Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: Regional-scale ecological processes, such as the spatial flows of material, energy, and organisms, are fundamental for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in river networks. Yet these processes remain largely overlooked in most river management practices and underlying policies. Here, we propose adoption of a meta-system approach, where regional processes acting at different levels of ecological organization - populations, communities, and ecosystems - are integrated into conventional river conservation, restoration, and biomonitoring. We also describe a series of measurements and indicators that could be assimilated into the implementation of relevant biodiversity and environmental policies. Finally, we highlight the need for alternative management strategies that can guide practitioners toward applying recent advances in ecology to preserve and restore river ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide, in the context of increasing alteration of river network connectivity worldwide.
DOI: 10.1002/fee.2417
Institutions: Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Fonctionnement des hydrosystèmes, HUN-REN Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Finnish Environment Institute, Universität Innsbruck, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat de la Universitat de Barcelona, Norwegian Institute for Water Research
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,646
Funders: European Commission, Academy of Finland, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital, Gobierno de España, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, H2020 European Research Council
Awards: Fluvial Meta-Ecosystem Functioning: Unravelling Regional Ecological Controls Behind Fluvial Carbon Fluxes, GLANCE - Auswirkungen des globalen Wandels auf Fließgewässerökosysteme, G4943836971, G5083880985, Securing biodiversity, functional integrity and ecosystem services in DRYing rivER networks
OpenAlex ID: W3202447693