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Hydrobiology
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Ecosystem Disturbance in Small Streams
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Ecosystem Disturbance in Small Streams

A special issue of Hydrobiology (ISSN 2673-9917).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 6082

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Baik-Ho Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environmental Biology and Ecology, Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
Interests: plankton ecology; freshwater algal taxonomy; harmful algal bloom (HAB) biological control; cyanobacteria; biomanipulation; fish; mussels; bacteria; stream ecosystem health; diatom index; community dynamic index
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ecosystem disturbance of small streams adjacent to cities or residential environments is greatly influenced by artificial factors such as various dam constructions, road maintenance, and aggregate collection for the purpose of water resource use or flood prevention. The most serious problem is that in addition to breaking the continuity of streams and blocking ecological pathways, changes in stream productivity occur through food chains.

This Special Issue seeks to pursue ecosystem changes that occur in streams located in various spaces on the earth, as various ecosystem changes (disturbance, succession, energy flow) are expected in small rivers due to natural or artificial influences. In this regard, it is expected that experts on various taxa, such as water quality, microorganisms (viruses, bacteria), attached algae, benthic invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds, will participate.

Prof. Dr. Baik-Ho Kim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Hydrobiology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • small stream
  • disturbance
  • succession
  • corridor
  • river continuum
  • biofilm
  • current
  • viruses
  • bacteria
  • attached algae
  • benthic invertebrates
  • fish
  • amphibians
  • reptiles
  • mammals
  • birds

