Abstract
Developing a general, predictive understanding of ecological systems requires knowing how much structural and functional relationships can cross scales and contexts. Here, we introduce the CROSSLINK project that investigates the role of forested riparian buffers in modified European landscapes by measuring a wide range of ecosystem attributes in stream-riparian networks. CROSSLINK involves replicated field measurements in four case-study basins with varying levels of human development: Norway (Oslo Fjord), Sweden (Lake Mälaren), Belgium (Zwalm River), and Romania (Argeş River). Nested within these case-study basins include multiple, independent stream-site pairs with a forested riparian buffer and unbuffered section located upstream, as well as headwater and downstream sites to show cumulative land-use impacts. CROSSLINK applies existing and bespoke methods to describe habitat conditions, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Here, we summarize the approaches used, detail protocols in supplementary materials, and explain how data is applied in an optimization framework to better manage tradeoffs in multifunctional landscapes. We then present results demonstrating the range of riparian conditions present in our case-study basins and how these environmental states influence stream ecological integrity with the commonly used macroinvertebrate Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT) index. We demonstrate that a qualitative index of riparian integrity can be positively associated with stream ecological status. This introduction to the CROSSLINK project shows the potential for our replicated study with its panoply of ecosystem attributes to help guide management decisions regarding the use of forested riparian buffers in human-impacted landscapes. This knowledge is highly relevant in a time of rapid environmental change where freshwater biodiversity is increasingly under pressure from a range of human impacts that include habitat loss, pollution, and climate change.
Highlights
Riparian zones are the interface between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that connect and help regulate ecological functions in both habitats [1,2]
In the stream reaches categorized as reference, buffered, and unbuffered, we focused on the presence and extent of woody vegetation in the riparian zone
We found that bank stability decreased in the presence of a forested riparian buffer (Figure thethe box culverting andand impervious surfaces of upstream reaches resulting in higher (Figure5), 5),owing owingtoto box culverting impervious surfaces of upstream reaches resulting in scores more stable habitat
Summary
Riparian zones are the interface between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that connect and help regulate ecological functions in both habitats [1,2]. They are three-dimensional zones encompassing hydrogeomorphic, vegetational, and food-web attributes which vary in space and time [1,3,4]. Stream and terrestrial ecosystems can be highly connected by exchanges of organic matter and prey [3,8] These ecosystem linkages include inputs of terrestrial detritus and prey that help sustain aquatic food webs [9,10], and the emergence of adult aquatic insects form an important source of prey for a wide range of riparian consumers that include spiders, birds, lizards, and bats [11,12]. Human pressures from activities such as deforestation, agriculture, and urbanization frequently degrade stream-riparian networks [13], with potential consequences for cross-habitat linkages and ecosystem services through impacts on aquatic and terrestrial assemblages [7,11,14]
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