Existing levels of biodiversity and river location may determine changes from small hydropower developments.
J Environ Manage
; 357: 120697, 2024 Apr.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38565031
ABSTRACT
Global ecosystems are facing anthropogenic threats that affect their ecological functions and biodiversity. However, we still lack an understanding of how biodiversity can mediate the responses of ecosystems or communities to human disturbance across spatial gradients. Here, we examined how existing, spatial patterns of biodiversity influence the ecological effects of small hydropower plants (SHPs) on macroinvertebrates in river ecosystems. This study found that levels of biodiversity (e.g., number of species) can influence the degrees of its alterations by SHPs occurring along elevational gradients. The results of the study reveal that the construction of SHPs has various effects on biodiversity. For example, low-altitude areas with low biodiversity (species richness less than 12) showed a small increase in biodiversity compared to high-altitude areas (species richness more than 12) under SHP disturbances. The increases in the effective habitat area of the river segment could be a driver of the enhanced biodiversity in response to SHP effects. Changes in the numerically dominant species contributed to the overall level of community variation from disturbances. Location-specific strategies may mitigate the effects of SHPs and perhaps other disturbances.
Mots clés
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Sujet principal:
Écosystème
/
Rivières
Limites:
Humans
Langue:
En
Journal:
J Environ Manage
Année:
2024
Type de document:
Article
Pays de publication:
ENGLAND
/
ESCOCIA
/
GB
/
GREAT BRITAIN
/
INGLATERRA
/
REINO UNIDO
/
SCOTLAND
/
UK
/
UNITED KINGDOM