ReviewIntegrative freshwater ecology and biodiversity conservation
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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