Legitimizing Fluvial Ecosystems as Users of Water: An Overview |
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Authors: | ROBERT J NAIMAN STUART E BUNN CHRISTER NILSSON GEOFF E PETTS GILLES PINAY LISA C THOMPSON |
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Institution: | School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Box 355020, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. naiman@u.washington.edu |
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Abstract: | We suggest that fluvial ecosystems are legitimate users of water and that there are basic ecological principles guiding the
maintenance of long-term ecological vitality. This article articulates some fundamental relationships between physical and
ecological processes, presents basic principles for maintaining the vitality of fluvial ecosystems, identifies several major
scientific challenges and opportunities for effective implementation of the basic ecological principles, and acts as an introduction
to three specific articles to follow on biodiversity, biogeochemistry, and riparian communities. All the objectives, by necessity,
link climate, land, and fresh water. The basic principles proposed are: (1) the natural flow regime shapes the evolution of
aquatic biota and ecological processes, (2) every river has a characteristic flow regime and an associated biotic community,
and (3) aquatic ecosystems are topographically unique in occupying the lowest position in the landscape, thereby integrating
catchment-scale processes. Scientific challenges for the immediate future relate to quantifying cumulative effects, linking
multidisciplinary knowledge and models, and formulating effective monitoring and assessment procedures. Additionally, forecasting
the ecological consequences of changing water regimes is a fundamental challenge for science, especially as environmental
issues related to fresh waters escalate in the next two to three decades. |
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Keywords: | : Fluvial ecosystems Flow regime Ecological principles Watershed management Rivers Research challenges |
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