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A river classification scheme to assess macroinvertebrate sensitivity to water abstraction pressures
Author(s) -
Lathouri Maria,
England Judy,
Dunbar Michael J.,
Hannah David M.,
Klaar Megan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/wej.12712
Subject(s) - environmental science , river ecosystem , sensitivity (control systems) , hydrology (agriculture) , flow (mathematics) , classification scheme , resource (disambiguation) , water resources , abstraction , streams , ecology , ecosystem , environmental resource management , computer science , geology , mathematics , engineering , machine learning , computer network , philosophy , geometry , geotechnical engineering , epistemology , electronic engineering , biology
The concept of environmental flows has been developed to manage human alteration of river flow regimes, as effective management requires an understanding of the ecological consequences of flow alteration. This study explores the concept of macroinvertebrate sensitivity to river flow alteration to establish robust quantitative relationships between biological indicators and hydrological pressures. Existing environmental flow classifications used by the environmental regulator for English rivers were tested using multilevel regression modelling. Results showed a weak relationship between the current abstraction sensitivity classification and macroinvertebrate response to flow pressure. An alternative approach, based on physically derived river types, was a better predictor of macroinvertebrate response. Intermediate sized lowland streams displayed the best model fit, while upland rivers exhibited poor model performance. A better understanding of the ecological response to flow variation in different river types could help water resource managers develop improved ecologically appropriate flow regimes, which support the integrity of river ecosystems.