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Restoration of Biodiversity in Streams and Rivers
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Restoration of Biodiversity in Streams and Rivers

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2018) | Viewed by 21913

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Annette Baattrup-Pedersen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Vejlsoevej 25, DK-8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
Interests: streams; macrophytes; biodiversity; eco-physiology; land-water interactions; groundwater dependent habitats; monitoring and assessment
Dr. Tenna Riis

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Ole Worms Alle 1, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Interests: stream ecology; aquatic plant biology; stream ecosystem functioning; carbon and nutrient cycling in streams; arctic freshwater systems
Dr. Jes J. Rasmussen

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Vejlsoevej 25, DK-8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
Interests: streams; macroinvertebrates; biodiversity; restoration; organic matter decomposition; multiple stressors; toxicants; food web; ecosystem functioning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Conversion of natural ecosystems for promoting a rapidly-growing human population occurs at alarming rates, causing unprecedented rates of biodiversity loss and associated ecosystem services. Freshwater ecosystems are particularily threathened. These systems naturally host an extraordinarily rich, endemic, and sensitive biota, but over the last few decades, critical declines for several species have been recorded. Restoration of the natural properties of river and stream ecosystem is a widely practiced over the world, but many projects fail or are never adequately evaluated and the efficiency of restoration as a measure to halt species loss can therefore be questioned. In this Special Issue of Water, we aim to gather new findings on effects of restoration of streams and rivers on the abundance and viability of freshwater communities that can serve to guide future restoration efforts. We put special focus on the fate of species that have undergone severe declines over the last decades, including also IUCN-listed freshwater species. Knowledge on species-specific habitat requirements is a basic premise for successful restoration of habitats for these species. We therefore encourage research that include an evaluation of the extent to which restoration efforts have succeeded in creating suitable habitats for these species. Furthermore, research that explore the importance of metapopulation dynamics for restoration success is encouraged.

Dr. Annette Baattrup-Pedersen
Dr. Tenna Riis
Dr. Jes J. Rasmussen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Freshwater
  • Biodiversity
  • Restoration
  • Streams and Rivers
  • Species
  • Habitats

