Publication: Ecological values of intermittent rivers for terrestrial vertebrate fauna
Authors
Sánchez Montoya, María del Mar ; Gómez Cerezo, Rosa María ; Calvo, Jose Francisco ; Bartonička, Tomáš ; Thibault, Datry ; Paril, Petr
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Publisher
Elsevier
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151308
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
© 2021 Elsevier B.V. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
This document is the accepted version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Science of the Total Environment. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151308
Abstract
Rivers are generally considered critical habitats for biodiversity; however, this often ignores the fact that many
rivers may run dry and support terrestrial as well as aquatic fauna. Here, we investigated the ecological value
of intermittent rivers for terrestrial vertebrates by installing camera traps along rivers subject to varying dry periods
in two contrasting European climatic zones. We then analysed i) species presence and behaviours (as a
proxy of ecological functions) on perennial and intermittent streams; ii) environmental (hydrological and geomorphological)
and anthropogenic factors affecting the frequency of occurrence and number of species recorded;
and iii) the importance of hydrological factors as regards ecological functioning. In both study areas,we recorded
a higher number of species and individuals along intermittent streams than perennial streams, with highest
values in intermittent reaches exhibiting shorter dry periods. Both abundance and species richnesswere strongly
affected by hydrological factors in both study areas, including not only the occurrence but also the duration of the
dry period. Dry channels played a key role as migration corridors and as a source of food, being used more frequently
than riparian habitatswhen the river ran dry. Our findings indicate that terrestrial vertebrate fauna benefit
fromdry phases in rivers. Intermittent rivers, supporting a high abundance and diversity of fauna, should be
considered as target ecosystems for wildlife conservation. Not doing so will jeopardise urgently needed conservation
strategies in the face of accelerating global climate change.
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Citation
Science of the Total Environment 806, 2022, 151808
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