Article
Environmental Sciences
Mitsunori Nakano
Summary: The presence of Corbicula shells in artificial ditches can enhance macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance, which is beneficial for maintaining the ecosystem of the ditches.
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. M. Booth, F. Giomi, D. Daffonchio, C. D. McQuaid, M. Fusi
Summary: Environmental fluctuation creates a variability framework for species evolution. This includes predictable diel cycles of aquatic oxygen fluctuation, which could influence the thermal ecology of aquatic animals. The disruption of oxygen fluctuation through dredging of plants reduces the thermal tolerance of freshwater animals, highlighting the importance of natural cycles of variability in modeling the ecosystem-level consequences of climate change. Restoration and management of primary producers in aquatic habitats could improve the thermal protection and resistance of aquatic invertebrates to environmental variation imposed by climate change.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Mayumi Yoshimura, Toshiya Matsuura, Ken Sugimura
Summary: Stream fishing in Japan has important economic and cultural value, but there is a lack of understanding of its socioeconomic importance as an ecosystem service. A survey showed that fishing activities contribute to the local economy mainly through fry release and angler numbers, but there are differences in the awareness of the importance of forests and fishing among respondents. Factors such as distance from the mountains, potential for industrial activity, depopulation, and interest in mountains and nature closely influence the behavior of the respondents.
FISHERIES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paola Montenegro-Diaz, Rolando Celleri Alvear, Bradford P. Wilcox, Galo Carrillo-Rojas
Summary: In high-altitude Andean grasslands, overgrazing leads to alterations in vegetation and microclimate. This study used an overgrazing experiment to identify the energetic recovery period for grass in the paramos and reveal the albedo as a good indicator of grass resilience.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Murray Ellis, Jennifer E. Taylor, Susan G. Rhind
Summary: This article introduces a method of accelerating the formation of natural tree hollows in regenerating landscapes by creating entrances in tree stems with existing voids or internal decay. The trial conducted in southeast Australia showed that the created entrances were quickly utilized by a diverse range of animals, including endangered species. This method has the potential to accelerate the development of habitat for hollow-dependent fauna, especially in regenerating vegetation.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Daniel T. L. Myers, Richard R. Rediske, James N. McNair, Aaron D. Parker, E. Wendy Ogilvie
Summary: The study found that various factors influenced the structure of aquatic communities along the agricultural-to-urban land use gradient. Instream woody debris had the strongest relationship with EPT abundance and richness, while fine streambed substrate was dominant in agricultural headwaters. Environmental variables and aquatic communities may not conform with what is generally known about land use impacts to streams, indicating the need for well-planned management to protect aquatic biodiversity in urbanized landscapes.
ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
George R. Pess, Michael L. McHenry, Martin C. Liermann, Karrie M. Hanson, Timothy J. Beechie
Summary: Wood reintroduction has been widely used as a stream restoration technique since the late 1980s. Most studies have focused on short-term changes and salmonids' response to wood reintroduction. Few have explored the long-term effects of increased wood loadings on stream channel morphology and geomorphic processes. This study used photos and a wood storage survey to analyze the effects of 23 years of wood additions in a Western Washington watershed, showing significant changes in channel morphology and habitat conditions. The findings highlight the importance of cumulative habitat restoration actions and demonstrate the effectiveness of wood placement in accelerating habitat recovery.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Honoka Nakahashi, Taihei Yamada, Nobuo Ishiyama, Futoshi Nakamura
Summary: Gravel pit ponds (GPPs) are human-created wetlands that contribute to the conservation of wetland fishes in floodplain landscapes. The study shows that GPPs provide valuable habitats for wetland fishes and play an important role in regional diversity conservation.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nan Zhang, Guangxia Shang, Yang Dai, Yuan Zhang, Sen Ding, Xin Gao
Summary: Different biological groups show biased responses to environmental stressors on different scales. Selecting bioindicators based on pressure characteristics is crucial for accurately assessing ecological quality. Macroinvertebrates and fish show distinct responses to environmental stressors, with their indices recommended for biomonitoring programs, especially in plain rivers.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Malgorzata Kijowska-Strugala, Lukasz Wiejaczka, Jaroslaw Cebulski, Eliza Placzkowska, Zofia Raczkowska, Pawel Prokop, Qiang Zou, Yongqiang Guo, Jiang Hu
Summary: This study compared the quality of habitats of mountain streams in different climate zones, finding that sections in the upper catchment areas show greater habitat naturalness compared to lower areas. The research analyzed three mountain streams located in Poland, India, and China using the British River Habitat Survey method.
ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Pushuang Li, Dan Li, Xiaoqing Sun, Zhaosheng Chu, Ting Xia, Binghui Zheng
Summary: With global warming and urbanization, river ecosystems are facing increasing pressures, leading to ecosystem degradation and biodiversity decline. Ecological restoration technologies (ERTs) can effectively improve habitat and biodiversity, contributing to the recovery and promotion of healthy rivers. This study summarizes various applications of ERTs and discusses their pros and cons, aiming to understand their applicability and limitations on river ecosystems. It is recommended to establish a unified river health evaluation system to further enhance the development and effectiveness of ERTs.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura K. Reynolds, Christine B. Rohal, Whitney A. Scheffel, Carrie Reinhardt Adams, Charles W. Martin, Jodi Slater
Summary: This study found consistent differences in plant traits among plants collected from different locations, which persisted when these plants were grown under the same greenhouse conditions. The results suggest that selection of a single high-performing plant source may be difficult due to unpredictable environmental conditions at restoration sites, so incorporating a diverse set of collection locations is recommended to increase the likelihood of obtaining desirable traits.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Daniel. J. J. Pondella, Jeremy. T. T. Claisse, Chelsea. M. M. Williams
Summary: Increasing fish production in the ocean is achievable and beneficial for both the economy and the ecosystem. Artificial reef deployments have been successful in restoring these services, and understanding the mechanisms and design considerations is important for future structures. maximising ecological processes and considering habitat use are critical in creating productive reefs. We propose a general theory for optimizing these variables.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zuzana Stefunkova, Viliam Macura, Andrej Skrinar, Peter Ivan, Milan Cisty, Martina Majorosova, Viktoria Tyukosova
Summary: This study evaluated the relationship between abiotic flow characteristics and habitat quality by assessing 59 reference reaches of mountain and piedmont streams in Slovakia. The analysis showed a strong correlation between stream depth and width with habitat quality, with increasing surface area leading to a significantly higher AWS value in mountain streams. These results can be used to derive regression equations for simplifying habitat quality evaluation in aquatic ecosystems.
Article
Environmental Sciences
James E. Cloern, Samuel M. Safran, Lydia Smith Vaughn, April Robinson, Alison A. Whipple, Katharyn E. Boyer, Judith Z. Drexler, Robert J. Naiman, James L. Pinckney, Emily R. Howe, Elizabeth A. Canuel, J. Letitia Grenier
Summary: The study shows that human activities have significantly reduced NPP in wetland ecosystems, but wetland restoration plans could potentially increase carbon flow to consumers, including at-risk species and their food resources.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Bartlomiej Wyzga, Antoni Amirowicz, Agnieszka Bednarska, Aneta Bylak, Hanna Hajdukiewicz, Renata Kedzior, Krzysztof Kukula, Maciej Liro, Pawel Mikus, Pawel Oglecki, Artur Radecki-Pawlik, Joanna Zawiejska
Summary: The scientific evidence of changes in restored rivers is still limited due to the relatively short time since the onset of global river restoration activities and a lack of monitored restoration projects. The restoration projects in three Polish Carpathian watercourses in the early 2010s utilized innovative techniques and environmental monitoring to improve the ecological state of the watercourses and reduce flood hazard, with plans for repeat monitoring in five years.
ECOHYDROLOGY & HYDROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Bartlomiej Wyzga, Maciej Liro, Pawel Mikus, Artur Radecki-Pawlik, Jozef Jelenski, Joanna Zawiejska, Karol Plesinski
Summary: Lowering a high check dam in the Polish Carpathians resulted in sediment flushing downstream, which was efficiently trapped by block ramps. This led to bed material deposition, increased bed elevation, reduced flow capacity, and improved hydromorphological quality of the stream in most cross-sections.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hanna Hajdukiewicz, Bartlomiej Wyzga
Summary: The study investigated changes in forest extent in the corridors of four rivers of the Polish Carpathians over the last 130 years and their relation to changes in river geometry. It found that all the analyzed rivers narrowed significantly over the study period, leading to an increase in the proportion of floodplains in the area of the river corridors, while former wide channels became places of forest development.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tomasz Bilinski, Aneta Bylak, Krzysztof Kukula, Renata Zadrag-Tecza
Summary: Most common terrestrial animal clades, such as insects, mammals, and birds, exhibit senescence despite evolving from ancestors that did not show signs of aging. Additionally, secondarily aquatic animals show a lower rate of senescence compared to terrestrial counterparts. Aging has evolved as a correlated response of selection on developmental strategies within each clade, and specific life history strategies can have significant effects on senescence and lifespan. The emergence of senescence may have been a side effect of the evolution of adaptive features that allowed the colonization of land, with potential implications for understanding the evolution of aging in different animal clades.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maciej Liro, Pawel Mikus, Bartlomiej Wyzga
