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Global Change Biology - 2023 - Carey - Loss of functionally important and regionally endemic species from streams forced4.41 MB
Published (Version of Record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Loss of functionally important and regionally endemic species from streams forced into intermittency by global warming
Global change biology, Vol.29(11), pp.3019-3038
2023
PMID: 36811356
Abstract
Climate change is altering hydrological cycles globally, and in mediterranean (med-) climate regions it is causing the drying of river flow regimes, including the loss of perennial flows. Water regime exerts a strong influence over stream assemblages, which have developed over geological timeframes with the extant flow regime. Consequently, sudden drying in formerly perennial streams is expected to have large, negative impacts on stream fauna. We compared contemporary (2016/17) macroinvertebrate assemblages of formerly perennial streams that became intermittently flowing (since the early 2000s) to assemblages recorded in the same streams by a study conducted pre-drying (1981/82) in the med-climate region of southwestern Australia (the Wungong Brook catchment, SWA), using a multiple before-after, control-impact design. Assemblage composition in the stream reaches that remained perennial changed very little between the studies. In contrast, recent intermittency had a profound effect on species composition in streams impacted by drying, including the extirpation of nearly all Gondwanan relictual insect species. New species arriving at intermittent streams tended to be widespread, resilient species including desert-adapted taxa. Intermittent streams also had distinct species assemblages, due in part to differences in their hydroperiods, allowing establishment of distinct winter and summer assemblages in streams with longer-lived pools. The remaining perennial stream is the only refuge for ancient Gondwanan relict species and the only place in the Wungong Brook catchment where many of these species still persist. The fauna of SWA upland streams is becoming homogenised with that of the wider Western Australian landscape, as drought tolerant, widespread species replace local endemics. Flow regime drying caused large in situ alterations to stream assemblage composition and demonstrates the threat posed to relictual stream faunas in regions where climates are drying.
Details
- Title
- Loss of functionally important and regionally endemic species from streams forced into intermittency by global warming
- Authors/Creators
- N. Carey (Author) - Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Western AustraliaEdwin T Chester (Author) - Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Western AustraliaBelinda J Robson (Author)
- Publication Details
- Global change biology, Vol.29(11), pp.3019-3038
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Identifiers
- 991005556068307891
- Copyright
- © 2023 The Authors.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems; School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.2 Marine Biology
- 3.2.62 Freshwater Fish Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Biodiversity Conservation
- Ecology
- Environmental Sciences
- ESI research areas
- Environment/Ecology