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  1. Article ; Online: Ecosystem-size relationships of river populations and communities.

    McIntosh, Angus R / Greig, Hamish S / Warburton, Helen J / Tonkin, Jonathan D / Febria, Catherine M

    Trends in ecology & evolution

    2024  

    Abstract: Knowledge of ecosystem-size influences on river populations and communities is integral to the balancing of human and environmental needs for water. The multiple dimensions of dendritic river networks complicate understanding of ecosystem-size influences, ...

    Abstract Knowledge of ecosystem-size influences on river populations and communities is integral to the balancing of human and environmental needs for water. The multiple dimensions of dendritic river networks complicate understanding of ecosystem-size influences, but could be resolved by the development of scaling relationships. We highlight the importance of physical constraints limiting predator body sizes, movements, and population sizes in small rivers, and where river contraction limits space or creates stressful conditions affecting community stability and food webs. Investigations of the scaling and contingency of these processes will be insightful because of the underlying generality and scale independence of such relationships. Doing so will also pinpoint damaging water-management practices and identify which aspects of river size can be most usefully manipulated in river restoration.
    Language English
    Publishing date 2024-02-21
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article ; Review
    ZDB-ID 284965-3
    ISSN 1872-8383 ; 0169-5347
    ISSN (online) 1872-8383
    ISSN 0169-5347
    DOI 10.1016/j.tree.2024.01.010
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  2. Article ; Online: Invasion of a non‐native anuran likely disrupts pond ecosystems

    Earl, Brittany C. / McIntosh, Angus R. / O'Regan, Ryan P. / Brown, Saskia K. / Warburton, Helen J.

    Freshwater Biology. 2023 July, v. 68, no. 7 p.1194-1210

    2023  

    Abstract: Freshwater ecosystems worldwide are under increasing pressure from multiple threats, including invasive species and climate change, with ponds being particularly vulnerable because of their shallow depth and dynamic hydrology. Australian brown tree frogs ...

    Abstract Freshwater ecosystems worldwide are under increasing pressure from multiple threats, including invasive species and climate change, with ponds being particularly vulnerable because of their shallow depth and dynamic hydrology. Australian brown tree frogs Litoria ewingii, introduced to New Zealand in 1875, have spread across both main islands, breeding in a large range of shallow fishless ponds. Since native frogs do not produce aquatic tadpoles, any tadpole influence will be novel, so these ecosystems may be especially vulnerable to such influences. To determine the functional role of L. ewingii tadpoles and to uncover potential effects on pond community structure and function, we conducted two 3‐week‐long mesocosm experiments. The first crossed tadpole presence with predatory invertebrate presence. Mesocosms containing tadpoles had a lower biomass of periphyton and macrophytes, and lower abundance of two families of small‐sized invertebrates (Culicidae and Chironomidae) compared to mesocosms without tadpoles, possibly as a consequence of grazing, predation or reduced dipteran oviposition. However, predatory invertebrates did not affect tadpoles except at their smallest stage, so L. ewingii probably are not subject to strong top‐down control by invertebrates in fishless ponds. We evaluated the effects of tadpole density on ecosystem processes in the second experiment where half the mesocosms also were shaded to simulate permanent pond hydrological status; shading stabilised the temperature fluctuations typical of temporary ponds. In shaded mesocosms tadpole density did not change phytoplankton, whereas in unshaded mesocosms, phytoplankton biomass increased with tadpole density, possibly because tadpole excretion enhanced algal growth in high light conditions. Higher densities of tadpoles also decreased dissolved oxygen concentration regardless of shading during the day—potentially an indirect effect of grazing on macrophytes and periphyton reducing photosynthesis. Overall, these non‐native tadpoles are likely to be having large influences on ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling in small ponds, especially when at high densities. In light of these potential effects on pond ecosystems, and the generalist traits of these frogs which could see them spread to even remote alpine ponds, control measures to prevent further range expansion should be considered in New Zealand.
    Keywords Chironomidae ; Culicidae ; Litoria ; algae ; biomass ; climate change ; community structure ; dissolved oxygen ; ecosystems ; excretion ; freshwater ; invasive species ; invertebrates ; limnology ; macrophytes ; oviposition ; periphyton ; photosynthesis ; phytoplankton ; predation ; tadpoles ; temperature ; trees ; New Zealand
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2023-07
    Size p. 1194-1210.
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
    Document type Article ; Online
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 121180-8
    ISSN 0046-5070
    ISSN 0046-5070
    DOI 10.1111/fwb.14097
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  3. Article: Habitat size influences community stability

    Greig, Hamish S. / McHugh, Peter A. / Thompson, Ross M. / Warburton, Helen J. / McIntosh, Angus R.

