Constructed Ponds and Small Stream Habitats: Hypothesized Interactions and Methods to Minimize Impacts

Abstract

Extensive research has been conducted on how large impoundments and reservoirs affect hydrologic, geomorphologic and ecological processes in downstream ecosystems. Surprisingly, few studies have addressed the effects of smaller impoundments and constructed ponds. Pond construction has been considered an important tool for managers seeking to reduce sediment, nutrient and pollutant loads, and increase habitat heterogeneity in streams in an effort to conserve or enhance aquatic species diversity. However, we lack information on the interaction between ponds and stream habitats, which may compromise the efficacy of conservation efforts. The objective of this review is to outline possible physical and biological changes to stream ecosystems resulting from pond construction. Greater understanding of how ponds influence watershed processes at various spatial scales is crucial to evaluating the effects of constructed ponds on stream ecosystems.

Share and Cite:

J. Ebel and W. Lowe, "Constructed Ponds and Small Stream Habitats: Hypothesized Interactions and Methods to Minimize Impacts," Journal of Water Resource and Protection, Vol. 5 No. 7, 2013, pp. 723-731. doi: 10.4236/jwarp.2013.57073.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] J. A. Stanford and J. V. Ward, “Revisiting the Serial Discontinuity Concept,” Regulated Rivers: Research and Management, Vol. 17, No. 4-5, 2001, pp. 303-310. doi:10.1002/rrr.659
[2] J. A. Downing, “Emerging Global Role of Small Lakes and Ponds: Little Things Mean a Lot,” Limnetica, Vol. 29, No. 1, 2010, pp. 9-24.
[3] R. J. Naiman, J. M. Melillo and J. E. Hobbie, “Ecosystem Alteration of Boreal Forest Streams by Beaver (Castor canadensis),” Ecology, Vol. 67, No. 5, 1986, pp. 1254-1269. doi:10.2307/1938681
[4] I. J. Schlosser, “Dispersal, Boundary Processes and Trophic-Level Interactions in Streams Adjacent to Beaver Ponds,” Ecology, Vol. 76, No. 3, 1995, pp. 908-925. doi:10.2307/1939356
[5] N. E. Jones, “Incorporating Lakes Withing the River Discontinuum: Longitudinal Changes in Ecological Characteristics in Stream-Lake Networks,” Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 67, 2010, pp. 1350-1362. doi:10.1139/F10-142
[6] J. A. Downing, Y.T. Prairie, J. J. Cole, C. M. Duarte, L. J. Tranvik, R. G. Striegl, W. H. McDowell, P. Kortelainen, N. F. Caraco, J. M. Melack and J. J. Middelburg, “The Global Abundance and Size Distribution of Lakes, Ponds, and Impoundments,” Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 51, No. 5, 2006, pp. 2388-2397. doi:10.4319/lo.2006.51.5.2388
[7] K. G. Taylor and P. N. Owens, “Sediments in Urban River Basins: A Review of Sediment-Contaminant Dynamics in an Environmental System Conditioned by Human Activities,” Journal of Soils and Sediments, Vol. 9, No. 4, 2009, pp. 281-303. doi:10.1007/s11368-009-0103-z
[8] J. H. R. Gee, B. D. Smith, K. M. Lee and S. W. Griffiths, “The Ecological Basis of Freshwater Pond Management for Biodiversity,” Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, Vol. 7, No. 2, 1998, pp. 91-104. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-0755(199706)7:2<91::AID-AQC221>3.0.CO;2-O
[9] C. A. Frissell, W. J. Liss, C. E. Warren and M. D. Hurley, “A Hierarchical Framework for Stream Habitat Classification: Viewing Streams in a Watershed Context,” Environmental Management, Vol. 10, No. 2, 1986, pp. 199-214. doi:10.1007/BF01867358
[10] W. H. Lowe, G. E. Likens and M. E. Power, “Linking Scales in Stream Ecology,” BioScience, Vol. 56, No. 7, 2006, pp. 591-597. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2006)56[591:LSISE]2.0.CO;2
