|
Título:
|
Effects of flow regulation on river bed dynamics and invertebrate communities in a Mediterranean river
|
|
Autor/a:
|
Lobera Galán, Gemma; Muñoz Gràcia, Isabel; López Tarazón, José Andrés; Vericat Querol, Damià; Batalla, Ramon J.
|
|
Notas:
|
Mediterranean rivers are hotspots for biodiversity,
and riverine species are adapted to regular
physical perturbations that affect channel morphology
during flashy rainfall-runoff events. Dams alter flow
regimes, changing flood magnitude and frequency;
they also interrupt the continuity of sediment transport.
Changes in both flood and sediment transport
regimes affect downstream channel dynamics and the
ecological functioning of fluvial systems. This paper
examines the effects of flow regulation on bed
disturbance, invertebrate assemblages and their biological
traits in a Mediterranean river (the Siurana, NE
Iberian Peninsula). Results are put in the broader
context of the whole Ebro river catchment. The
Siurana Reservoir causes a complete inversion of the
seasonal flow regime and reduces flood magnitude
notably. Upstream from the reservoir, torrential floods
mobilize surface and subsurface bed materials, regularly
disturbing the physical habitat; downstream,
geomorphological activity in the channel is almost
nonexistent. Altogether, damming causes significant
differences in taxonomic composition of the benthic
invertebrate communities; density and biomass
increase notably below the dam although diversity
decreases. At the broader scale taxa with active aerial
dispersal traits dominate unregulated reaches in areas
with marked Mediterranean hydro-climatic regimes,
whereas reaches with more stable regimes are characterized
by fully aquatic detritivore species.
This research has been carried out within the framework of the Consolider Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065 Project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Jose Andrés López-Tarazón is in receipt of a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship (Project ‘‘Floodhazards’’, PIEF-GA-2013-622468, Seventh EU Framework Programme). Damià Vericat is in receipt of a Ramon y Cajal Fellowship (RyC-2010-06264) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Authors acknowledge the support from the Department of Economy and Knowledge of the Catalan Government through the Consolidated Research Group 2014 SGR 645 (RIUS- Fluvial Dynamics Research Group). |
|
Materia(s):
|
-Channel morphology
-Dams
-Flood regime
-Biological traits |
|
Derechos:
|
(c) Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2016
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
|
Tipo de documento:
|
article
publishedVersion |
|
Editor:
|
Springer International Publishing
|
|
Compartir:
|
|