    Ecology. 2022 Jan., v. 103, no. 1

    2022  

    Abstract: Mechanisms linked to demographic, biogeographic, and food‐web processes thought to underpin community stability could be affected by habitat size, but the effects of habitat size on community stability remain relatively unknown. We investigated whether ... ...

    Abstract Mechanisms linked to demographic, biogeographic, and food‐web processes thought to underpin community stability could be affected by habitat size, but the effects of habitat size on community stability remain relatively unknown. We investigated whether those habitat‐size‐dependent properties influenced community instability and vulnerability to perturbations caused by disturbance. This is particularly important given that human exploitation is contracting ecosystems, and abiotic perturbations are becoming more severe and frequent. We used a perturbation experiment in which 10 streams, spanning three orders of magnitude in habitat size, were subjected to simulated bed movement akin to a major flood disturbance event. We measured the resistance, resilience, and variability of basal resources, and population and community‐level responses across the stream habitat‐size gradient immediately before, and at 0.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 d post‐disturbance. Resistance to disturbance consistently increased with stream size in all response variables. In contrast, resilience was significantly higher in smaller streams for some response variables. However, this higher resilience of small ecosystems was insufficient to compensate for their lower resistance, and communities of smaller streams were thus more variable over time than those of larger streams. Compensatory dynamics of populations, especially for predators, stabilized some aspects of communities, but these mechanisms were unrelated to habitat size. Together, our results provide compelling evidence for the links between habitat size and community stability, and should motivate ecologists and managers to consider how changes in the size of habitats will alter the vulnerability of ecosystems to perturbations caused by environmental disturbance.
    Keywords food webs ; geographical distribution ; habitats ; humans ; streams
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2022-01
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 1797-8
    ISSN 0012-9658
    ISSN 0012-9658
    DOI 10.1002/ecy.3545
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  4. Article: The potential role of biotic interactions in stream restoration

    White, Bridget E. / McIntosh, Angus R. / Febria, Catherine M. / Warburton, Helen J.

    Restoration ecology. 2021 July, v. 29, no. 5

    2021  

    Abstract: Biotic interactions perform an important role in structuring freshwater communities; however, these are rarely considered during stream restoration. Degraded stream communities are often dominated by organisms with shell or case protections, such as ... ...

    Abstract Biotic interactions perform an important role in structuring freshwater communities; however, these are rarely considered during stream restoration. Degraded stream communities are often dominated by organisms with shell or case protections, such as snails, which are less vulnerable to predation than desired organisms, such as mayflies. Unprotected organisms may be preferentially eaten, limiting biotic restoration success after the physical restoration of degraded stream communities. We investigated whether restoration success depended on differences in vulnerability to predation by testing whether consumption‐based interaction strengths (IS) between vulnerable colonizing Deleatidium spp. mayflies and upland bullies (Gobiomorphus breviceps) changed with different densities of protected Potamopyrgus antipodarum snails and whether snails affected Deleatidium behavior. Deleatidium and fish IS were stronger with fewer Deleatidium present, a destabilizing effect on vulnerable prey populations, and less total prey biomass was consumed with higher densities of protected relative to vulnerable prey, potentially having long‐term negative effects on predators. Furthermore, mayflies appeared less on surfaces with high snail densities, potentially due to altered resource use. The combination of these biotic interactions could form a barrier to successful biotic restoration by preventing colonization of desired vulnerable prey, through priority effects within the established community. Therefore, considering biotic interactions in stream restoration is important to overcome biotic restoration barriers.
    Keywords Ephemeroptera ; Gobiomorphus breviceps ; Potamopyrgus antipodarum ; biomass ; ecological restoration ; fish ; freshwater ; highlands ; predation ; snails ; streams
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2021-07
    Publishing place Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
    Document type Article
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 914746-9
    ISSN 1526-100X ; 1061-2971
    ISSN (online) 1526-100X
    ISSN 1061-2971
    DOI 10.1111/rec.13396
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  5. Article: Disentangling the multiple effects of stream drying and riparian canopy cover on the trophic ecology of a highly threatened fish

    Meijer, Christopher G / Warburton, Helen J / McIntosh, Angus R

    Freshwater biology. 2021 Jan., v. 66, no. 1

    2021  

    Abstract: Understanding risks to aquatic systems posed by changing drought regimes is particularly important for the conservation of already threatened taxa. However, little is known about how local environmental conditions, especially those in heavily human‐ ... ...

