Abstract
AbstractFlow–ecology relationships within river systems are an important area of ongoing investigation, because of potential applications such as understanding the ecological impact of flow alteration at modified sites. This study analyses relationships between flow characteristics and benthic macroinvertebrates from 18 streams of similar size and typology within Northern England, to develop quantitative flow–ecology relationships applicable at regional scale. High and low flow event frequencies displayed statistically significant relationships with the ecological metrics of LIFE Score, Shannon's Diversity and a velocity flow affinity trait score. Results suggest that flow event frequencies have a significant role in influencing ecology within the river network system. Hence, this indicates that future flow regime design in the region may be enhanced if this variable is considered.
Highlights
A global increase in water demand and energy requirements has led to the widespread proliferation of flow impoundments
Calculation of all ecological metrics was possible for all sites except one, where missing data meant that metrics could not be derived
Results from this study have provided evidence that there are key flow characteristics that are strongly associated with ecological response and that significant predictive relationships can be found on a regional scale. Despite limitations such as the narrow scope of variables utilized, results do affirm the conceptual frameworks and empirical evidence on flow–ecology relationships that the magnitude, timing, duration and variability of flows influence macroinvertebrate diversity and composition. This suggests that highly modified flows, such as those observed within impounded systems, are likely to result in ecological communities different from those which might be expected under the natural flow regime
Summary
A global increase in water demand and energy requirements has led to the widespread proliferation of flow impoundments. A better understanding of the relationship between ecology and flow regime is a critical area of investigation Such understanding is imperative for the design of mitigation measures such as environmental flows (e.g., Gillespie, Brown, et al, 2015; Hough et al, 2019), defined by the Brisbane Declaration, 2007 as ‘... Several theoretical frameworks describe the relationship between riverine ecology and the flow regime (e.g., Junk et al, 1989; Poff et al, 1997; Vannote et al, 1980), and there is substantive and growing evidence to show how components of the flow regime, such as the timing, magnitude, frequency, duration and variability of flow peaks, can influence a range of ecological metrics (e.g., Praskievicz & Luo, 2020). Duration and variability are likewise influential, because of their impact on nutrient cycling (Junk et al, 1989) or role as biological filters (Rolls et al, 2012)
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