Extreme low flow effects on riverine fauna: a perspective on methodological assessments

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dc.contributor.authorWhite, James C.
dc.contributor.authorAspin, Thomas
dc.contributor.authorPicken, Jessica Louise
dc.contributor.authorLedger, Mark E.
dc.contributor.authorWilby, Robert L.
dc.contributor.authorWood, Paul J.
dc.date.accessioned2022-06-10T08:22:58Z
dc.date.available2022-06-10T08:22:58Z
dc.date.issued2022-03-29
dc.description.abstractRiver flow regimes face increasing pressure from human activities including water resource management operations and climate change. Consequently, extreme hydrological events are becoming more severe and commonplace, and there is a pressing need to understand and manage their ecological effects. Extreme low-flows (ELFs) – those displaying significantly greater magnitudes and durations than typical low-flow conditions – are being increasingly experienced globally. Fish and macroinvertebrate responses to ELFs have been more widely researched relative to other organism groups in riverine environments, although such studies have employed variable methodological techniques. In this perspective piece, we identify field-based assessments and controlled experiments as two key research paradigms used to examine riverine faunal responses to ELFs. Field-based assessments are often explorative and can benefit from utilising large-scale and long-term datasets. Alternatively, controlled experiments typically employ more hypothesis-driven approaches and can establish strong cause and effect linkages through high replication and control over potentially confounding parameters. Each paradigm clearly possesses their respective strengths, which we highlight and discuss how these could be better harnessed to optimise scientific advancements. To date, studies examining faunal responses to ELFs in these two research paradigms have largely been undertaken in parallel. Here, we argue that future research should seek to develop closer synergies to optimise the quality and quantity of evidence to better understand riverine faunal responses to ELFs. Such scientific advances are of paramount importance given the vulnerability of riverine fauna, and the ecosystems they comprise, as they face a new era of ELFs in many global regions.en_UK
dc.identifier.citationWhite JC, Aspin TWH, Picken JL, et al., (2022) Extreme low flow effects on riverine fauna: a perspective on methodological assessments. Ecohydrology, Volume 15, Issue 5, Special Issue: Ecohydrological Interactions during Drought, July 2022, Article number e2422en_UK
dc.identifier.issn1936-0584
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2422
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/18002
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherWileyen_UK
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/*
dc.subjectdroughten_UK
dc.subjectmacroinvertebrateen_UK
dc.subjectfishen_UK
dc.subjectflow-ecologyen_UK
dc.subjectmesocosmen_UK
dc.subjectlow flowen_UK
dc.titleExtreme low flow effects on riverine fauna: a perspective on methodological assessmentsen_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

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