Short-term responses of decomposers to flow restoration in Fossil Creek, Arizona, USA

Dam decommissioning projects, although numerous, rarely include complete sets of data before and after restoration for evaluating the ecological consequences of such projects. In this study, we used a before-after control-impact (BACI) design to assess changes in leaf litter decomposition and associ...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Hydrobiologia Vol. 618; no. 1; pp. 35 - 45
Main Authors:	Muehlbauer, Jeffrey D, LeRoy, Carri J, Lovett, Jacqueline M, Flaccus, Kathleen K, Vlieg, Julie K, Marks, Jane C
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01-02-2009 Springer Netherlands Springer Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:	Animal and plant ecology Animal, plant and microbial ecology Applied ecology Aquatic ecosystems Biological and medical sciences Biomedical and Life Sciences Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife Creeks Dams Decommissioning Decomposition Ecological effects Ecology Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration Environmental impact Environmental restoration Freshwater & Marine Ecology Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Fungi General aspects Hydroelectric power Invertebrates Leaf litter Life Sciences Macroinvertebrates Primary Research Paper Reintroduction Synecology Water flow Zoology United States North America Arizona America USA, Arizona, Fossil Creek USA, Arizona Fungi Dam decommissioning Leaf litter decomposition Diversion dam Flow restoration Macroinvertebrates Short term Litter Decomposer Fossil Decomposition Dam Aquatic environment Hydrobiology Ecological recovery Invertebrata
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Dam decommissioning projects, although numerous, rarely include complete sets of data before and after restoration for evaluating the ecological consequences of such projects. In this study, we used a before-after control-impact (BACI) design to assess changes in leaf litter decomposition and associated macroinvertebrate and fungal decomposers following dam decommissioning in Fossil Creek, Arizona, USA. Leaf litterbags were deployed in a relatively pristine site above the dam and a highly disturbed site below the dam where over 95% of the flow was previously diverted for hydropower generation. Leaf litter decomposition was significantly slower below the dam both measurement years (pre- and post-restoration) with no site-year interaction, indicating that decomposition in this stream section was not affected by increased flow. In contrast, both macroinvertebrates and fungi differed significantly above and below the dam prior to restoration but were similar post-restoration, supporting the concept that decomposer communities can quickly rebound following reintroduction of full flow. Our results indicate that some aquatic ecosystem variables can return to a more natural state following ecological restoration activities such as water flow restoration.
Bibliography:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9545-3 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0018-8158 1573-5117
DOI:	10.1007/s10750-008-9545-3