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 1997 KiB  
Article
Contrasting Responses among Aquatic Organism Groups to Changes in Geomorphic Complexity Along a Gradient of Stream Habitat Restoration: Implications for Restoration Planning and Assessment
by Eliza Maher Hasselquist, Lina E. Polvi, Maria Kahlert, Christer Nilsson, Lisa Sandberg and Brendan G. McKie
Water 2018, 10(10), 1465; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10101465 - 17 Oct 2018
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5331
Abstract
Many stream restoration projects aim to increase geomorphic complexity, assuming that this increases habitat heterogeneity and, thus, biodiversity. However, empirical data supporting these linkages remain scant. Previous assessments of stream restoration suffer from incomplete quantification of habitat complexity, or a narrow focus on [...] Read more.
Many stream restoration projects aim to increase geomorphic complexity, assuming that this increases habitat heterogeneity and, thus, biodiversity. However, empirical data supporting these linkages remain scant. Previous assessments of stream restoration suffer from incomplete quantification of habitat complexity, or a narrow focus on only one organism group and/or one restoration measure, limiting learning. Based on a comprehensive quantification of geomorphic complexity in 20 stream reaches in northern Sweden, ranging from streams channelized for timber floating to restored and reference reaches, we investigated responses of macroinvertebrates, diatoms, and macrophytes to multiple geomorphic metrics. Sediment size heterogeneity, which was generally improved in restored sites, favored macroinvertebrate and diatom diversity and macroinvertebrate abundance. In contrast, macrophyte diversity responded to increased variation along the longitudinal stream profile (e.g., step-pools), which was not consistently improved by the restoration. Our analyses highlight the value of learning across multiple restoration projects, both in identifying which aspects of restoration have succeeded, and pinpointing other measures that might be targeted during adaptive management or future restoration. Given our results, a combination of restoration measures targeting not only sediment size heterogeneity, but also features such as step-pools and instream wood, is most likely to benefit benthic biota in streams. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Restoration of Biodiversity in Streams and Rivers)
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18 pages, 3848 KiB  
Article
The Contribution of Different Restored Habitats to Fish Diversity and Population Development in a Highly Modified River: A Case Study from the River Günz
by Joachim Pander and Juergen Geist
Water 2018, 10(9), 1202; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10091202 - 6 Sep 2018
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4806
Abstract
Despite of structural deficits, highly modified water bodies (HMWB) contain remnant populations of endangered fish that have high conservation value. Restoration in HMWBs underlies different principles when compared to natural rivers because of impaired river dynamic processes. The objective herein was to assess [...] Read more.
Despite of structural deficits, highly modified water bodies (HMWB) contain remnant populations of endangered fish that have high conservation value. Restoration in HMWBs underlies different principles when compared to natural rivers because of impaired river dynamic processes. The objective herein was to assess the contribution of restored habitats of the River Günz, Germany to fish diversity and restoration success of target species. All habitat restoration types, including bank habitats, fast flowing habitats with gravel, structured shallow water zones, nature like fish passes, and a former river course below a spillway were assessed. None of them comprised the full set of 27 fish species or size classes, indicating that the diversity and interlinkage of the restored habitats is most crucial to sustainable fish populations and high biodiversity. When considering the rheophilic target species Chondrostoma nasus and Barbus barbus, only fish passes and the former river course with their high flow current contributed much to their population development, particularly to young specimens <20 cm. The results of this study indicate that measures inside the main channel are unlikely to mitigate deficiencies in HMWBs concerning specialized riverine fish. Instead, interlinkage of a diversity of restoration measures and investment of resources for restoration in HMWBs into nature-like fish passes or former river courses below spillways with dynamically managed discharges seem most useful. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Restoration of Biodiversity in Streams and Rivers)
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10 pages, 2959 KiB  
Communication
Effects of Water Diversion from Yangtze River to Lake Taihu on the Phytoplankton Habitat of the Wangyu River Channel
by Jiangyu Dai, Shiqiang Wu, Xiufeng Wu, Wanyun Xue, Qianqian Yang, Senlin Zhu, Fangfang Wang and Dan Chen
Water 2018, 10(6), 759; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10060759 - 11 Jun 2018
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 5056
Abstract
To reveal the effects of water diversion from the Yangtze River to Lake Taihu on the phytoplankton habitat of the main water transfer channel of the Wangyu River, we investigated the water’s physicochemical parameters and phytoplankton communities during the water diversion and non-diversion [...] Read more.
To reveal the effects of water diversion from the Yangtze River to Lake Taihu on the phytoplankton habitat of the main water transfer channel of the Wangyu River, we investigated the water’s physicochemical parameters and phytoplankton communities during the water diversion and non-diversion periods over the winters between 2014–2016, respectively. During the water diversion periods in the winter of 2014 and 2015, the nutrients and organic pollutant contents of the Wangyu River channel were significantly lower than those during the non-diversion period in 2016. Moreover, the phytoplankton diversities and relative proportions of Bacillariophyta during the diversion periods evidently increased during the water diversion periods in winter. The increase in the water turbidity content, the decrease in the contents of the permanganate index, and the total phosphorus explained only 21.4% of the variations in the phytoplankton communities between the diversion and non-diversion periods in winter, which revealed significant contributions of the allochthonous species from the Yangtze River and tributaries of the Wangyu River to phytoplankton communities in the Wangyu River. The increasing gradient in the contents of nutrients and organic pollutants from the Yangtze River to Lake Taihu indicated the potential allochthonous pollutant inputs along with the Wangyu River. Further controlling the pollutants from the tributaries of the Wangyu River is critical in order to improve the phytoplankton habitats in river channels and Lake Taihu. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Restoration of Biodiversity in Streams and Rivers)
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13 pages, 7245 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Restoration and Flow Interactions on River Structure and Function: Channel Widening of the Thur River, Switzerland
by Eduardo J. Martín, Masahiro Ryo, Michael Doering and Christopher T. Robinson
Water 2018, 10(4), 439; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10040439 - 7 Apr 2018
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5876
Abstract
Removal of lateral constraints to restore rivers has become increasingly common in river resource management, but little is known how the interaction of de-channelization with flow influences ecosystem structure and function. We evaluated the ecosystem effects of river widening to improve sediment relations [...] Read more.
Removal of lateral constraints to restore rivers has become increasingly common in river resource management, but little is known how the interaction of de-channelization with flow influences ecosystem structure and function. We evaluated the ecosystem effects of river widening to improve sediment relations in the Thur River, Switzerland, 12 years after implementation. We tested if restored and non-restored reaches differed in water physico-chemistry, hyporheic function, primary production, and macroinvertebrate density and composition in relation to the flow regime. Our results showed that (i) spatio-temporal variation in sediment respiration and macroinvertebrate taxonomic richness were driven by interactions between restoration and flow; (ii) riverbed conditions including substrate size, organic matter content, and groundwater–surface water exchange changed due to restoration, but (iii) physico-chemistry, hydraulic conditions, and primary production were not altered by restoration. Importantly, our study revealed that abiotic conditions, except channel morphology, changed only marginally, whereas other ecosystem attributes responded markedly to changes in flow-restoration interactions. These results highlight integrating a more holistic ecosystem perspective in the design and monitoring of restoration projects such as river widening in resource management, preferably in relation to flow-sediment regimes and interactions with the biotic components of the ecosystem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Restoration of Biodiversity in Streams and Rivers)
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