2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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5/22/2018 | 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM | INVERTEBRATE AND DIATOM COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO RIVER REGULATION BY WATER SUPPLY RESERVOIRS – A LARGE-SCALE MULTI-YEAR STUDY | 310 A

INVERTEBRATE AND DIATOM COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO RIVER REGULATION BY WATER SUPPLY RESERVOIRS – A LARGE-SCALE MULTI-YEAR STUDY

River regulation by dam impoundment is considered one of the most significant and extensive anthropogenic impacts on riverine ecosystems globally. There is a growing body of research centred on quantifying the effects of impoundment, with a focus on the effects of individual large dams on downstream aquatic ecosystems. This study undertakes a comparison of paired regulated and control sites associated with multiple water supply reservoirs under managed flow regimes across a range of scales using multi-year invertebrate and diatom community datasets. Taxonomic and functional community composition and a range of biomonitoring metrics were analysed in association with spatio-temporal parameters (e.g. region, year) to identify consistent downstream patterns in ecological responses to impoundment. Invertebrate and diatom communities at regulated sites differed significantly from those at control sites. The effect was most significant at a regional scale, whereas biogeographical factors appeared the primary driver of community differences at the national scale. Typically, taxonomic richness was higher at regulated sites, with a lower percentage of flow-sensitive EPT taxa present. This research provides a basis for development and future implementation of environmental flows on impounded rivers.

Flow
Invertebrate
Diatom

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Presenters/Authors

Henk Krajenbrink (), Loughborough University, UK, h.j.krajenbrink@lboro.ac.uk;