Using biofilm assemblages to develop a monitoring framework for regulated coastal rivers in south-eastern Australia
Increasing human demand on the world's water resources has led to the construction of dams and diversions that cause major alterations to natural flow regimes and threaten riverine ecosystems globally. Consequently, water resource management now recognises the need to establish the extent to which flow regimes can be altered while maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem. However, the ecological consequences of changing the physical regime are often difficult to predict and, therefore, a well-designed monitoring program, capable of detecting directional change in aquatic biota is critical for assessing human impacts and evaluating the effectiveness of restoration activities. Altered hydrology can affect biofilm assemblages by influencing two counteracting flow-related processes - mass-transfer leading to biomass accrual and shear stress leading to biomass loss. This study uses biofilm assemblages to investigate the biological condition of the regulated Nymboida River, south-eastern Australia, under current flow management practices and to design a monitoring program capable of detecting a change in this condition as flow management practices are altered in the future. The outcome of this study is a scientifically defensible monitoring program that provides meaningful outcomes in both an ecological and managerial context.
Biofilm and flow regimes: developing a biological monitoring program for the Nymboida River, northern NSW
A well-designed monitoring program is critical for determining the extent of human impacts and the effectiveness of restoration activities in aquatic ecosystems. This project considers the Nymboida River, northern NSW, as a case study for developing a biological monitoring program. Water extraction from the Nymboida weir pool alters the flow regime to downstream habitats. Algal biofilms, which respond to local hydraulic conditions, are used in this project as biological indicators of response to the altered flow regime downstream of the weir. Longitudinal change on the Nymboida (the difference in biofilm assemblage attributes between upstream and downstream of the weir) was compared with longitudinal change on 'reference' rivers (rivers that do not have a weir and represent the desired condition for the Nymboida given current water and land-use constraints). This design allows us to determine if longitudinal change in biofilm on the Nymboida is greater than what we would generally find on equivalent rivers without a weir. The high variability in biofilm attributes (algal composition, biofilm mass, organic matter content and chlorophyll a at monitoring sites is assessed up-front in the design of the monitoring program so that optimum levels of sample replication can be determined. This will ensure that resources can be allocated efficiently while still providing enough information for managers to make informed decisions.
Algal biofilms: developing biological indicators to assess river restoration
The extent of human-induced change and damage to riverine habitats has meant that interest and investment in river restoration projects are growing throughout the world, with a concomitant increase in the publication of material on the theories, principles and practices of restoring degraded landscapes (Bernhardt et al. 2005, Lake 2005). Despite the growing consensus among restoration ecologists on the need for an improved scientific basis for restoration projects, there is little afreement among the restoration community on what characterises success and how it is measured (Ryder and Miller 2005). At present, river restoration projects often aim to restore systems to a predetermined state that resembles a reference condition or, less often, towards a more realistic state that represents the most desirable outcome, given the available resources (Palmer et al. 2005). In either process, goals must be stated up front and standards established, against which the success of restoration can be assessed. To do this, a suite of indicators is typically used to assess the 'health' of the river (Boulton 1999) and to focus restoration efforts towards achieving the best possible ecological outcome. Indicators of ecosystem structure are commonly used to monitor restoration success. Their selection is usually based on an understanding of the biology (e.g. genetic structure, abundance, richness and diversity) and habitat requirements - such as geomorphic setting or hydrologic requirements - of an organism or population.