Applied hydro-ecological science for the twenty-first century

In this paper we provide an overview of the need for sound science on which to base decisions in regulated river management. A tool-box of techniques for informing such decisions is introduced, in the context of various, mostly recent, institutional developments. These have given management agencies more powers to manage river flows in an integrated way. We review the underpinning science of applied hydro-ecology, noting that not only is our knowledge incomplete but also there are barriers (not least financial) in its day-to-day application. We then go on to highlight common themes arising from the accompanying group of papers, and to link them to a broader context of applied hydro-ecology. These papers arose from the workshop on "Riverine Ecological Response to Changes in Hydrological Regime, Sediment Transport and Nutrient Loading", held at the IUGG congress in 1999.

[1]  Thomas B. Hardy,et al.  The future of habitat modeling and instream flow assessment techniques , 1998 .

[2]  T. Hung.  Life in Moving Fluids—The physical biology of flow , 1988 .

[3]  A. Encalada,et al.  Structure and diversity of stream invertebrate assemblages : the influence of temperature with altitude and latitude , 1997 .

[4]  G. R. Guensch,et al.  Examining feeding strategies and position choice of drift-feeding salmonids using an individual-based, mechanistic foraging model , 2001 .

[5]  N. LeRoy Poff,et al.  Implications of Streamflow Variability and Predictability for Lotic Community Structure: A Regional Analysis of Streamflow Patterns , 1989 .

[6]  Helmut Habersack,et al.  The river-scaling concept (RSC): a basis for ecological assessments , 2000 .

[7]  John D. Stark,et al.  Development and Test of a Whole-Lifetime Foraging and Bioenergetics Growth Model for Drift-Feeding Brown Trout , 2000 .

[8]  Piotr Parasiewicz,et al.  Physical habitat modelling for fish - a developing approach , 2001 .

[9]  G. Minshall,et al.  The River Continuum Concept , 1980 .

[10]  Thomas A. McMahon,et al.  Stream Hydrology: An Introduction for Ecologists , 1997 .

[11]  David P. Braun,et al.  A Method for Assessing Hydrologic Alteration within Ecosystems , 1996 .

[12]  Agnew,et al.  Hydro-ecological variability within a groundwater-dominated stream , 2001 .

[13]  John W. Tukey,et al.  Exploratory Data Analysis. , 1979 .

[14]  Tonya D. Horton.  An Introduction to the Euro , 1999 .

[15]  Geoffrey E. Petts,et al.  Impounded Rivers: Perspectives for Ecological Management , 1984 .

[16]  N. Poff,et al.  Physical habitat template of lotic systems: Recovery in the context of historical pattern of spatiotemporal heterogeneity , 1990 .

[17]  Effects of residual flow and habitat fragmentation on distribution and movement of bullhead (Cottus gobio L.) in an alpine stream , 2000 .

[18]  D. Selkoe,et al.  Rio Declaration on Environment and Development , 1992 .

[19]  John Cairns,et al.  Ecological integrity of aquatic systems , 1995 .

[20]  W. Williams.  The Rivers Handbook. Hydrological and Ecological Principles. Vol. 2. Calow P. & Petts G. E. (eds). Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, UK. 536 pages and 133 illustrations. US$200. , 1995 .

[21]  J. Gore,et al.  Hydraulic Stream Ecology: Observed Patterns and Potential Applications , 1988, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[22]  Maciej Zalewski,et al.  Ecohydrology: a new paradigm for the sustainable use of aquatic resources , 1997 .

[23]  B. Malmqvist,et al.  The biology of streams and rivers , 1998 .

[24]  R. Wilby,et al.  Contemporary hydrology : towards holistic environmental science , 1997 .

[25]  Donald L. Tennant.  Instream Flow Regimens for Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Related Environmental Resources , 1976 .

[26]  R. Tharme,et al.  Envirionmental flow assessments for rivers : manual for the building block methodology , 2000 .

[27]  G. Petts.  Man's influence on freshwater ecosystems and water use , 1995 .

[28]  Ian Maddock,et al.  The Importance of Physical Habitat Assessment for Evaluating River Health , 1999 .

[29]  U. Tappeiner,et al.  Hydrology, Water Resources and Ecology in Headwaters , 1998 .

[30]  G. Lamberti.  The biology of streams and rivers , 2000, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[31]  Piotr Parasiewicz,et al.  MesoHABSIM: A concept for application of instream flow models in river restoration planning , 2001 .

[32]  S. Haslam,et al.  The ecological basis for river management , 1995 .

[33]  Elizabeth M. Shaw,et al.  Hydrology in Practice , 1983 .

[34]  Keith F. Walker,et al.  Flow variability and the ecology of large rivers , 1998 .

