Stream restoration and ecosystem functioning in lowland streams

Restoration has been increasingly applied over the last decades as a way to improve the ecological conditions in stream ecosystems, but documentation of the impact of restoration on ecosystem functions is sparse. Here, we applied a space-for-time approach to explore effects of stream restoration on metabolism and organic matter decomposition in lowland agricultural streams. We included stream reaches that were restored >10 years ago and compared ecosystem functioning in these streams with those in channelized and naturally meandering stream reaches from the same geographical region. Specifically, we tested the following hypotheses: 1) rates of stream metabolism (gross primary production, GPP, and ecosystem respiration, ER) and organic matter decomposition in restored reaches resemble rates in naturally meandering reaches more than rates in channelized stream reaches and 2) higher resemblance in ecosystem metabolism and organic matter decomposition between restored reaches and meandering reaches can be attributed to the improved physical habitat conditions in the restored stream reaches. Overall, we did not find that stream metabolism or organic matter decomposition differed among restored, channelized and naturally meandering stream reaches even though habitat conditions differed among the three stream types. Instead, we found a large variation in ecosystem function characteristics across all sites. When analyzing all stream types combined, we found that GPP increased with increasing plant coverage and that ER increased with increasing stream size and with the coverage of coarse substratum on the stream bottom. Organic matter decomposition, on the other hand, only slightly increased with the number of plant species and declined with increasing concentrations of nutrients. Overall, our findings suggest that physical habitat improvements in restored stream reaches can affect ecosystem functions, but also that the restoration outcome is context-dependent since many of the physical characteristics playing a role for the measured functions were only to some extent affected by the restoration and/or clouded by interference with factors operating at a larger-scale.publishedVersio

D4.1 KSH Governance Framework

<p>The Deliverable 4.1 "Knowledge & Support Hub governance framework and work programme" describes the aims, structures and approach of INSPIRE's four Knowledge and Support Hubs (KSH) and their work programmes which are annexed to this deliverable. It defines the roles and responsibilities of all relevant stakeholders of the KSHs. Additionally, it provides information on the process of approaching and selecting Communities of Practice, their constitution and engagement strategies. It aims to become a solid but flexible foundation of the INSPIRE Knowledge and Support Hubs and should guide the collaboration, creation and support in the runtime of INSPIRE.</p&gt

Family, Career Progression and Gendered Academic Citizenship

This chapter is based on data gathered in FESTA project. FESTA was an implementation project financed by FP7 (2012–2017) aimed to make a change in the working environments of academics. One of the focus areas of the project involved a better understanding of the academics’ experiences with regard to the subject of “interaction between family and career progression.” For the analysis of sub-themes related to the “family,” a number of specific quotes were selected from the in-depth interviews conducted in the four partner institutions of FESTA in Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland, and Turkey. In spite of the heavy burden of family responsibilities it bestows on women, the family of origin particularly emerged as a source of support in the career of the researcher in a number of countries. It was observed that women academics—especially those from educated and relatively privileged backgrounds—have been strongly encouraged and supported by family at different stages of their career

Riparian forest as a management tool for moderating future thermal conditions of lowland temperate streams

Predictions of the future climate infer that stream water temperatures may increase in temperate lowland areas and that streams without riparian forest will be particularly prone to elevated stream water temperature. Planting of riparian forest is a potential mitigation measure to reduce water temperatures for the benefit of stream organisms. However, no studies have yet determined the length of a forested reach required to obtain a significant temperature decrease. To investigate this we measured the temperature in five small Danish lowland streams from June 2010 to July 2011, all showing a sharp transition between an upstream open reach and a downstream forested reach. In all stream reaches we also measured canopy cover and a range of physical variables characterizing the streams reaches. This allowed us to analyse differences in mean daily temperature and amplitude per month among forested and open sections as well as to study annual temperature regimes and the influence of physical conditions on temperature changes. Stream water temperature in the open reaches was affected by heating, and in July we observed an increase in temperature over the entire length of the investigated reaches, reaching temperatures higher than the incipient lethal limit for brown trout. Along the forest reaches a significant decrease in July temperatures was recorded immediately (100 m) when the stream moved into the forested area. In three of our study streams the temperature continued to decrease the longer the stream entered into the forested reach, and the temperature decline did not reach a plateau. The temperature increases along the open reaches were accompanied by stronger daily temperature variation; however, when the streams entered into the forest, the range in daily variation decreased. Multiple regression analysis of the combined effects on stream water temperature of canopy cover, Width/Depth ratio, discharge, current velocity and water temperature revealed that canopy cover and Width/Depth were the two variables responsible for the reduced temperature observed when the streams enter the forest. In consequence, we conclude that even relatively short stretches (100–500 m) of forest alongside streams may combat the negative effects of heating of stream water and that forest planting can be a useful mitigation measure