# Presentation: 495380

## Floodplain Management Session 10BiologyBiological Landscape  Prepared by Susan Bolton, PhD, PE

**Notes:**
Title slide for session 8

## Session 10: Biological Landscape: Its impact on the floodplain and floodplain management 

- Objectives:
- 10.1  	Explain the importance river 	systems and
-          their connectivity to oceans
- 10.2  	Describe the 4 dimensions of river    	ecosystems
- 10.3 	Describe major conceptual theories in 	stream ecology and how energy flow and 	nutrient cycling vary among them
- 10.4	Describe how species are distributed in 	space and time

**Notes:**
Slide listing objectives of session 10

## Objective 10.1

- 	**Explain the importance of **
**freshwater river systems and **
**their connectivity **
**     ****to oceans. **

**Notes:**
Slide listing objective 10.1, rivers connecting to oceans

## Importance of freshwater streamflow

- More water moves through ecosystems than any other material
- Streamflow provides both human and ecosystem services
- Freshwater and marine ecosystems are interconnected

**Notes:**
Slide discussing water and ecosystems

## National water use

- http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2004/circ1268/htdocs/figure01.html

**Notes:**
Slide showing the use of water in the US by sector

## Rivers and Oceans

- Marine areas with high levels of freshwater inflow usually have significant fisheries
- 		e.g.,
- Mississippi River
- Columbia River
- Northern Gulf of Alaska

**Notes:**
Slide Rivers and Oceans

## Ecosystem effects of rivers on oceans

- Salinity
- Organic matter
- Nutrients
- Sediment
- Pollution
- Light

**Notes:**
Slide listing ecosystem effects of rivers on oceans

## Ecosystem effects of rivers on oceans

- Evidence of increase number of algal blooms and toxic blooms related to river inputs to marine systems
- Changes in nutrient ratios can alter community composition
- Alterations of streamflow from flood management activities or river restoration may ultimately affect marine ecosystems

**Notes:**
Slide detailing effects of rivers on oceans

## Objective 10.2

- Describe the 4 dimensions of river ecosystems

**Notes:**
Slide listing objectives for session 10, river as habitat

##  Four dimensions of river ecosystems

**Notes:**
Diagram of the 4 dimensions of river ecosystems: longitudinal, lateral, vertical, and temporal
(Modified from Ward 1989)

## Objective 10.3

- Describe major conceptual theories in stream ecology and how energy flow and nutrient cycling concepts vary among them

**Notes:**
Slide listing objectives for session 10, river as habitat

## River Continuum Concept

- Early attempt to characterize and classify river ecosystem processes
- Focuses on longitudinal changes in energy sources and community structure
- Largely ignored lateral and vertical connectivity

**Notes:**
Slide listing components of the river continuum concept

## River
Continuum
Conceptual
Diagram

**Continuum**
**Conceptual**
**Diagram**

**Notes:**
Diagram of the river continuum concept. (Watershed Ecology figure 18)

## Flood Pulse Concept

- Recognizes lateral connectivity of streams with floodplains and riparian systems
- Flood pulses are episodic inundation of land adjacent to rivers
-     -  Interconnection of river and floodplain a major driver of energy and nutrient transfer
- Water fluctuations also drive successional patterns of vegetation
- Flood pulses recharge aquifers
- Recognizes that floods are a natural part of dynamic equilibrium in river systems
- Highest explanatory power in areas where geomorphology facilitates lateral connectivity

**Notes:**
Slide listing components of the flood-pulse concept

## Hyporheic Corridor Concept

- Looks at the vertical integration of the streams with surrounding subsurface water
- Describes importance of vertical exchange of materials
- Look at separately from longer, slower exchanges via ground water
- 	 -  Microbial activity enhanced by frequent          exchanges
- D.    Highest explanatory power where geomorphology facilitates vertical and lateral exchange

**Notes:**
Slide listing components of the hyporheic corridor concept

## Serial Discontinuity Concept

- Recognizes that streams do not change uniformly in longitudinal direction
- Changes in geomorphology and tributary junctions interrupt Continuum Concepts
- Dams also create changes in material transport
- Has been expanded to include vertical and lateral connectivity
- Highest explanatory power below dams

**Notes:**
Slide listing components of the serial discontinuity concept

## Biodiversity Concept

- Attempts to integrate the many scales of process, function, and community structure into on integrative theme
- Connectivity of the 3 spatial dimensions changes with water level
- Biodiversity is broader than community, links ecology with evolution, genetics and biogeography

**Notes:**
Slide listing components of the biodiversity concept

## Objective 10.4

- 	Describe how species are distributed in 	space and time

**Notes:**
Slide showing Objective 10.4 for session 10

## How species are distributed in space and time -- Environments contributing to riverine biodiversity

**Notes:**
This figure shows the three major environments that contribute to riverine biodiversity: surface water, subsurface water and the riparian system.  Surface water is divided in flowing (streams) and non-flowing (lakes) environments. Springs have linkages to both surface and subsurface water. The hyporheic zone and ground water are the two environmental components of subsurface water. Riparian systems are divided into confined reaches and unconfined reaches. 

## Selected Important Habitat Factors

- Substrate
- Temperature
- Oxygen levels
- Flow velocity
- Food availability
- pH
- Nutrient and sediment regimes
- Organic input and transport

**Notes:**
Slide listing important habitat factors for riverine organisms

## How species are distributed in space and time

**How species are distributed in**** space and time**

- 0

- 100

**Notes:**
This figure shows how the percent of 5 taxa make up species richness, changes from the center of the river along a transect to the outer edge of the floodplain. Note that each taxa has a peak at different locations along the transect. (Ward and Tockner, 2001 fig.9.3)