scholarly journals Water-quality and geophysical data for three study sites within the Williston Basin and Prairie Pothole Region

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd M. Preston ◽  
Bruce D. Smith ◽  
Joanna N. Thamke ◽  
Tara Chesley-Preston
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Geophysical Data ◽  
Williston Basin ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Study Sites

Influence of rodent abundance on nesting success of prairie waterfowl

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 497-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney W. Brook ◽  
Maria Pasitschniak-Arts ◽  
David W. Howerter ◽  
François Messier
Keyword(s):  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Microtus Pennsylvanicus ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Rodent Abundance

Most waterfowl nesting failure in the prairie biome is attributed to predation. However, the contribution of small mammal abundance to the prairie predator–prey cycle and how this affects waterfowl productivity is not known. We modelled seasonal variability of nesting success, including a number of habitat and nest-related variables, to quantify influence of rodent abundance for prairie nesting waterfowl for six study sites in the Prairie Pothole Region of Canada, 1996–1998. We estimated there is a curvilinear relationship between the abundance of meadow voles ( Microtus pennsylvanicus (Ord, 1815)) and the nesting success of ducks. The relationship has characteristics of the alternate prey hypothesis at low vole density and characteristics of the shared prey hypothesis at higher densities. At low vole densities, duck nests appear to be buffered from predation by voles but, at higher densities, nesting success was affected negatively. We recommend that predator–prey dynamics should be included as an integral part of management plans for nesting waterfowl and suggest further research using rigorous experiment design to elucidate mechanisms and pathways responsible for this observed relationship.

scholarly journals Comparing Wetland Ecosystems Service Provision under Different Management Approaches: Two Cases Study of Tianfu Wetland and Nansha Wetland in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8710
Author(s):  
Yuchao Zhang ◽  
Steven Loiselle ◽  
Yimo Zhang ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Xia Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Wetland Management ◽  
Nutrient Retention ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Fundamental Information ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Study Sites

The largest blue-green infrastructures in industrialized, urbanized and developed regions in China are often multiuse wetlands, located just outside growing urban centers. These areas have multiple development pressures while providing environmental, economic, and social benefits to the local and regional populations. Given the limited information available about the tradeoffs in ecosystem services with respect to competing wetland uses, wetland managers and provincial decision makers face challenges in regulating the use of these important landscapes. In the present study, measurements made by citizen scientists were used to support a comparative study of water quality and wetland functions in two large multiuse wetlands, comparing areas of natural wetland vegetation, tourism-based wetland management and wetland agriculture. The study sites, the Nansha and Tianfu wetlands, are located in two of the most urbanized areas of China: the lower Yangtze River and Pearl River catchments, respectively. Our results indicated that the capacity of wetlands to mitigate water quality is closely related to the quality of the surrounding waters and hydrological conditions. Agricultural areas in both wetlands provided the lowest sediment and nutrient retention. The results show that the delivery of supporting ecosystem services is strongly influenced by the location and use of the wetland. Furthermore, we show that citizen scientist-acquired data can provide fundamental information on quantifying these ecosystem services, providing needed information to wetland park managers and provincial wetland administrators.

scholarly journals The Use of Biological Indices for the Assessment of the River Quality (Ruda River, Poland)

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneta Spyra ◽  
Justyna Kubicka ◽  
Małgorzata Strzelec
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Benthic Invertebrates ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Dam Reservoir ◽  
River Quality ◽  
Water Field ◽  
Study Sites

AbstractRecognition of the deteriorating conditions of rivers worldwide has called for increased efforts to improve the ecological quality of impacted river systems. This is particularly important in areas that have suffered from a significant impact of human pressure on the ecological status of water. Field studies were conducted in the Ruda River in an area that had undergone anthropogenic disturbances. The objectives of our survey were to test the biological metrics based on benthic macroinvertebrates at four study sites. Spring and autumn surveys of benthic invertebrates indicated that based on the BMWP and BMWP(PL) indices, water quality was higher in comparison with the value of Multimetric index at all of the sites that were studied. Our results revealed that the water quality was higher at the study sites that are located above the dam reservoir based on both the chemical and biological parameters. This study also indicated that both spring and autumn constitute appropriate periods for carrying out monitoring studies. The values of multimeric index indicated the same water quality (except for site 1) in both sampling periods. Anthropogenic transformations of a riverbed influence the flora and fauna and affect the ecological status of rivers.

Evident cooling effects of surface wetlands to mitigate climate change - a study of the Prairie Pothole Region

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Zhang ◽  
Fei Chen ◽  
Michael Barlage ◽  
Lauren E Bortolotti ◽  
James Famiglietti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Cooling Effects ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

scholarly journals Hydroclimate Variability and Change in the Prairie Pothole Region, the “Duck Factory” of North America*

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Ballard ◽  
Richard Seager ◽  
Jason E. Smerdon ◽  
Benjamin I. Cook ◽  
Andrea J. Ray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Evaporative Demand ◽  
The Future

Abstract The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the northern Great Plains is a vital ecosystem responsible each year for producing 50%–80% of new recruits to the North American duck population. Climate variability and change can impact the hydrology and ecology of the region with implications for waterfowl populations. The historical relationship between PPR wetlands, duck populations, and seasonal hydroclimate are explored. Model experiments from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project are used to determine whether a recent wetting trend is due to natural variability or changing climate and how PPR hydroclimate will change into the future. Year-to-year variations in May duck populations, pond numbers, and the Palmer drought severity index are well correlated over past decades. Pond and duck numbers tend to increase in spring following La Niña events, but the correlation is not strong. Model simulations suggest that the strengthening of the precipitation gradient across the PPR over the past century is predominantly due to natural variability and therefore could reverse. Model projections of future climate indicate precipitation will increase across the PPR in all seasons except summer, but this gain for surface moisture is largely offset by increased evapotranspiration because of higher temperatures and increased atmospheric evaporative demand. In summer, the combined effects of warming and precipitation changes indicate seasonal surface drying in the future. The presented hydroclimate analyses produce potential inputs to ecological and hydrological simulations of PPR wetlands to inform risk analysis of how this North American waterfowl habitat will evolve in the future, providing guidance to land managers facing conservation decisions.

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