Author(s): W. Gostner; Ch. Baumgartner; T. Staheli; M. Alp; A. J. Schleiss; Ch. T. Robinson
Linked Author(s): Anton J. Schleiss
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: Water policies, flood protection management and intensified river restoration programs require interdisciplinary research in order to relate abiotic and biotic factors of river systems. The present paper summarizes a field study conducted as a collaboration of biologists and river engineers with the goal of relating morphological conditions of the river with the diversity of its invertebrate fauna. A comparative analysis of the data gave the conclusion that hydro-morphological diversity varies strongly among the sample reaches. However, analysis of biological data showed little correlation of the diversity of aquatic fauna with the ecomorphology of the sites, suggesting that restoration of physical habitats to a near-natural and diverse state may be insufficient for successful recolonization by biota. Other factors such as chemical pollution, hydrological disturbances, river fragmentation, and dispersal constraints must be considered in river restoration programs.
Year: 2009