Project Details
Projekt
Survival strategies of macroinvertebrate species under changing ambient conditions of rivers
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Eva Maria Griebeler
Subject Area
Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
Term
from 2004 to 2010
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5430079
Global warming is predicted to change flow regimes of rivers and to increase frequency and intensity of extreme situations such as floods and low waters. Since life-cycles of species are adapted, we test the hypothesis that other survival strategies of aquatic organisms than those currently observed may be favoured in the future. Whether species can cope with changes depends on their life-cycle, values of life-table parameters, and their ecological and genetic variability. The present proposal is linked to two others referring to the ecological and genetic basis of response. To derive a more general understanding of which strategies are adapted to flow regimes (snowmelt/groundwater), we develop simulation models. First, based on the results of the joined empirical studies and data from literature, we derive to which extent three macroinvertebrate species displaying different survival strategies are adapted to two flow regimes, which amount of change in variability in flow regime is tolerable for the species and what are the consequences for neutral genetic diversity reflecting their micro-evolutionary potential. Second, since these species comprise only three potential strategies (resistance stage, re-colonisation by juveniles, re-colonisation by juveniles and adults), we approach analogously the performance of other strategies. Our models are validated by results from joined proposals and data from literature. Based on our simulation results, we give predictions for the composition of macroinvertebrate assemblages under the two flow regimes studied.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
Participating Person
Professor Dr. Alfred Seitz (†)
