. An increase in anthropic impacts (accounted for with nine variables) were recorded during the last two decades. We highlight the usefulness of the approach to support the management of the resources, ensuring sustainability of commercial fish assemblages and the long‐term conservation of biodiversity in big rivers.