Fragility of stream ecosystem functioning in response to drought: an experimental test

河流生态系统应对干旱的脆弱性：实验测试

基本信息

批准号：
NE/J02256X/1
负责人：
Mark Ledger
金额：
$ 43.99万
依托单位：
University of Birmingham
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2012
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2012 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FJ02256X%2F1
关键词：
Fragility stream ecosystem functioning response

项目摘要

Climate change and human activities are expected to change the quantity of water entering rivers and streams, with potentially dramatic impacts on animals and plants resident in these ecosystems. In many regions, climate change is expected to reduce rainfall and bring about drought conditions, and water abstraction and river diversions may also reduce flows in rivers and streams. To date, relatively little work has been done to determine the effect of hydrologic droughts on aquatic biodiversity, and less is known about impacts on important processes, such as decomposition and nutrient cycling, that affect water quality and productivity of aquatic life.Our study will use novel experiments to understand the ecological effects of hydrologic droughts in streams, with a view to predicting future change. We will use a series of artificial stream channels to directly manipulate flows, thereby simulating drought episodes, and measure the responses of flora and fauna, and a series of processes that reflect the ecological health of the ecosystem. We will establish a series of experimental drought treatments which differ in the extent of flow reduction, from unaltered reference conditions to extreme low flows that cause habitat loss. We will also examine how the physical nature of the stream bed affects the extent to which animals and plants can withstand periods of drought, and how quickly these communities recover from these events. With a project student, we will investigate how water abstraction, a leading anthropogenic cause of stream drought, affects biodiversity and functioning across a suite of lowland streams in south west England. Together, the results will give valuable insights into the ways in which the environment responds to change brought about through human activities and the likely effects of climate change.

气候变化和人类活动预计将改变进入河流和溪流的水量，从而对这些生态系统中的动植物产生潜在的巨大影响。在许多地区，气候变化预计将减少降雨量并带来干旱，取水和河流改道也可能减少河流和溪流的流量。迄今为止，在确定水文干旱对水生生物多样性的影响方面所做的工作相对较少，而且对影响水质和水生生物生产力的重要过程（例如分解和养分循环）的影响知之甚少。使用新颖的实验来了解溪流中水文干旱的生态影响，以预测未来的变化。我们将利用一系列人工河道直接操纵水流，从而模拟干旱事件，并测量动植物的反应，以及一系列反映生态系统健康状况的过程。我们将建立一系列实验性干旱处理方法，其流量减少的程度有所不同，从不变的参考条件到导致栖息地丧失的极低流量。我们还将研究河床的物理性质如何影响动植物抵御干旱的程度，以及这些群落从这些事件中恢复的速度。我们将与一名项目学生一起调查取水（溪流干旱的一个主要人为原因）如何影响英格兰西南部一系列低地溪流的生物多样性和功能。总之，这些结果将为环境如何应对人类活动带来的变化以及气候变化可能产生的影响提供宝贵的见解。