Elsevier

Ecological Indicators

Volume 11, Issue 6, November 2011, Pages 1507-1516
Ecological Indicators

Review
Integrative freshwater ecology and biodiversity conservation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.04.002Get rights and content

Abstract

Freshwater ecosystems provide goods and services of critical importance to human societies, yet they are among the most heavily altered ecosystems with an overproportional loss of biodiversity. Major threats to freshwater biodiversity include overexploitation, water pollution, fragmentation, destruction or degradation of habitat, and invasions by non-native species. Alterations of natural flow regimes by man-made dams, land-use changes, river impoundments, and water abstraction often have profound impacts on lotic communities. An understanding of the functional interactions and processes in freshwater ecosystems presents a major challenge for scientists, but is crucial for effective and sustainable restoration. Most conservation approaches to date have considered single species or single level strategies. In contrast, the concept of ‘Integrative Freshwater Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation’ (IFEBC) proposed herein addresses the interactions between abiotic and biotic factors on different levels of organization qualitatively and quantitatively. It consequently results in a more holistic understanding of biodiversity functioning and management. Core questions include modeling of the processes in aquatic key habitats and their functionality based on the identification and quantification of factors which control the spatial and temporal distribution of biodiversity and productivity in aquatic ecosystems. The context and importance of research into IFEBC is illustrated using case studies from three major areas of research: (i) aquatic habitat quality and restoration ecology, (ii) the genetic and evolutionary potential of aquatic species, and (iii) the detection of stress and toxic effects in aquatic ecosystems using biomarkers. In conclusion, our understanding of the functioning of aquatic ecosystems and conservation management can greatly benefit from the methodological combination of molecular and ecological tools.

Introduction

This article reviews current knowledge and concepts on the organization of biodiversity in aquatic ecoystems, the factors which influence its spatio-temporal distribution, its values for mankind, its current status and the major threats which are all associated with human activity. Addressing the need to better link ecological theory and applied conservation, a novel concept of ‘Integrative Freshwater Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation’ (IFEBC) is proposed and illustrated using examples from three core research topics. In contrast to single species or single level conservation approaches, IFEBC integrates information from different levels of organization, leading to more holistic conservation approaches.

Section snippets

Levels of biodiversity organization

Since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the terms ‘biodiversity’ or ‘biological diversity’ have become popular among the non-scientific community. In public perception, ‘biodiversity’ is typically interpreted as the number of species in a given ecosystem or habitat, matching the concept of species richness as the most simple measure of biodiversity (Krebs, 2009). Global estimates of species richness range from three to 30 million species or more (Gaston, 1998). Based on the number of species in a

Integrative freshwater ecology and biodiversity conservation

The novel concept of IFEBC addresses the processes which govern the spatial and temporal distribution and dynamics of aquatic biodiversity and productivity in order to deduce conservation strategies. It integrates different levels of organization, from the molecular to the ecosystem level and consequently provides an advanced concept of biodiversity functioning, which can ultimately result in holistic management recommendations for sustainable biodiversity conservation and better predictions of

Conclusions and perspectives

The results of the presented case studies suggest that sustainable conservation strategies for freshwater biodiversity can be most effective if they integrate multiple levels of biological organization. A simultaneous consideration of the dynamics of structural habitat availability, quality and connectivity, along with strategies for the conservation of the genetic basis of biodiversity, and environmental stressors is likely to be most successful in the long run. Consequently, the field of

Acknowledgements

This manuscript was inspired by my habilitation mentors J. Bauer, A. Melzer and H.H.D. Meyer as well as by comments from I. Werner and E. Salinas. I also acknowledge support by the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (Förderkolleg der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften).

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