[11] G. C. Poole, “Fluvial Landscape Ecology: Addressing Uniqueness within the River Discontinuum,” Freshwater Biology, Vol. 47, No. 4, 2002, pp. 641-660. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2427.2002.00922.x
[12] L. Benda, N. L. Poff, D. Miller, T. Dunne, G. Reeves, G. Pess and M. Pollock, “The Network Dynamics Hypothesis: How Channel Networks Structure Riverine Habitats,” BioScience, Vol. 54, No. 5, 2004, pp. 413-427. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0413:TNDHHC]2.0.CO;2
[13] W. H. Renwick, S. V. Smith, J. D. Bartley and R. W. Buddemeier, “The Role of Impoundments in the Sediment Budget of the Conterminous United States,” Geomorphology, Vol. 71, No. 1, 2005, pp. 99-111. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2004.01.010
[14] C. D. Arp, M. N. Gooseff, M. A. Baker and W. Wurtsbaugh, “Surface-Water Hydrodynamics and Regimes of a Small Mountain Stream-Lake Ecosystem,” Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 329, No. 3, 2006, pp. 500-513. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.03.006
[15] A. M. Gurnell, “The Hydrogeomorphological Effects of Beaver Dam-Building Activity,” Progress in Physical Geography, Vol. 22, No. 2, 1998, pp. 167-189.
[16] C. J. Woltemade, “Ability of Restored Wetlands to Reduce Nitrogen and Phosphorus Concentrations in Agricultural Drainage Water,” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 55, No. 3, 2000, pp. 303-309.
[17] J. Persson, N. L. G. Somes and T. H. F. Wong, “Hydraulics Efficiency of Constructed Wetlands and Ponds,” Water Science & Technology, Vol. 40, No. 3, 1999, pp. 291-300. doi:10.1016/S0273-1223(99)00448-5
[18] J. Koskiaho, “Flow Velocity Retardation and Sediment Retention in Two Constructed Wetland-Ponds,” Ecological Engineering, Vol. 19, No. 5, 2003, pp. 325-337. doi:10.1016/S0925-8574(02)00119-2
[19] A. K. Myers, A. M. Marcarelli, C. D. Arp, M. A. Baker and W. A. Wurtsbaugh, “Disruptions of the Stream Sediment Size and Stability by Lakes in Mountain Watersheds: Potential Effects on Periphyton Biomass,” Journal of the North American Benthological Society, Vol. 26, No. 3, 2007, pp. 390-400. doi:10.1899/06-086.1
[20] T. E. Lisle and J. Lewis, “Effects of Sediment Transport on Survival of Salmonid Embryos in a Natural Stream: A Simulation Approach,” Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 49, No. 11, 1992, pp. 2337-2344. doi:10.1139/f92-257
[21] K. N. Brooks, P. F. Ffolliott, H. M. Gregersen and L. F. DeBano, “Hydrology and the Management of Watersheds,” 3rd Edition, Iowa State University Press, Ames, 2003.
[22] J. R. Maxted, C. H. McCready and M. R. Scarsbrook, “Effects of Small Ponds on Stream Water Quality and Macroinvertebrate Communities,” New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, Vol. 39, No. 5, 2005, pp. 1069-1084. doi:10.1080/00288330.2005.9517376
[23] B. W. Webb, D. M. Hannah, R. D. Moore, L. E. Brown and F. Nobilis, “Recent Advances in Stream and River Temperature Research,” Hydrological Processes, Vol. 22, No. 7, 2008, pp. 902-918. doi:10.1002/hyp.6994
[24] D. Caissie, “The Thermal Regime of Rivers: A Review,” Freshwater Biology, Vol. 51, No. 8, 2006, pp. 1389-1406. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01597.x
[25] R. Gu and H. G. Stefan, “Stratification Dynamics in Wastewater Stabilization Ponds,” Water Research, Vol. 29, No. 8, 1995, pp. 1909-1923. doi:10.1016/0043-1354(95)00011-9
[26] J. Polorny and S. Bjork, “Development of Aquatic Macrophytles in Shallow Lakes and Ponds,” Wetlands: Ecology, Conservation and Management, Vol. 3, 2010, pp. 37-43.
