Abstract
We investigated the effects of two river restoration projects on hydromorphology and macroinvertebrate fauna in two German lowland rivers, the Schwalm and the Gartroper Mühlenbach. The stream channels were re-meandered and the floodplain levels were lowered to better connect the streams to their floodplains. The restoration was performed 10 years ago in the Schwalm and 2 years ago in the Gartroper Mühlenbach. We compared the restored reaches to nearby anthropogenically straightened reaches. Twenty-five hydromorphological parameters were recorded on twenty transects; between nine and 23 substrate-specific macroinvertebrate samples were taken per reach. Several hydromorphological parameters, such as the number and width of channel features and the number of substrate types, were significantly higher in the restored reaches compared to nearby anthropogenically straightened reaches. Total numbers of invertebrate families, genera, and taxa were also higher in the restored reaches than in the anthropogenically straightened reaches. Biotic substrates like dead wood or macrophytes were more abundant in the restored reaches, and these substrates hosted 28 taxa not found in the straightened reaches. While diversity was high in both restored reaches, overall abundance increased only in the river that was restored 10 years ago. Using NMS-analysis, substrate-specific faunistic samples of the restored reaches were compared to those of the straightened reaches. Our results revealed different invertebrate communities on the same substrates in the recently restored river. In the 10-year-old restoration, however, the same substrates were similarly inhabited. This comparable colonization of substrates may reflect succession in the macroinvertebrate community. The results are discussed according to the re-colonization potentials of the upstream and downstream reaches and the dispersal capacity of taxa.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aarts BGW, Van den Brink FWB, Nienhuis PH (2004) Habitat loss as the main cause of the slow recovery of fish faunas of regulated large rivers in Europe: the transversal floodplain gradient. River Research and Applications 20:3–23
Beisel J-N, Usseglio-Polatera P, Thomas S, Moreteau J-C (1998) Stream community structure in relation to spatial variation: the influence of mesohabitat characteristics. Hydrobiologia 389:73–88
Beisel J-N, Usseglio-Polatera P, Moreteau J-C (2000) The spatial heterogeneity of a river bottom: a key factor determining macroinvertebrate communities. Hydrobiologia 422(423):163–171
Bond NR, Sabater S, Glaister A, Roberts S, Vanderkruk K (2006) Colonisation of introduced timber by algae and invertebrates, and its potential role in aquatic ecosystem restoration. Hydrobiologia 556:303–316
Boyero L (2003) The quantification of local substrate heterogeneity in streams and its significance for macroinvertebrate assemblages. Hydrobiologia 499:161–168
Bray JR, Curtis JT (1957) An ordination of the upland forest communities of South Wisconsin. Ecological Monographs 27:325–347
Brookes A, Shields FD Jr (eds) (1996) River channel restoration. Wiley, Chichester
Brooks SS, Palmer MA, Cardinale BJ, Swan CM, Ribblett S (2002) Assessing ecosystem rehabilitation: limitations of community structure data. Restoration Ecology 10:156–168
Bunn SE, Arthington AH (2002) Basic principles and ecological consequences of altered flow regimes for aquatic biodiversity. Environmental Management 30:492–507
Cederholm CJ, Bilby RE, Bisson PA, Bumstead TW, Fransen BR, Scarlett WJ, Ward JW (1997) Response of juvenile coho salmon and steelhead to placement of large woody debris in a coastal Washington stream. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 17:947–963
Cooper CM, Testa S III, Shields FD Jr (2000) Stream restoration: response of Benthos to engineered stable riffle/pool habitat. Verhandlungen Internationale Vereinigung für theoretische und angewandte Limnologie 27:1520–1527
Earman DC, Earman NA (1984) The response of stream macroinvertebrates to substrate size and heterogeneity. Hydrobiologia 108:75–82
Fortin M-J, Payette S, Marineau K (1999) Spatial vegetation diversity index along a postfire successional gradient in the northern boreal forest. Ecosience 6:204–213
Friberg N, Kronvang B, Hansen HO, Svendsen LM (1998) Long-term, habitat-specific response of a macroinvertebrate community to river restoration. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 8:87–99
Graf W, Murphy J, Dahl J, Zamora-Munoz C, Lopez-Rodriguez MJ (2008) Volume 1—Trichoptera. In: Schmidt-Kloiber A, Hering D (eds) Distribution and ecological preferences of European freshwater organisms. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia, Bulgaria
Hamilton JB (1989) Response of juvenile steelhead to in-stream deflectors in a high gradient stream. In: Gresswell RE, Barton BA, Kershner JL (eds) Practical approaches to riparian resource management. U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Billings, pp 149–158
Harper D, Ebrahimnezhad M, Cot FCI (1998) Artificial riffles in river rehabilitation: setting the goals and measuring the successes. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 8:5–16
Harrison SSC, Pretty JL, Shepherd D, Hildrew AG, Smith C, Hey RD (2004) The effect of in-stream rehabilitation structures on macroinvertebrates in lowland rivers. Journal of Applied Ecology 41:1140–1154
Hering D, Moog O, Sandin L, Verdonschot PFM (2004) Overview and application of the AQEM assessment system. Hydrobiologia 516:1–20
Hoffmann A, Hering D (2000) Wood-associated macroinvertebrate fauna in central European streams. International Review of Hydrobiology 85:25–48
