BIOMONITORING AQUATIC-TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

Temporary streams, which naturally cease to flow and typically lose all surface water, may be the world’s dominant ‘freshwater’ ecosystem type, and are becoming increasingly common due to global change. Temporary streams are impacted by human activities, but remain poorly represented in biomonitoring programmes operated to determine ecological quality. We collaborate with industry partners to develop innovative approaches that transcend wet-dry boundaries to more effectively characterize the ecological quality of temporary streams. We seek to recognize biota spanning the aquatic-terrestrial continuum, including the terrestrial communities that colonize and establish during dry phases. Our research uses both taxonomic and functional (i.e. trait-based) approaches to characterize both aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates and plants.

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Our research questions:

• Are standard biomonitoring methods developed in perennial systems able to effectively characterize the ecological quality of temporary streams, and if so, in what circumstances?

• Which biotic groups can be used to distinguish among sites of differing ecological quality during dry phases, and for which anthropogenic pressures?

• Do molecular tools hold the key to enabling holistic approaches to biomonitoring that transcend the aquatic-terrestrial boundary?

• Can macroinvertebrate traits such as dispersal abilities improve characterization of community responses to ecological quality in temporary streams, thus representing potential new biomonitoring tools?