    Abstract Understanding risks to aquatic systems posed by changing drought regimes is particularly important for the conservation of already threatened taxa. However, little is known about how local environmental conditions, especially those in heavily human‐influenced situations, interact with regional shifts such as droughts to alter realised impacts on aquatic communities, including threatened top predators. Here, we investigated the combined effects of stream drying intensity and riparian canopy cover on the trophic interactions of critically endangered kōwaro, or Canterbury mudfish (Neochanna burrowsius) in an agricultural area of New Zealand. Fish populations and their potential prey, both terrestrial and aquatic, as well as environmental variables, including riparian canopy cover and drying measured with stage loggers, were sampled over eight visits to 24 sites spanning orthogonal drying and canopy gradients. Stable isotope ratios, ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁵N/¹⁴N, were used to investigate trophic links between mudfish and their terrestrial and aquatic prey across these gradients. When non‐native willows (predominantly Salix fragilis) dominated the riparian canopy, increased tree cover led to elevated drying intensity, probably driven by their relatively high water demands compared to other trees. However, in the absence of willows, canopy cover had no effect on drying intensity. Although this was the only direct link between these two environmental factors, they had opposing effects on kōwaro populations, which will be important for management under drought. Increased drying intensity contributed to elevated abundance of microcrustacea and aquatic Diptera larvae, and an increase in the relative abundance of kōwaro juveniles. However, drying‐affected kōwaro populations also had fewer large reproductive adults and elevated δ¹⁵N values, probably driven by physiological limitations and an increase in kōwaro cannibalism, respectively. By comparison, increased canopy cover enhanced input of terrestrial invertebrates, a food resource for larger kōwaro, leading to elevated kōwaro δ¹³C values, no effects on δ¹⁵N values, and higher relative abundance of large kōwaro in shaded streams compared to unshaded streams. Thus, the riparian canopy cover was able to offset some of the effects of drying. Overall, we found no interactions between drying intensity and canopy cover affecting kōwaro. However, their opposing effect highlights the important role local conditions such as riparian canopies play on aquatic communities and their potential role as a restoration tool to mitigate the effects of large‐scale shifts such as drought.
    Keywords Diptera ; Neochanna ; Salix fragilis ; cannibalism ; canopy ; drought ; fish ; limnology ; stable isotopes ; streams ; threatened species ; New Zealand
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2021-01
    Size p. 102-113.
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note NAL-AP-2-clean ; JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 121180-8
    ISSN 0046-5070
    ISSN 0046-5070
    DOI 10.1111/fwb.13620
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  6. Article ; Online: Negative resistance and resilience: biotic mechanisms underpin delayed biological recovery in stream restoration.

    Barrett, Isabelle C / McIntosh, Angus R / Febria, Catherine M / Warburton, Helen J

    Proceedings. Biological sciences

    2021  Volume 288, Issue 1947, Page(s) 20210354

    Abstract: Traditionally, resistance and resilience are associated with good ecological health, often underpinning restoration goals. However, degraded ecosystems can also be highly resistant and resilient, making restoration difficult: degraded communities often ... ...

    Abstract Traditionally, resistance and resilience are associated with good ecological health, often underpinning restoration goals. However, degraded ecosystems can also be highly resistant and resilient, making restoration difficult: degraded communities often become dominated by hyper-tolerant species, preventing recolonization and resulting in low biodiversity and poor ecosystem function. Using streams as a model, we undertook a mesocosm experiment to test if degraded community presence hindered biological recovery. We established 12 mesocosms, simulating physically healthy streams. Degraded invertebrate communities were established in half, mimicking the post-restoration scenario of physical recovery without biological recovery. We then introduced a healthy colonist community to all mesocosms, testing if degraded community presence influenced healthy community establishment. Colonists established less readily in degraded community mesocosms, with larger decreases in abundance of sensitive taxa, likely driven by biotic interactions rather than abiotic constraints. Resource depletion by the degraded community likely increased competition, driving priority effects. Colonists left by drifting, but also by accelerating development, reducing time to emergence but sacrificing larger body size. Since degraded community presence prevented colonist establishment, our experiment suggests successful restoration must address both abiotic and biotic factors, especially those that reinforce the 'negative' resistance and resilience which perpetuate degraded communities and are typically overlooked.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Biodiversity ; Ecosystem ; Invertebrates ; Rivers
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-03-31
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 209242-6
    ISSN 1471-2954 ; 0080-4649 ; 0962-8452 ; 0950-1193
    ISSN (online) 1471-2954
    ISSN 0080-4649 ; 0962-8452 ; 0950-1193
    DOI 10.1098/rspb.2021.0354
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  7. Article: Benthic Invertebrate Indices Show No Response to High Nitrate-Nitrogen in Lowland Agricultural Streams

    Moore, Thomas P. / Febria, Catherine M. / McIntosh, Angus R. / Warburton, Helen J. / Harding, Jon S.