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 4019 KiB  
Article
Spring Water pH in Forest Catchments Is Modified through Fluctuating Discharge under Climate Change
by Carl Beierkuhnlein, Bojan Djordjevic, Johannes Höger, Vincent Wilkens, Samip Narayan Shrestha, Timothy Smith and Frank Weiser
Hydrobiology 2024, 3(4), 325-336; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrobiology3040020 - 11 Oct 2024
Viewed by 598
Abstract
Over the course of industrialization in the 20th century, vast emissions of air pollutants have occurred. The exhaust gasses contain sulfur and nitrogen oxides, which are converted to sulfuric acid and nitric acid in the atmosphere. This causes acid rain to enter aquatic [...] Read more.
Over the course of industrialization in the 20th century, vast emissions of air pollutants have occurred. The exhaust gasses contain sulfur and nitrogen oxides, which are converted to sulfuric acid and nitric acid in the atmosphere. This causes acid rain to enter aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, the most serious consequence of which is large-scale forest dieback across Europe and North America. However, through various political measures, the exhaust gasses have been reduced and, thus, acid rain and forest dieback were stopped. Nevertheless, the lingering effects of this pollution are still present today and are reflected in hydrochemistry. More recently, fluctuating precipitation regimes are causing additional stress to ecosystems in Central Europe. Climatic extremes are becoming more pronounced with climate change. Substantial differences between drought years and years with regular precipitation are directly altering the discharge of springs. Now, two overlapping and interacting syndromes of environmental pressures can be studied in these small catchments at a landscape scale: (1) acidification and (2) climate change. In this long-term study, the waters of 102 forest springs, located in two neighboring forest landscapes in north-eastern Bavaria, Germany (Frankenwald and Fichtelgebirge), were investigated over 24 years (1996 to 2020). By linking changes in pH values with changes in precipitation and spring discharge, we found that pH increases with decreasing discharge and decreasing precipitation. This effect was strongest in the Frankenwald compared to the Fichtelgebirge. We hypothesize that this temporal pattern reflects the longer residence time and, in consequence, the increased buffering of acidic interflow in small catchments during periods of drought. However, this should not be misinterpreted as rapid recovery from acidification because this effect fades in times of enhanced precipitation. We recommend that fluctuations in weather regimes be considered when investigating biogeochemical patterns throughout forest landscapes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Disturbance in Small Streams)
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15 pages, 2257 KiB  
Article
Effects of Leaf Species and Conditioning State of Fresh Leaves on Colonization by Stream and Pond Macroinvertebrates
by Austin R. Hoffman and Erika V. Iyengar
Hydrobiology 2024, 3(2), 85-99; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrobiology3020007 - 3 May 2024
Viewed by 907
Abstract
Fresh, green leaves are increasing as resources in aquatic ecosystems due to more frequent severe spring and summer storms, but research on allochthonous resources typically uses senescent leaves. We examined macroinvertebrate colonization of green leaves of three native deciduous trees (red maple, red [...] Read more.
Fresh, green leaves are increasing as resources in aquatic ecosystems due to more frequent severe spring and summer storms, but research on allochthonous resources typically uses senescent leaves. We examined macroinvertebrate colonization of green leaves of three native deciduous trees (red maple, red oak, and tulip poplar) over two weeks within both a stream and fishless pond. Leaf colonization varied depending on the taxa of leaves and colonizers, submersion time, and the ecosystem examined. Within the stream, the densities of isopods (Lirceus sp.) and snails (mostly the invasive Potamopyrgus antipodarum) did not vary significantly across leaf species. In contrast, mayflies (Tricorythodes sp.) in the stream colonized tulip poplar in greater numbers than red oak leaves, while higher densities of planarians (order Tricladida) occurred within red oak leaves. The numbers of mayflies and snails decreased significantly by the second week, but the densities of isopods and planaria within stream leaf packs were consistent. In contrast, within the pond, significantly more isopods (Caecidotea communis) were collected after the first than after the second week of submersion and in tulip poplar leaves. Clams (Sphaeriidae) in the pond, on the other hand, were more prevalent in the second week but did not discriminate among leaf species. While the number of leeches (mostly Helobdella stagnalis) was consistent across weeks, significantly fewer leeches resided within tulip poplar leaves than within red oak leaves. Our results suggest that there are no consistent colonization-preference rankings of species of fresh leaves across freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate taxa. Even within a functional feeding group (e.g., the two types of isopods and snails, all detritivore-herbivores), there were differences in colonization patterns. Therefore, increased allochthonous inputs of fresh leaf litter due to severe spring- and summer-time storms are likely to promote the populations of various taxa to different extents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Disturbance in Small Streams)
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11 pages, 849 KiB  
Article
Effects of Species of Leaves and Conditioning Time on Vernal Colonization by Temperate Lotic Isopods (Lirceus sp.)
by Renee E. Heller, Alison N. Stouffer and Erika V. Iyengar
Hydrobiology 2024, 3(2), 63-73; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrobiology3020005 - 19 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 942
Abstract
While some streams have dense populations of aquatic detritivorous isopods, research on the colonization of leaf packs typically focuses on aquatic insects. To determine whether shifts in dominant local forest species might impact isopod populations, we placed leaf packs of red/sugar maple, American [...] Read more.
While some streams have dense populations of aquatic detritivorous isopods, research on the colonization of leaf packs typically focuses on aquatic insects. To determine whether shifts in dominant local forest species might impact isopod populations, we placed leaf packs of red/sugar maple, American beech, and red oak on the substratum of riffles and pools in Cedar Creek (Allentown, PA, USA) in April 2019. We retrieved the packs after one week, re-deployed them, and re-collected them after two weeks of submersion, enumerating the number of isopods (Lirceus sp.) upon each retrieval. Surprisingly, neither the species of leaf nor the stream microhabitat significantly affected the number of isopods. However, the duration of leaf conditioning was important; significantly more isopods inhabited leaves after two weeks of submersion than after only one week. Maple and oak leaves displayed significantly more skeletonization after two weeks than the beech leaves, which remained intact. However, the similar numbers of isopods across leaf species suggest either the presence of acceptable, consumable microbial communities on all three species of leaves or that a tradeoff exists between the value of food and the importance of refuge provided by intact leaves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Disturbance in Small Streams)
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12 pages, 1173 KiB  
Article
Population Status of the Tropical Freshwater Shrimp Xiphocaris elongata in Urban and Forest Streams in Puerto Rico
by Wesley X. Torres-Perez and Omar Perez-Reyes
Hydrobiology 2023, 2(1), 277-288; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrobiology2010018 - 17 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2444
Abstract
Most of the human population lives in cities, and understanding their impact on freshwater environments is essential. Streams in cities face many environmental challenges that have been described in the concept of Urban Stream Syndrome. This concept illustrates urban streams’ biological, hydrological, chemical, [...] Read more.
Most of the human population lives in cities, and understanding their impact on freshwater environments is essential. Streams in cities face many environmental challenges that have been described in the concept of Urban Stream Syndrome. This concept illustrates urban streams’ biological, hydrological, chemical, and physical stressors. In tropical streams, these stressors impact shrimp, fish, insects, and other macroinvertebrates that inhabit the freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater shrimp are vulnerable to urban activities, physical, chemical, and ecological impacts. For this reason, these organisms have been used as biological indicators of stream health in the tropics. The shredder shrimp Xiphocaris elongata plays a fundamental role in the organic matter process and decomposition. The objectives of this study were to characterize the population of X. elongata and to identify differences in the abundance of X. elongata between urban and forest streams. Our results showed that highly urbanized areas have a significantly lower abundance of the shredder shrimp X. elongata than medium or low urban reach in the urban and forested watersheds. This study also showed that physicochemical and geomorphological variables are important environmental factors that influence the abundance of X. elongata in Puerto Rican streams. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Disturbance in Small Streams)
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