Influence of biomimicry structures on ecosystem function in a Rocky Mountain incised stream

Rising levels of stream degradation have motivated a boom in restoration projects across the globe. However, post-restoration monitoring is still frequently lacking and does not always incorporate biotic responses to changes in the physical template. Beaver mimicry structures (BMS) are becoming a popular tool to restore degraded streams throughout the American West, but relatively little is known about how these installations influence both biotic and abiotic factors, with consequences for ecosystem functioning. We monitored basal resources, organic and inorganic material standing stocks, and macroinvertebrate density, biomass, and production to quantify functional responses to BMS installation. We compared conditions at BMS sites to naturally occurring beaver dam and reference riffle sites in a low-gradient stream in southwest Montana, USA. Thermal ranges were contracted, and daily maximum temperatures were higher, in the BMS treatment compared to the reference riffle treatment. Fine s...随着河流退化程度日益严峻，全球范围内的河流修复项目迎来爆发式增长。然而，修复后的监测工作仍普遍缺失，且往往未充分纳入生物对物理生境变化的响应。海狸模拟结构（Beaver mimicry structures, BMS）正逐渐成为美国西部各地修复退化河流的热门手段，但目前对这类设施如何影响生物与非生物因子，及其对生态系统功能的影响仍知之甚少。本研究通过监测基础资源、有机与无机物质现存量，以及大型底栖无脊椎动物的密度、生物量与生产量，量化了BMS布设带来的功能响应。我们在美国蒙大拿州西南部的一条低坡度溪流中，将BMS布设点位、天然海狸坝点位与参照急流浅滩点位的环境条件进行了对比。与参照急流浅滩组相比，BMS组的水温波动范围收窄，日最高水温更高。Fine s...