[35]  Robert L. Wilby,et al.  Eco-hydrology: plants and water in terrestrial and aquatic environments. , 1999 .

[36]  Asit K. Biswas,et al.  Environmentally-sound water management , 1990 .

[37]  B. Statzner,et al.  Linking fluvial fish community to physical habitat in large woody debris: sampling effort, accuracy and precision , 1999 .

[38]  J. Stanford,et al.  Stream Regulation in North America , 1979 .

[39]  G. Petts,et al.  Fluvial hydrosystems: a management perspective , 1996 .

[40]  B. Biggs,et al.  HYDRAULIC HABITAT OF PLANTS IN STREAMS , 1996 .

[41]  B. Downes,et al.  HABITAT STRUCTURE AND REGULATION OF LOCAL SPECIES DIVERSITY IN A STONY, UPLAND STREAM , 1998 .

[42]  Marti J. Anderson,et al.  Partitioning the variation among spatial, temporal and environmental components in a multivariate data set , 1998 .

[43]  B. Biggs,et al.  Relationships between benthic biota and hydrological indices in New Zealand streams , 1997 .

[44]  Wcd.  Dams and development: A new framework for decision-making , 2000 .

[45]  D. J. D'Angelo,et al.  Physical and Biological Linkages within a Stream Geomorphic Hierarchy: A Modeling Approach , 1997, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[46]  R. Sparks,et al.  THE NATURAL FLOW REGIME. A PARADIGM FOR RIVER CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION , 1997 .

[47]  A. J. Underwood,et al.  Beyond BACI: Experimental designs for detecting human environmental impacts on temporal variations in natural populations , 1991 .

[48]  H. B. N. Hynes,et al.  The Ecology of Running Waters , 1971 .

[49]  B. Coles.  Wetland management: A survey for English Heritage , 1995 .

[50]  William K. Michener,et al.  Quantitatively Evaluating Restoration Experiments: Research Design, Statistical Analysis, and Data Management Considerations , 1997 .

[51]  A. Bleed.  LIMITATIONS OF CONCEPTS USED TO DETERMINE INSTREAM FLOW REQUIREMENTS FOR HABITAT MAINTENANCE , 1987 .

[52]  Stefan Schmutz,et al.  Assessing the Ecological Integrity of Running Waters , 2000, Developments in Hydrobiology.

[53]  Kevin Rogers,et al.  Development of a protocol for the definition of the desired state of riverine systems in South Africa , 1997 .

[54]  W. Junk.  The flood pulse concept in river-floodplain systems , 1989 .

[55]  J. Karr,et al.  Restoring life in running waters : better biological monitoring , 1998 .

[56]  Peter H. Gleick,et al.  Water in crisis: a guide to the world's fresh water resources , 1993 .

[57]  Geoffrey C. Poole,et al.  IN‐STREAM HABITAT UNIT CLASSIFICATION: INADEQUACIES FOR MONITORING AND SOME CONSEQUENCES FOR MANAGEMENT 1 , 1997 .

[58]  Does Groundwater Abstraction Cause Degradation of Rivers and Wetlands? , 2000 .

[59]  B. L. Lamb,et al.  The Instream Flow Incremental Methodology: A Primer for IFIM. , 1995 .

[60]  A. Gustard,et al.  A study of compensation flows in the UK , 1987 .

[61]  M. Acreman,et al.  A habitat assessment approach to the management of groundwater dominated rivers , 1999 .

[62]  I. Jowett,et al.  A method for objectively identifying pool, run, and riffle habitats from physical measurements , 1993 .

[63]  A. Hildrew.  Patchiness, species interactions and disturbance in the stream benthos , 1994 .

[64]  B. Statzner,et al.  Stream hydraulics as a major determinant of benthic invertebrate zonation patterns , 1986 .

[65]  B. Biggs,et al.  Flow variables for ecological studies in temperate streams: groupings based on covariance , 2000 .

[66]  D. Harper,et al.  The habitat-scale ecohydraulics of rivers , 2000 .

[67]  Kristin Shrader-Frechette,et al.  What Ecology Can do for Environmental Management , 1994 .

[68]  D. Whittaker,et al.  Instream flows for recreation: a handbook on concepts and research methods. , 1993 .

[69]  G. Baxter.  RIVER UTILIZATION AND THE PRESERVATION OF MIGRATORY FISH LIFE. , 1961 .

[70]  P. Bayley.  The flood pulse advantage and the restoration of river‐floodplain systems , 1991 .

[71]  P. E. O'connell,et al.  An introduction to the European Hydrological System — Systeme Hydrologique Europeen, “SHE”, 1: History and philosophy of a physically-based, distributed modelling system , 1986 .

[72]  J. Stanford,et al.  The serial discontinuity concept : extending the model to floodplain rivers , 1995 .