    Water, air, and soil pollution. 2021 July, v. 232, no. 7

    2021  

    Abstract: Globally benthic invertebrate biotic indices are widely used to assess stream health. In New Zealand, the response of biotic indices to high nitrate-nitrogen (hereafter nitrate) concentrations has not been rigorously tested. We conducted a field survey ... ...

    Abstract Globally benthic invertebrate biotic indices are widely used to assess stream health. In New Zealand, the response of biotic indices to high nitrate-nitrogen (hereafter nitrate) concentrations has not been rigorously tested. We conducted a field survey of benthic invertebrates in 41 lowland intensively farmed Canterbury streams representing a wide nitrate gradient (0.4–11.3 mg/l) to determine if biotic indices respond in a predictable manner to increasing nitrate (e.g. show a subsidy stress response). Our results show commonly used biotic indices were not able to detect any effects of high nitrate. We found homogenous and tolerant benthic invertebrate communities dominated and suggest the lack of any detected effects may be because taxa sensitive to nutrients have already been lost from these systems. Therefore, we recommend caution is needed when using biotic indices in lowland agricultural streams where nutrients may be high.
    Keywords air ; invertebrates ; nitrate nitrogen ; nitrates ; soil pollution ; streams ; stress response ; surveys ; water ; New Zealand
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2021-07
    Size p. 263.
    Publishing place Springer International Publishing
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 120499-3
    ISSN 1573-2932 ; 0049-6979 ; 0043-1168
    ISSN (online) 1573-2932
    ISSN 0049-6979 ; 0043-1168
    DOI 10.1007/s11270-021-05169-1
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  8. Article: The influence of pastoral and native forest land cover, flooding disturbance, and stream size on the trophic ecology of New Zealand streams

    Fraley, Kevin M. / Warburton, Helen J. / Jellyman, Phillip G. / Kelly, Dave / McIntosh, Angus R.

    Austral ecology. 2021 Aug., v. 46, no. 5

    2021  

    Abstract: Describing trophic structure within freshwater food webs can be a useful tool for understanding relationships to make ecological inferences and to inform management action. A complementary analysis examining both stable isotope (SI) and biomass community ...

    Abstract Describing trophic structure within freshwater food webs can be a useful tool for understanding relationships to make ecological inferences and to inform management action. A complementary analysis examining both stable isotope (SI) and biomass community components may be useful, because these two responses may be influenced differently by habitat factors and perturbations (e.g. flooding disturbance). To test this, stable isotope‐derived trophic height and biomass were characterised, as was coarse allochthonous, periphyton, invertebrate and fish components, for 27 stream communities in Canterbury, New Zealand. Using piecewise structural equation modelling to test relationships between components, it was found that increased catchment agricultural land cover was associated with increased periphyton biomass and δ¹⁵N (trophic height) in stream invertebrates and invertivorous fishes, likely due to nitrate runoff, but did not affect piscivorous fishes. Additionally, native forest land cover was associated with increased instream allochthonous biomass. Increased discharge (i.e. larger habitat size) did not affect the trophic height or biomass per‐unit‐area of large‐bodied piscivorous fishes (non‐native trout and native eels), although it did result in decreased biomass of small‐bodied invertivorous fishes (primarily native benthic taxa), likely due to high water velocities in larger habitats rendering habitat less suitable for small‐bodied fishes. Finally, flooding disturbance negatively affected both trophic height and biomass of large‐bodied fishes, but did not affect small‐bodied invertivorous fishes. Overall, describing stream trophic structure with complementary SI and biomass structural equation models appears to be a useful approach for constructing an integrative picture of how abiotic and biotic habitat factors affect freshwater communities. Our findings indicate that land cover, stream size and flooding disturbance should be taken into consideration by stream managers when conducting habitat restoration efforts or setting fish harvest regulations.
    Keywords agricultural land ; benthic organisms ; biomass ; equations ; forest land ; freshwater ; habitat conservation ; habitats ; land cover ; pastoralism ; periphyton ; runoff ; stable isotopes ; streams ; trout ; watersheds ; New Zealand
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2021-08
    Size p. 833-846.
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 2019899-1
    ISSN 1442-9993 ; 1442-9985
    ISSN (online) 1442-9993
    ISSN 1442-9985
    DOI 10.1111/aec.13028
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  9. Article: Integrative analysis of stressor gradients reveals multiple discrete trait‐defined axes underlie community assembly

    Barrett, Isabelle C. / McIntosh, Angus R. / Febria, Catherine M. / Graham, S. Elizabeth / Burdon, Francis J. / Pomeranz, Justin P. F. / Warburton, Helen J.

