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Biota Connect Aquatic Habitats throughout Freshwater Ecosystem Mosaics
Authors:Kate A. Schofield  Laurie C. Alexander  Caroline E. Ridley  Melanie K. Vanderhoof  Ken M. Fritz  Bradley C. Autrey  Julie E. DeMeester  William G. Kepner  Charles R. Lane  Scott G. Leibowitz  Amina I. Pollard
Affiliation:1. National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA), US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Washington, D.C., USA;2. NCEA, USEPA, North Carolina, USA;3. Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, US Geological Survey, Lakewood, Colorado, USA;4. National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL), USEPA, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA;5. Water Program, The Nature Conservancy, Durham, North Carolina, USA;6. NERL, USEPA, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA;7. National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, USEPA, Corvallis, Oregon, USA;8. Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Washington, D.C., USA
Abstract:Freshwater ecosystems are linked at various spatial and temporal scales by movements of biota adapted to life in water. We review the literature on movements of aquatic organisms that connect different types of freshwater habitats, focusing on linkages from streams and wetlands to downstream waters. Here, streams, wetlands, rivers, lakes, ponds, and other freshwater habitats are viewed as dynamic freshwater ecosystem mosaics (FEMs) that collectively provide the resources needed to sustain aquatic life. Based on existing evidence, it is clear that biotic linkages throughout FEMs have important consequences for biological integrity and biodiversity. All aquatic organisms move within and among FEM components, but differ in the mode, frequency, distance, and timing of their movements. These movements allow biota to recolonize habitats, avoid inbreeding, escape stressors, locate mates, and acquire resources. Cumulatively, these individual movements connect populations within and among FEMs and contribute to local and regional diversity, resilience to disturbance, and persistence of aquatic species in the face of environmental change. Thus, the biological connections established by movement of biota among streams, wetlands, and downstream waters are critical to the ecological integrity of these systems. Future research will help advance our understanding of the movements that link FEMs and their cumulative effects on downstream waters.
Keywords:aquatic ecology  biotic integrity  connectivity  rivers/streams  wetlands
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