Fast but transient recovery of aquatic and terrestrial communities after a large dam removal
IntroductionEcological restoration through dam removals receives increasing attention from scientists, environmental managers and policy makers. However, most dam removal projects focus on small structures (< 10 m in height) and on few ecosystem compartments at a time (e.g. river morphology,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-12-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1254462/full |
| _version_ | 1827593511235485696 |
|---|---|
| author | Olivier Dézerald Jean-Marc Roussel Elven Lanoë Thibaut Beauverger Thibaut Beauverger Alan Bazin Alan Bazin Héctor Rodríguez-Pérez Héctor Rodríguez-Pérez Simon Dufour Ivan Bernez Christophe Piscart |
| author_facet | Olivier Dézerald Jean-Marc Roussel Elven Lanoë Thibaut Beauverger Thibaut Beauverger Alan Bazin Alan Bazin Héctor Rodríguez-Pérez Héctor Rodríguez-Pérez Simon Dufour Ivan Bernez Christophe Piscart |
| author_sort | Olivier Dézerald |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionEcological restoration through dam removals receives increasing attention from scientists, environmental managers and policy makers. However, most dam removal projects focus on small structures (< 10 m in height) and on few ecosystem compartments at a time (e.g. river morphology, reservoir sedimentation, aquatic invertebrates, terrestrial vegetation), but rarely aquatic and riparian ecosystems simultaneously.MethodsWe explored the joint taxonomic recovery (temporal patterns in α- and β-diversity) of three communities after the removal of the Vezins dam (36 m in height; Sélune River, France): aquatic benthic invertebrates, riparian invertebrates, and the riparian vegetation. These communities were monitored yearly, during three years after the dam removal, on sites located within (n = 3; restored sites) and outside (n = 3; two upstream and one downstream; non-impounded sites) the former reservoir.ResultsResults showed a fast recovery of the three ecological communities, as patterns in α-diversity between restored and non-impounded sites were not necessarily different from each other 1.5 years after complete reservoir dewatering. The mean number of species or morphospecies (± standard deviation) reached up to 28.2 ± 5.2, 17.0 ± 2.3 and 77.5 ± 11.2 for the aquatic invertebrates, and the riparian vegetation and invertebrates, respectively. Relative to the sampled area, the riparian invertebrates were the most diversified of all ecological communities with > 500 taxa (i.e., pooling all sites and years). In addition, in some restored sites, α-diversity kept increasing over time while species turnover (β-diversity) remained high after three years for all ecological communities suggesting a transient recovery (i.e., still facing temporal changes in species diversity and composition). This recovery was mediated by the identity of the ecological community as inter-annual changes in α- and β-diversity of the riparian vegetation were less pronounced compared to those of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. This recovery depended also on site-specific features as the most distant restored site from the former dam had more time for recovery following the slow reservoir dewatering and through increased sedimentation in the downstream site.DiscussionDifferential patterns of recovery in α- and β-diversity found in this study are discussed in light of species functional traits and ecosystem functioning. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T02:11:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-705485847b1140a2bcbc2a4585d36730 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T02:11:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-705485847b1140a2bcbc2a4585d367302023-12-07T09:17:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2023-12-011110.3389/fevo.2023.12544621254462Fast but transient recovery of aquatic and terrestrial communities after a large dam removalOlivier Dézerald0Jean-Marc Roussel1Elven Lanoë2Thibaut Beauverger3Thibaut Beauverger4Alan Bazin5Alan Bazin6Héctor Rodríguez-Pérez7Héctor Rodríguez-Pérez8Simon Dufour9Ivan Bernez10Christophe Piscart11DECOD (Ecosystem Dynamics and Sustainability), INRAE, Institut Agro, IFREMER, Rennes, FranceDECOD (Ecosystem Dynamics and Sustainability), INRAE, Institut Agro, IFREMER, Rennes, FranceDECOD (Ecosystem Dynamics and Sustainability), INRAE, Institut Agro, IFREMER, Rennes, FrancePôle Gestion des Migrateurs Amphihalins dans leur Environnement, OFB, INRAE, Agrocampus Ouest, UPPA, Rennes, FranceU3E, Unité Expérimentale d’Ecologie et d’Ecotoxicologie Aquatique, INRAE, OFB, Rennes, FrancePôle Gestion des Migrateurs Amphihalins dans leur Environnement, OFB, INRAE, Agrocampus Ouest, UPPA, Rennes, FranceU3E, Unité Expérimentale d’Ecologie et d’Ecotoxicologie Aquatique, INRAE, OFB, Rennes, FranceUniv. Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO - UMR 6553, Rennes, FrancePôle R&D ECLA, OFB, ECOAQUA, DRAS, Aix-en-Provence, FranceUniversité Rennes 2, CNRS, LETG UMR 6554, Rennes, FranceDECOD (Ecosystem Dynamics and Sustainability), INRAE, Institut Agro, IFREMER, Rennes, FranceUniv. Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO - UMR 6553, Rennes, FranceIntroductionEcological restoration through dam removals receives increasing attention from scientists, environmental managers and policy makers. However, most dam removal projects focus on small structures (< 10 m in height) and on few ecosystem compartments at a time (e.g. river morphology, reservoir sedimentation, aquatic invertebrates, terrestrial vegetation), but rarely aquatic and riparian ecosystems simultaneously.MethodsWe explored the joint taxonomic recovery (temporal patterns in α- and β-diversity) of three communities after the removal of the Vezins dam (36 m in height; Sélune River, France): aquatic benthic invertebrates, riparian invertebrates, and the riparian vegetation. These communities were monitored yearly, during three years after the dam removal, on sites located within (n = 3; restored sites) and outside (n = 3; two upstream and one downstream; non-impounded sites) the former reservoir.ResultsResults showed a fast recovery of the three ecological communities, as patterns in α-diversity between restored and non-impounded sites were not necessarily different from each other 1.5 years after complete reservoir dewatering. The mean number of species or morphospecies (± standard deviation) reached up to 28.2 ± 5.2, 17.0 ± 2.3 and 77.5 ± 11.2 for the aquatic invertebrates, and the riparian vegetation and invertebrates, respectively. Relative to the sampled area, the riparian invertebrates were the most diversified of all ecological communities with > 500 taxa (i.e., pooling all sites and years). In addition, in some restored sites, α-diversity kept increasing over time while species turnover (β-diversity) remained high after three years for all ecological communities suggesting a transient recovery (i.e., still facing temporal changes in species diversity and composition). This recovery was mediated by the identity of the ecological community as inter-annual changes in α- and β-diversity of the riparian vegetation were less pronounced compared to those of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. This recovery depended also on site-specific features as the most distant restored site from the former dam had more time for recovery following the slow reservoir dewatering and through increased sedimentation in the downstream site.DiscussionDifferential patterns of recovery in α- and β-diversity found in this study are discussed in light of species functional traits and ecosystem functioning.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1254462/fullecological restorationmetacommunityriparian vegetationmacroinvertebratehabitat fragmentation and modificationriver continuum |
| spellingShingle | Olivier Dézerald Jean-Marc Roussel Elven Lanoë Thibaut Beauverger Thibaut Beauverger Alan Bazin Alan Bazin Héctor Rodríguez-Pérez Héctor Rodríguez-Pérez Simon Dufour Ivan Bernez Christophe Piscart Fast but transient recovery of aquatic and terrestrial communities after a large dam removal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ecological restoration metacommunity riparian vegetation macroinvertebrate habitat fragmentation and modification river continuum |
| title | Fast but transient recovery of aquatic and terrestrial communities after a large dam removal |
| title_full | Fast but transient recovery of aquatic and terrestrial communities after a large dam removal |
| title_fullStr | Fast but transient recovery of aquatic and terrestrial communities after a large dam removal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fast but transient recovery of aquatic and terrestrial communities after a large dam removal |
| title_short | Fast but transient recovery of aquatic and terrestrial communities after a large dam removal |
| title_sort | fast but transient recovery of aquatic and terrestrial communities after a large dam removal |
| topic | ecological restoration metacommunity riparian vegetation macroinvertebrate habitat fragmentation and modification river continuum |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1254462/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT olivierdezerald fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT jeanmarcroussel fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT elvenlanoe fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT thibautbeauverger fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT thibautbeauverger fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT alanbazin fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT alanbazin fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT hectorrodriguezperez fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT hectorrodriguezperez fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT simondufour fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT ivanbernez fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval AT christophepiscart fastbuttransientrecoveryofaquaticandterrestrialcommunitiesafteralargedamremoval |