Iversen TM, Kronvang B, Madsen BL, Markmann P, Nielsen MB (1993) Reestablishment of Danish streams—restoration and maintenance measures. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 3:73–92
Jähnig SC, Lorenz AW, Hering D (2008) Hydromorphological parameters indicating differences between single- and multiple-channel mountain rivers in Germany, in relation to their modification and recovery. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18:1200–1216
Johnson LB, Breneman DH, Richards C (2003) Macroinvertebrate community structure and function associated with large wood in low gradient streams. River Research and Applications 19:199–218
Kail J, Hering D, Gerhard M, Muhar S, Preis S (2007) The use of large wood in stream restoration: experiences from 50 projects in Germany and Austria. Journal of Applied Ecology 44:1145–1155
Kondolf GM, Micheli ER (1995) Evaluating stream restoration projects. Environmental Management 19:1–15
Lepori F, Palm D, Brännäs E, Malmqvist B (2005) Does restoration of structural heterogeneity in streams enhance fish and macroinvertebrate diversity? Ecological Applications 15:2060–2071
Lorenz A, Hering D, Feld CK, Rolauffs P (2004) A new method for assessing the impact of morphological degradation on the benthic invertebrate fauna for streams in Germany. Hydrobiologia 516:107–127
LUA NRW (Landesumweltamt Nordrhein-Westfalen) (1999) Leitbilder für die kleinen bis mittelgroßen Fließgewässer in Nordrhein-Westfalen—Flusstypen. LUA Merkbl. 17. Essen, Germany
LUA NRW (Landesumweltamt Nordrhein-Westfalen) (2001) Leitbilder für die mittelgroßen bis großen Fließgewässer in Nordrhein-Westfalen—Flusstypen. LUA Merkbl. 34. Essen, Germany
McCune B, Mefford MJ (1999) Multivariate analysis of ecological data. MjM Software, Gleneden Beach, OR
Muotka T, Paavola R, Haapala A, Novikmec M, Laasonen P (2002) Long-term recovery of stream habitat structure and benthic invertebrate communities from in-stream restoration. Biological Conservation 105:243–253
Nakano D, Nakamura F (2006) Responses of macroinvertebrate communities to river restoration in a channelized segment of the Shibetsu River, Northern Japan. River Research and Applications 22:681–689
Nickelson TE, Solazzi MF, Johnson SL, Rodgers JD (1992) Effectiveness of selected stream improvement techniques to create suitable summer and winter rearing habitat for juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in Oregon coastal streams. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 49:790–794
Nienhuis PH, Bakker JP, Grootjans AP, Gulati RD, de Jonge VN (2002) The state of the art of aquatic and semi-aquatic ecological restoration projects in the Netherlands. Hydrobiologia 478:219–233
Palmer MA, Swan CM, Nelson K, Silver P, Alvestad R (2000) Streambed landscapes: evidence that stream invertebrates respond to the type and spatial arrangement of patches. Landscape Ecology 15:563–576
Palmer MA, Bernhardt ES, Alan JD, Lake PS, Alexander G, Brooks S, Carr J, Clayton S, Dahm CN, Follstad-Shah J, Galat DL, Loss SG, Goodwin P, Hart DD, Hassett B, Jenkinson R, Kondolf GM, Lave R, Meyer JL, O’Donnell TK, Pagano L, Sudduth E (2005) Standards for ecologically successful river restoration. Journal of Applied Ecology 42:208–217
Parkyn SM, Davies-Colley RJ, Halliday NJ, Costley KJ, Croker GF (2003) Planted riparian buffer zones in New Zealand: do they live up to expectations? Restoration Ecology 11:436–447
Parsons H, Gilvear D (2002) Valley floor landscape change following almost 100 years of flood embankment abandonment on a wandering gravel-bed river. River Research and Applications 18:461–479
Pretty JL, Harrison SSC, Shepherd DJ, Smith C, Hildrew AG, Hey RD (2003) River rehabilitation and fish populations: assessing the benefit of in-stream structures. Journal of Applied Ecology 40:251–265
Rabeni CF, Jacobson RB (1993) The importance of fluvial hydraulics to fish-habitat restoration in low-gradient alluvial streams. Freshwater Biology 29:211–220
Rohde S, Kienast F, Bürgi M (2004) Assessing the restoration success of river widenings: a landscape approach. Environmental Management 34:574–589
Roni P (2003) Response of benthic fishes and giant salamanders to placement of large woody debris in small Pacific Northwest streams. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 23:1087–1097
Roni P, Bennett T, Morley S, Pess GR, Hanson K, van Dyke D, Olmstead P (2006) Rehabilitation of bedrock stream channels: the effects of boulder weir placement on aquatic habitat and biota. River Research and Applications 22:967–980
Shields FD Jr, Knight SS, Cooper CM (2007) Can warmwater streams be rehabilitated using watershed-scale standard erosion control measures alone? Environmental Management 40:62–79
Spänhoff B, Arle J (2007) Setting attainable goals of stream habitat restoration from a macroinvertebrate view. Restoration Ecology 15:317–320
Verdonschot PFM, Nijboer RC (2002) A decision support system for stream restoration in the Netherlands. An overview of restoration projects and future needs. Hydrobiologia 478:131–148
Vinson MR, Hawkins CP (1998) Biodiversity of stream insects: variation at Local, Basin, and Regional Scales. Annual Review of Entomology 43:271–293
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the EU-funded Integrated Project Euro-Limpacs (GOCE-CT-2003-505540). We thank three anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lorenz, A.W., Jähnig, S.C. & Hering, D. Re-Meandering German Lowland Streams: Qualitative and Quantitative Effects of Restoration Measures on Hydromorphology and Macroinvertebrates. Environmental Management 44, 745–754 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-009-9350-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-009-9350-4