[27] M. R. Vinson, “Long-Term Dynamics of an Invertebrate Assemblage Downstream from a Large Dam,” Ecological Applications, Vol. 11, No. 3, 2001, pp. 711-730. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2001)011[0711:LTDOAI]2.0.CO;2
[28] R. L. Vannote, G. W. Minshall, K. W. Cummins, J. R. Sedell and C. E. Cushing, “The River Continuum Concept,” Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 37, No. 1, 1980, pp. 130-137. doi:10.1139/f80-017
[29] M. P. Jones and W. F. Hunt, “Effect of Storm-Water Wetlands and Wet Ponds on Runoff Temperature in Trout Sensitive Waters,” Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Vol. 136, No. 9, 2010, pp. 656-661. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0000227
[30] B. O. L. DeMars, J. R. Manson, J. S. Olafsson, G. M. Gislason, R. Gudmundsdottir, G. Woodward, J. Reiss, D. E. Pichler, J. J. Rasmussen and N Friberg, “Temperature and the Metabolic Balance of Streams,” Freshwater Biology, Vol. 56, No. 6, 2011, pp. 1106-1121. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02554.x
[31] J. H. Selong, T. E. McMahon, A. V. Zale and F. T. Barrows, “Effect of Temperature on Growth and Survival of Bull Trout, with Application of an Improved Method for Determining Thermal Tolerance in Fishes,” Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, Vol. 130, No. 6, 2001, pp. 1026-1037. doi:10.1577/1548-8659(2001)130<1026:EOTOGA>2.0.CO;2
[32] H. Gosnell, J. H. Haggerty and P. A. Byorth, “Ranch Ownership Change and New Approaches to Water Resource Management in Southwestern Montana: Implications for Fisheries,” Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 43, No. 4, 2007, pp. 990-1003. doi:10.1111/j.1752-1688.2007.00081.x
[33] P. A. Hsieh, W. Wingle and R. W. Healy, “VS2DI—A Graphical Software Package for Simulating Fluid Flow and Solute or Energy Transport in Variably Saturated Porous Media,” US Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report, Vol. 99, No. 4130, 2000, p. 16.
[34] J. Vymazal, “Removal of Nutrients in Various Types of Constructed Wetlands,” Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 380, No. 1, 2007, pp. 48-65. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.09.014
[35] N. Pacini, D. M. Harper, V. Ittekott, C. Humborg and L. Rahm, “Nutrient Processes and Consequences,” In: D. M. Harper, M. Zalewski and N. Pacini, Eds., Ecohydrology: Processes, Models and Case Studies, CAB International, Cambridge, 2008, pp. 30-45.
