Natural and stressor drivers of invertebrate communities interacting in longitudinal dimension of stream ecosystems: from pilot studies to regional patterns
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| Year of publication | 2010 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Interacting effects of stream zonation, landuse, bank and floodplain characteristics on structure of macroinvertebrate communities complicate tracking of biotic response to environmental changes. Pilot studies were concentrated to specific types of streams, predominant anthopogenic impacts or certain geographical area. Advantage of such studies were detailed and standardized identification of biota, wider spectrum of measured parameters. Statistical analyses of complex data allowed to indentify most relevant biological indicators and arrange them in assessment systems. Individual studies were focused on effects of organic pollution, eutrophication, morphological degradation and river continuum disruption. Structure and trait-based parameters of macroinvertebrate communities were linked to stressor intensity, modified thermal regime and complex longitudinal zonation of streams and rivers. Presented study aimed to upscale of pilot studies results to larger dataset collected within monitoring programmes in the Czech Republic. Cold stenothermy preference, temperature optimum, zonation score, feeding strategies, sensitivity scores, distribution of individual taxa, taxa richness and proportion of taxonomic groups were examples of macroinvertebrate characteristics responding to studied environmental gradients. Upscaling may be associated with new calibration of tresholds and redefinition of stream types. |
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