Transcript 3/23 - Utexas

Restoration Ecology
Fig 54.14
CB 54.17
Carbon cycle
CO2 and other greenhouse gases keep heat
from radiating back into space
http://www.esr.org/outreach/climate_change/basics/basics.html
Ecological Restoration and Global
Climate Change
J. Harris, R. Hobbs, E. Higgs, and J. Aronson
Restoration Ecology Vol. 14, No. 2, pg. 170–
176 June 2006
Mismatches – an example
• Great tit (relative of
the chickadee)
• Common in Europe
• Studied in detail
since the 1950’s by
scientists at the
Netherlands
Institute of
Ecology.
Information: Grossman, D. 2003, Spring Forward, Scientific American, 85-91.
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20030723/a106_1511.jpg
• Tits lay eggs at the same time that they did in 1985 –
mid-spring (~4/16 to 5/15)
• Since ~1985 spring temperatures have risen about 2oC
• Tits primary food is the winter moth caterpillar (below)
• Caterpillar production is 2 weeks earlier in 2002 than in
1985
Grossman, D. 2003, Spring Forward, Scientific American, 85-91.
Grossman, D. 2003, Spring Forward, Scientific American, 85-91.
Restoring a disturbed ecosystem to historical
conditions may not be valid as ecosystems
change.
It is increasingly likely that the next century
will be characterized by shifts in global
weather patterns and climate regimes.
precipitation
changes
The past is no longer a prescriptive guide for
what might happen in the future.
precipitation
changes
What are the two most basic resources
necessary for biodiversity?
Restoring ecosystems must begin with the
basics: water and space
Truckee River, Nevada- Water diversions
reduced flow. Increased flows during willow
and cottonwood seed release season allowed
recovery of riparian ecosystem.
Kissimmee River, Florida- Had been turned
into a 90 km canal. About 24 km of the river
has been restored.
Rhine River, Europe- dredging for ships
reduced biodiversity. Side channels are being
reintroduced to allow species to recover.
Fig 54.13
Water cycle
Stream restoration in urban catchments
through redesigning stormwater systems:
looking to the catchment to save the stream
C. Walsh, T. Fletcher, and A. Ladson
J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc., 2005, 24(3):690–705
Restoration of streams degraded by urbanization has
usually been attempted by enhancement of instream
habitat or riparian zones.
Restoration of streams
degraded by urbanization
has usually been attempted
by enhancement of
instream habitat or riparian
zones.
Restoration of streams degraded by urbanization has
usually been attempted by enhancement of instream
habitat or riparian zones.
Recent studies of
urban impacts on
streams in Melbourne,
Australia, on water
chemistry, algal
biomass, diatoms and
invertebrates, suggest
that the primary
degrading process to
streams in many urban
areas is effective
imperviousness.
The direct connection of impervious surfaces to
streams means that even small rainfall events can
produce sufficient surface runoff to cause frequent
disturbance.
Where impervious surfaces are not directly
connected to streams, small rainfall events are
intercepted and infiltrated.
http://www.brevstorm.org/watershed.cfm
A wet retention pond to filter pollutants and
buffer and maintain stream flow
http://www.brevstorm.org/watershed.cfm
Roadside swales can increase water filtration
http://www.brevstorm.org/watershed.cfm
Inlet screens
for filtering
large debris
http://www.brevstorm.org/watershed.cfm
Baffle boxes
to remove
sediment
http://www.brevstorm.org/watershed.cfm
Restoration of streams
degraded by
urbanization has usually
been attempted by
enhancement of
instream habitat or
riparian zones.
The use of alternative drainage methods, which
maintain a near-natural frequency of surface
runoff from the catchment, is the best approach
to stream restoration in urban areas.
Stream restoration in urban catchments
through redesigning stormwater systems:
looking to the catchment to save the stream