Summary: This study investigates the storage of macroplastic debris in mountain rivers and the modulation of this process by river morphology and different surface types. The results show that wooded islands and wood jams store higher amounts of macroplastic debris compared to exposed river sediments and areas covered with herbaceous vegetation. The unmanaged, multi-thread reach of the river stores a significantly greater amount of macroplastic per km of river length compared to the channelized reach. The findings highlight the importance of channel management style and resultant river morphology in controlling macroplastic storage in mountain rivers.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Tomas Galia, Radek Tichavsky, Bartlomiej Wyzga, Pawel Mikus, Joanna Zawiejska
Summary: This study quantitatively evaluated the longitudinal patterns of large wood (LW) distribution in ten watercourses in the temperate climatic zone of Central Europe. The research found that different types of disturbances and focused LW transport can affect the degree of LW aggregation. Additionally, a regular pattern of LW distribution was suggested under the influence of recurrent LW retention features.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maciej Liro, Michael Nones, Pawel Mikus, Karol Plesinski
Summary: This research analyzes the effects of backwater fluctuations on the water depth and flow velocity of a small mountain stream in Southern Poland. The study demonstrates that backwater fluctuations substantially disturb the hydrodynamics of the stream and trigger alterations in sedimentology, morphology, and riparian vegetation pattern.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Aneta Bylak, Krzysztof Kukula, Ryan Easton, Malcolm Reid, Gerard P. Closs
Summary: Dams can facilitate the colonization and spread of aquatic invasive species, as seen in the case of European perch in the Solina Dam on the San River system in Poland. Extensive sampling and otolith microchemistry analysis revealed that while perch were widely distributed upstream of the dam, they primarily shared the same spawning and larval rearing habitat, likely the Solina Reservoir. This study highlights the importance of reservoirs in providing critical habitat elements for colonizing river systems.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maciej Liro, Anna Zielonka, Tim H. M. van Emmerik
Summary: This article presents a conceptual framework for studying the fragmentation process of macroplastics in rivers. By identifying the intrinsic properties of plastic items and the extrinsic controls of river characteristics and climate, it helps us understand the fate of macroplastics in rivers and the spread of microplastics in the environment.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Andrzej Wojton, Krzysztof Kukula
Summary: Beavers have a significant impact on lowland streams ecosystems, altering the distribution of aquatic invertebrates and resulting in the aggregation of different species.
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF HYDROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Alexander M. Cancelli, Frank A. P. C. Gobas
Summary: A mechanistic model was developed to assess the removal efficiency of pollutants in a wetland system, particularly in oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). The model simulated wetland mechanisms of chemical removal and showed that sustained wetland treatment is feasible. It is a helpful tool to evaluate the feasibility of treatment systems and to assess trade-offs in wetland design and operation.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Prakash Singh Thapa, Hiromu Daimaru, Seiji Yanai
Summary: This study assessed the vegetation recovery and erosion condition in a landslide area in central Japan. The results show that the upper slope, where reforestation activities were implemented, has seen significant vegetation recovery and no significant erosion, while the lower slope lacks vegetation and has experienced continued erosion.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Mike Jerauld, Forrest Dierberg, Thomas DeBusk, Scott Jackson, Kevin Grace, John Juston
Summary: The Everglades Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) are constructed wetlands built to remove phosphorus (P) from agricultural and urban runoff in support of Everglades restoration. Research shows that the levels of calcium (Ca) and alkalinity (Alk) have an impact on phosphorus removal in these wetlands.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Kalindhi Larios, Stefan Gerber, Rafael Munoz-Carpena, Patrick Inglett, K. Ramesh Reddy, Michael Chimney
Summary: This study modeled the phosphorus biogeochemical dynamics in one of the best performing Everglades treatment wetlands and found that the complexity of the hydrological system significantly affected the simulated water column P concentration. The modeling tool developed in this study can guide future data collection and optimization efforts for treatment wetlands in the Everglades.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Jing Hu, Benjamin Baiser, R. Thomas James, K. Ramesh Reddy
Summary: This study examined the long-term phosphorus retention in Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) and identified the factors influencing their performance. The results showed that the operational performance of STAs improved over time. There were notable differences among individual STAs, with the co-precipitation of phosphorus with calcium playing a critical role in one of the STAs. This highlights the complexity of phosphorus removal in STAs and the need for site-specific management strategies.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Odi Villapando, K. R. Reddy, J. King
Summary: The biogeochemical response to different flow conditions within two parallel flow-ways in Everglades Stormwater Treatment Area (STA)-2 was studied. It was found that there was a gradual decrease in the total phosphorus (TP) concentration from inflow to outflow for both emergent aquatic vegetation (EAV) and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) dominated systems, with EAV showing a higher reduction rate. Significant increase in TP concentration was observed in the SAV system under no flow condition, possibly due to the production of particulate phosphorus (PP) through various mechanisms.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
