Considering multiple anthropogenic threats in the context of natural variability: Ecological processes in a regulated riverine ecosystem

Sinnatamby, R. Niloshini; Mayer, Bernhard; Kruk, Mary K.; Rood, Stewart B.; Farineau, Anne; Post, John R.

Considering multiple anthropogenic threats in the context of natural variability: Ecological processes in a regulated riverine ecosystem

dc.contributor.author	Sinnatamby, R. Niloshini
dc.contributor.author	Mayer, Bernhard
dc.contributor.author	Kruk, Mary K.
dc.contributor.author	Rood, Stewart B.
dc.contributor.author	Farineau, Anne
dc.contributor.author	Post, John R.
dc.date.accessioned	2020-06-12T18:33:59Z
dc.date.available	2020-06-12T18:33:59Z
dc.date.issued	2020-06-09
dc.description.abstract	Rivers are among the most altered environments globally, but identifying which threats are responsible for observed biotic and abiotic changes is complicated by natural drivers of variation. The Bow River, Canada provides an ideal model to resolve these influences and explore spatial relationships. It originates from pristine Rocky Mountain headwaters and is subsequently impacted by typical human alterations: damming, municipal channelization and effluent release, and agricultural impacts (nutrient enrichment and water withdrawal for irrigation). By coordinating studies of the Bow River's biota, we demonstrate how threat–driver interactions depend on season and the abiotic factor and biotic community or species of interest. We conclude that impact severity and riverine recovery depend on the threat magnitude, its longitudinal position and proximity to other threats and natural drivers. We found that river regulation, water extraction and bank armouring interact to limit geomorphic processes resulting in depleted riparian woodlands and numbers of fish species, though a large, undammed tributary nearby allows quick recovery downstream. We highlight the implications of the longitudinal position of the threats because cold-water fish species are disproportionately impacted through the area where the human impacts on the Bow River overlap. We illustrate how the interactions between flow, nutrients and temperature lead to macrophyte- or algae-dominated communities and associated shifts in fish composition and biomass. Finally, we applied our increased understanding of ecological riverine processes to conclude that management techniques such as flushing flows or functional environmental flows are likely to have only minimal or conditional success in the Bow River.	en_US
dc.description.grantingagency	Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)	en_US
dc.description.grantingagency	Alberta Innovates - Research Grant	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	. Sinnatamy, R. N., Mayer, B., Kruk, M. K., Rood, S. B., Farineau, A., & Post, J. R. (2020). Considering multiple anthropogenic threats in the context of natural variability: Ecological processes in a regulated riverine ecosystem. "Ecohydrology". June 2020. pp. 1-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eco.2217	en_US
dc.identifier.doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eco.2217	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1880/112168
dc.publisher	Wiley	en_US
dc.publisher.department	Biological Sciences	en_US
dc.publisher.faculty	Science	en_US
dc.publisher.hasversion	acceptedVersion	en_US
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary	en_US
dc.rights	Unless otherwise indicated, this material is protected by copyright and has been made available with authorization from the copyright owner. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.	en_US
dc.title	Considering multiple anthropogenic threats in the context of natural variability: Ecological processes in a regulated riverine ecosystem	en_US
dc.type	journal article	en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopy	true	en_US
ucalgary.scholar.level	Graduate, Faculty, Other	en_US