    Ecosphere. 2022 July, v. 13, no. 7

    2022  

    Abstract: The generalizable functional attributes of organisms (traits) relate strongly to their environment across multiple levels of biological organization, making trait‐based approaches a powerful mechanistic framework to understand species distributions and ... ...

    Abstract The generalizable functional attributes of organisms (traits) relate strongly to their environment across multiple levels of biological organization, making trait‐based approaches a powerful mechanistic framework to understand species distributions and community composition in relation to environmental change. To investigate how a wide range of stressor types shape stream macroinvertebrate communities, we conducted an integrative analysis using community and taxon trait information across drying, flooding, eutrophication, fine sediment, and acid mine drainage (AMD) gradients. Each gradient spanned relatively unimpacted to severely impacted sites. To characterize community change in response to stressors, we incorporated abundance‐based trait information from all stressor gradients in a single trait‐based ordination (nonmetric multidimensional scaling), defining the trait space within which each stressor gradient acted. We hypothesized that different stressors would apply different environmental filters, moving communities along distinct axes in trait space and resulting in communities with definable trait combinations. Particularly strong relationships were associated with anthropogenically derived stressors (fine sediment, eutrophication, and AMD) compared to natural stressors (drying and flooding). Anthropogenic stressors instigated significant movement of communities along multiple axes in trait space, likely driven by limited adaptation to these novel stressors. We demonstrate that trait‐based analysis of communities across multiple stressor gradients can support a more comprehensive understanding of how community composition changes than taxonomic methods or investigation of a single stressor type, and could underpin community‐focused management actions.
    Keywords acid mine drainage ; anthropogenic stressors ; aquatic invertebrates ; community structure ; eutrophication ; sediments
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2022-07
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
    Document type Article
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 2572257-8
    ISSN 2150-8925
    ISSN 2150-8925
    DOI 10.1002/ecs2.4164
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  10. Article: Shifts in population size structure for a drying‐tolerant fish in response to extreme drought

    Meijer, Christopher G / Warburton, Helen J / Harding, Jon S / McIntosh, Angus R

    Austral ecology. 2019 June, v. 44, no. 4

    2019  

    Abstract: For freshwater systems, climate change‐induced alterations to drought regimes are a considerable threat to already threatened species. This is particularly poignant for kōwaro (or Canterbury mudfish, Neochanna burrowsius), a critically endangered fish ... ...

    Abstract For freshwater systems, climate change‐induced alterations to drought regimes are a considerable threat to already threatened species. This is particularly poignant for kōwaro (or Canterbury mudfish, Neochanna burrowsius), a critically endangered fish largely restricted to drying‐prone waterways on the Canterbury Plains, New Zealand. By comparing three catchment‐wide surveys (2007, 2010, 2015) within the Waianiwaniwa Valley, we assessed the scale and magnitude of population change induced by 2 years of consecutive drought (2014–15), when compared to surveys during wetter conditions (2007, 2010). The droughts triggered a catchment‐wide switch from adult‐dominated populations to populations comprised of juveniles indicated by a significant reduction in median size (~95 mm during the wet to ~60 mm after drought). In comparison, population abundances were highly variable, indicated by no significant change in catch‐per‐unit‐effort. The large variation in catch rates and connection of median size to reproductive potential mean median size will be useful to measure in monitoring to infer potential changes to population resilience, particularly during extreme events. Furthermore, because N. burrowsius could be regarded as extremophile fish, already restricted to harsh habitats, they are likely to become increasingly threatened by climate change. Thus, tools that allow for insightful comparisons between populations, such as a population resilience framework based on both abundance and body size distribution, will be increasingly important for pragmatic decision‐making for targeted conservation measures.
    Keywords Neochanna ; body size ; climate ; climate change ; decision making ; drought ; endangered species ; extremophiles ; fish ; freshwater ; habitats ; juveniles ; monitoring ; population dynamics ; population size ; surveys ; waterways ; New Zealand
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2019-06
    Size p. 658-667.
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 2756933-0
    ISSN 2052-1758 ; 1442-9985
    ISSN (online) 2052-1758
    ISSN 1442-9985
    DOI 10.1111/aec.12709
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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