Predicting Macroinvertebrate Responses to Water Abstraction in Alpine Streams
Exploitation of hydropower potential in alpine areas undermines the ecological integrity of rivers. Damming and water abstraction substantially alter the physical habitat template of rivers, with strong repercussions on aquatic communities and their resources. Tools are needed to predict and manage...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/15/2121 |
| _version_ | 1797525128655929344 |
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| author | Gabriele Consoli Fabio Lepori Christopher T. Robinson Andreas Bruder |
| author_facet | Gabriele Consoli Fabio Lepori Christopher T. Robinson Andreas Bruder |
| author_sort | Gabriele Consoli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Exploitation of hydropower potential in alpine areas undermines the ecological integrity of rivers. Damming and water abstraction substantially alter the physical habitat template of rivers, with strong repercussions on aquatic communities and their resources. Tools are needed to predict and manage the consequences of these alterations on the structure and functioning of macroinvertebrate communities and resource availability in alpine streams. We developed habitat preference models for taxa, functional feeding guilds, and organic resources to quantify the effects of discharge alteration on macroinvertebrate communities in two alpine streams. Our physical habitat model related an indirect measure of bottom hydraulic forces (FST hemispheres) to the distribution of macroinvertebrate taxa and their resources. We observed that flow-dependent habitat availability for macroinvertebrate communities generally decreased with increasing water abstraction. We were able to relate these changes to near-bed hydraulic conditions. Our results suggest, however, the existence of upper discharge thresholds delimiting optimal habitat conditions for taxa. In contrast, we found weak effects of near-bed hydraulic conditions on resource distribution. Overall, our findings contribute towards predicting the impacts of water abstraction on macroinvertebrate communities in small alpine streams and the benefits of baseflow restoration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:06:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9698ecfc32cf4a0fbc63761650c1e851 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:06:27Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-9698ecfc32cf4a0fbc63761650c1e8512023-11-22T06:20:41ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412021-08-011315212110.3390/w13152121Predicting Macroinvertebrate Responses to Water Abstraction in Alpine StreamsGabriele Consoli0Fabio Lepori1Christopher T. Robinson2Andreas Bruder3Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Campus Mendrisio, 6850 Mendrisio, SwitzerlandInstitute of Earth Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Campus Mendrisio, 6850 Mendrisio, SwitzerlandDepartment of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600 Dübendorf, SwitzerlandInstitute of Earth Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Campus Mendrisio, 6850 Mendrisio, SwitzerlandExploitation of hydropower potential in alpine areas undermines the ecological integrity of rivers. Damming and water abstraction substantially alter the physical habitat template of rivers, with strong repercussions on aquatic communities and their resources. Tools are needed to predict and manage the consequences of these alterations on the structure and functioning of macroinvertebrate communities and resource availability in alpine streams. We developed habitat preference models for taxa, functional feeding guilds, and organic resources to quantify the effects of discharge alteration on macroinvertebrate communities in two alpine streams. Our physical habitat model related an indirect measure of bottom hydraulic forces (FST hemispheres) to the distribution of macroinvertebrate taxa and their resources. We observed that flow-dependent habitat availability for macroinvertebrate communities generally decreased with increasing water abstraction. We were able to relate these changes to near-bed hydraulic conditions. Our results suggest, however, the existence of upper discharge thresholds delimiting optimal habitat conditions for taxa. In contrast, we found weak effects of near-bed hydraulic conditions on resource distribution. Overall, our findings contribute towards predicting the impacts of water abstraction on macroinvertebrate communities in small alpine streams and the benefits of baseflow restoration.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/15/2121hydropowerphysical habitat modelspreference modelsinvertebrate traitsfunctional feeding guilds |
| spellingShingle | Gabriele Consoli Fabio Lepori Christopher T. Robinson Andreas Bruder Predicting Macroinvertebrate Responses to Water Abstraction in Alpine Streams Water hydropower physical habitat models preference models invertebrate traits functional feeding guilds |
| title | Predicting Macroinvertebrate Responses to Water Abstraction in Alpine Streams |
| title_full | Predicting Macroinvertebrate Responses to Water Abstraction in Alpine Streams |
| title_fullStr | Predicting Macroinvertebrate Responses to Water Abstraction in Alpine Streams |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predicting Macroinvertebrate Responses to Water Abstraction in Alpine Streams |
| title_short | Predicting Macroinvertebrate Responses to Water Abstraction in Alpine Streams |
| title_sort | predicting macroinvertebrate responses to water abstraction in alpine streams |
| topic | hydropower physical habitat models preference models invertebrate traits functional feeding guilds |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/15/2121 |
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