Article
Ecology
Eric J. Walther, Mara S. Zimmerman, Peter A. H. Westley
Summary: Defining population neighbourhood boundaries is crucial for understanding ecological processes and guiding species-specific conservation and restoration planning. The study demonstrated that large-scale landscape attributes can accurately detect species-specific differences in population neighbourhoods across diverse habitats, providing a framework for conservation planning.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Dylan S. Cunningham, Douglas C. Braun, Jonathan W. Moore, Amanda M. Martens
Summary: Human activities such as forestry can have negative impacts on freshwater ecosystems that support juvenile salmon. Forestry activities alter water temperatures and the delivery of water and nutrients in streams, affecting the habitat and survival of juvenile salmon. This study examines the relationship between forestry and stream habitat in interior watersheds and finds that forest harvest is positively correlated with maximum summer stream temperature, while stream gradient explains most of the variation in physical habitat.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Pawel Mikus, Bartlomiej Wyzga, Aneta Bylak, Krzysztof Kukula, Maciej Liro, Pawel Oglecki, Artur Radecki-Pawlik
Summary: Effective sediment entrapment in incised channels can mitigate the adverse effects of channel incision and alluvial bed substrate loss on ecosystems of mountain watercourses downstream from check dams. Restoring ecosystem balance through measures such as installing block ramps and lowering high dam reservoirs can improve physical habitat conditions and positively impact benthic macroinvertebrates and fish communities in the restoration project area.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Junzheng Liu, Xinhua Zhang, Zengpei Xu, Jia Wang, Bing Ma, Ruiying Xue, Qian Li
Summary: This study quantitatively evaluated the impact of river bends on enhancing aquatic habitats using a dedicated software, finding that bend reaches have larger weighted usable areas and slower decline rates compared to straight reaches, which could be beneficial for improving urban river habitats.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Thomas P. Sullivan, Druscilla S. Sullivan
Summary: Restoration structures like woody debris piles can provide habitat for mammal species affected by clearcutting. In this study, constructed piles of woody debris on large clearcut sites were found to positively influence the presence, abundance, and species diversity of mustelids and small forest-floor mammals.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
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
Pavel R. Soukup, Joacim Naslund, Johan Hojesjo, David S. Boukal
Summary: Habitat complexity influences aquatic ecosystems at multiple levels but there are research gaps and limitations hindering a full synthesis of its effects. High-resolution studies and consideration of ecological feedback are needed to better understand the role of habitat complexity in aquatic communities and ecosystems. Future research should focus on non-linear responses and incorporate multi-level experiments and monitoring to improve our knowledge in this area.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-WATER
(2022)
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
Environmental Sciences
Susan E. Doka, Charles K. Minns, Brent G. Valere, Steven J. Cooke, Rick J. Portiss, Thomas F. Sciscione, Alwyn Rose
Summary: A key aspect of contemporary fish habitat management is the need to consider losses and gains associated with development and offsetting measures while protecting high quality features. We propose an ecological accounting framework using habitat equivalents and fish-habitat associations to assess and protect aquatic ecosystems. The framework tracks habitats using landscape-scale and site-level evaluations, and evaluates habitat changes based on ecological baselines and fish-habitat target setting. The framework also uses concepts of natural capital reserves and productivity-based ecotypes to trade losses and gains from development projects and offsets, while preserving ecologically important areas.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thomas Depret, Nathalie Thommeret, Herve Piegay, Emmanuele Gautier
Summary: This study examines the lateral mobility of the low-energy meandering gravel-bed Cher River in France. The presence of fluvial engineering works and anthropogenic structures has severely constrained the planform dynamics of the river, reducing its potential for lateral movement. Removing bank protections alone is unlikely to achieve good ecological status for the entire river corridor, but combining it with gravel augmentations may restore local lateral mobility.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Sarah Fischer, Joe Greet, Christopher J. Walsh, Jane A. Catford
Summary: The study demonstrates that redirecting floods can promote seedling growth and increase survival rates, with different species having varying requirements for flooding and soil moisture. Therefore, variable flooding and drying patterns are essential for creating recruitment niches for different riparian plant species.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Junyi Su, Renfei Zhang, Minghao Wu, Ruiying Yang, Zhicheng Liu, Xiaoming Xu
Summary: In this study, the changes in landscape patterns and habitat quality in the Yongding River floodplain from 1967 to 2018 were evaluated. The results showed that the landscape pattern was dominated by arable land and forestland while construction land expanded. The landscape tended to fragmentation and complexity increased. Habitat quality was generally above medium level, but low-quality areas increased. There was a strong correlation between habitat quality and the Aggregation Index, Diversity Index, and water and forestland area.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Adriano Sfriso, Alessandro Buosi, Chiara Facca, Andrea Augusto Sfriso, Yari Tomio, Abdul-Salam Juhmani, Marion Adelheid Wolf, Piero Franzoi, Luca Scapin, Emanuele Ponis, Michele Cornello, Federico Rampazzo, Daniela Berto, Claudia Gion, Federica Oselladore, Rossella Boscolo Brusa, Andrea Bonometto
Summary: The paper discusses the results of a 4-year project on aquatic angiosperm transplants in the Venice Lagoon, which successfully restored meadows in areas affected by eutrophication, pollution, and overexploitation of resources. The project demonstrated rapid ecological recovery and cost-effectiveness through small-scale interventions and stakeholder participation, making it easily transferable to similar environments.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xi Weng, Cuiling Jiang, Menglin Yuan, Manxue Zhang, Tianshan Zeng, Chun Jin
Summary: The construction of estuary sluice has significant negative impacts on the ecological environment, which can be mitigated by an ecologically oriented multi-sluice system operation strategy to meet the diverse environmental flow requirements of different fish species. By predicting effective habitat through modeling and adjusting river discharges, the study aims to maintain the needs of fish for spawning and migration.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yong Zhang, Zhishuai Qu, Jiqiu Li, Tao Hu, Changzhi Chen, Xiaofeng Lin
Summary: Understanding how different habitats contribute to the diversity of organisms is crucial for biodiversity conservation. The study focused on planktonic microeukaryotes, which are widely distributed in aquatic habitats, to investigate how their distribution is affected by habitat connectivity and heterogeneity. The findings suggest that habitat filtering rather than salinity or geographic distance is the primary driver of community assembly in planktonic microeukaryotes in connected aquatic ecosystems.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)