[36] K. M. Johannesson, J. L. Andersson and K. S. Tonderski, “Efficiency of a Constructed Wetland for Retention of Sediment-Associated Phosphorus,” Hydrobiologia, Vol. 674, No. 1, 2011, pp. 179-190. doi:10.1007/s10750-011-0728-y
[37] G. W. Fairchild and D. J. Velinsky, “Effects of Small Ponds on Stream Water Chemistry,” Lake and Reservoir Management, Vol. 22, No. 4, 2006, pp. 321-330. doi:10.1080/07438140609354366
[38] W. K. Dodds and J. J. Cole, “Expanding the Concept of Trophic State in Aquatic Ecosystems: It’s Not just the Autotrophs,” Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 69, No. 4, 2007, pp. 427-439. doi:10.1007/s00027-007-0922-1
[39] J. H. Selong and L. A. Helfrich. “Impacts of Trout Culture Effluent on Water Quality and Biotic Communities in Virginia Headwater Streams,” The Progressive Fish-Culturist, Vol. 60, No. 4, 1998, pp. 247-262. doi:10.1577/1548-8640(1998)060<0247:IOTCEO>2.0.CO;2
[40] B. Oertli, R. Céréghino, A. Hull and R. Miracle, “Pond Conservation: From Science to Practice,” Hydrobiologia, Vol. 634, No. 1, 2009, pp. 1-9. doi:10.1007/s10750-009-9891-9
[41] B. Oertli, D. A. Joye, E. Castella, R. Juge, D. Cambin, and J. Lachavanne, “Does Size Matter? The Relationship between Pond Area and Biodiversity,” Biological Conservation, Vol. 104, No. 1, 2002, pp. 59-70. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00154-9
[42] R. K. Didham, J. M. Tylianakis, N. J. Gemmell, T. A. Rand and R. M. Ewers, “Interactive Effects of Habitat Modification and Species Invasion on Native Species Decline,” Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 22, No. 9, 2007, pp. 489-496.
[43] M. B. Allen and E. P. Bergersen, “Factors Influencing the Distribution of Myxobolus cerebralis, the Causative Agent of Whirling Disease, in the Cache la Poudre River, Colorado,” Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, Vol. 49, No. 1, 2002, pp. 51-60. doi:10.3354/dao049051
[44] J. C. Burckhardt, W. A. Hubert, R. Gipson, D. Zafft, K. Gelwicks, D. Hawk and D. Money, “The Effects of Habitat Features on Whirling Disease Infection across a Rocky Mountain Watershed,” Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Wyoming, Laramie, 2002.
[45] R. B. Nehring, K. G. Thompson, D. L. Shuler and T. M. James. “Using Sediment Core Samples to Examine the Spatial Distribution of Myxobolus cerebralis Actinospore Production in Windy Gap Reservoir, Colorado,” North American Journal of Fisheries Management, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2003, pp. 376-384. doi:10.1577/1548-8675(2003)023<0376:USCSTE>2.0.CO;2
[46] E. R. Vincent, “Effect of Changing Water Flows on Infection Rates in Rainbow Trout,” Eighth Annual Whirling Disease Symposium, Denver, 13-15 February 2002, pp. 43-44.
[47] M. G. Knutson, W. B. Richardson, D. M. Reineke, B. R. Gray, J. R. Parmelee and S. E. Weick. “Agricultural Ponds Support Amphibian Populations,” Ecological Applications, Vol. 14, No. 3, 2004, pp. 669-684. doi:10.1890/02-5305
[48] I. C. Olsson, L. A. Greenberg and A. G. Eklov, “Effect of an Artificial Pond on Migrating Brown Trout Smolts,” North American Journal of Fisheries Management, Vol. 21, No. 3, 2001, pp. 498-506. doi:10.1577/1548-8675(2001)021<0498:EOAAPO>2.0.CO;2
[49] W. J. Mitsch and J. W. Day, “Thinking Big with Whole-Ecosystem Studies and Ecosystem Restoration—A Legacy of H.T. Odum,” Ecological Modelling, Vol. 178, No. 1, 2004, pp. 133-155. doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2003.12.038
[50] W. K. Michener, “Quantitatively Evaluating Restoration Experiments: Research Design, Statistical Analysis, and Data Management Considerations,” Restoration Ecology, Vol. 5, No. 4, 1997, pp. 324-337. doi:10.1046/j.1526-100X.1997.00546.x
[51] G. W. Kling, G. W. Kipphut, M. M. Miller and W. J. O’Brien, “Integration of Lakes and Streams in a Landscape Perspective: The Importance of Material Processing on Spatial Patterns and Temporal Coherence,” Freshwater Biology, Vol. 43, No. 3, 2000, pp. 477-497. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2427.2000.00515.x

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.