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Regional flow–ecology relationships in small, temperate rivers
Author(s) -
Hough Ian,
Moggridge Helen,
Warren Philip,
Shucksmith James
Publication year - 2022
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.12757
Subject(s) - ecology , benthic zone , streams , temperate climate , flow (mathematics) , environmental science , landscape ecology , streamflow , trait , invertebrate , river ecosystem , geography , biology , habitat , mathematics , drainage basin , computer science , computer network , geometry , cartography , programming language
Flow–ecology relationships within river systems are an important area of ongoing investigation, because of potential applications such as understanding the ecological impact of flow alteration at modified sites. This study analyses relationships between flow characteristics and benthic macroinvertebrates from 18 streams of similar size and typology within Northern England, to develop quantitative flow–ecology relationships applicable at regional scale. High and low flow event frequencies displayed statistically significant relationships with the ecological metrics of LIFE Score, Shannon's Diversity and a velocity flow affinity trait score. Results suggest that flow event frequencies have a significant role in influencing ecology within the river network system. Hence, this indicates that future flow regime design in the region may be enhanced if this variable is considered.