Daniela Rosero-López, M Todd Walter, Alexander S Flecker, Bert De Bièvre, Rafael Osorio, Dunia González-Zeas, Sophie Cauvy-Fraunié, Olivier Dangles
Communications biology 2022 May 05The growing threat of abrupt and irreversible changes to the functioning of freshwater ecosystems compels robust measures of tipping point thresholds. To determine benthic cyanobacteria regime shifts in a potable water supply system in the tropical Andes, we conducted a whole ecosystem-scale experiment in which we systematically diverted 20 to 90% of streamflow and measured ecological responses. Benthic cyanobacteria greatly increased with a 60% flow reduction and this tipping point was related to water temperature and nitrate concentration increases, both known to boost algal productivity. We supplemented our experiment with a regional survey collecting > 1450 flow-benthic algal measurements at streams varying in water abstraction levels. We confirmed the tipping point flow value, albeit at a slightly lower threshold (40-50%). A global literature review broadly confirmed our results with a mean tipping point at 58% of flow reduction. Our study provides robust in situ demonstrations of regime shift thresholds in running waters with potentially strong implications for environmental flows management. © 2022. The Author(s).
Daniela Rosero-López, M Todd Walter, Alexander S Flecker, Bert De Bièvre, Rafael Osorio, Dunia González-Zeas, Sophie Cauvy-Fraunié, Olivier Dangles. A whole-ecosystem experiment reveals flow-induced shifts in a stream community. Communications biology. 2022 May 05;5(1):420
PMID: 35513491
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