The researchers of the Functional Algology Research Group, operating at the Tisza Research Department of the Institute of Aquatic Ecology of the ELKH Centre for Ecological Research (CER), in collaboration with experts from the Department of Environment, Nature Protection and Waste Management of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Government Office, investigated whether one-off drought events and trend-like precipitation decrease result in similar changes in the composition of diatom assemblages of the Rába River, one of the largest rivers in Hungary. The results clearly highlighted that the continuous decrease in annual precipitation has a much more significant impact on the composition and biodiversity than a single dry year. The paper presenting the research was published in the prestigious scientific journal Ecological Indicators.
Weather extremes and the impact of drought are immediately noticeable, for example, in agricultural areas or forests, and although perhaps less perceptible, they also have significant consequences for the ecosystems of rivers.
The researchers of the Functional Algology Research Group, operating at the Tisza Research Department of the Institute of Aquatic Ecology of the ELKH Centre for Ecological Research (CER), in collaboration with experts from the Department of Environment, Nature Protection and Waste Management of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Government Office, investigated the long-term changes in the composition of the benthic diatom assemblage of the Rába River.
The Rába is the third largest river in Hungary and the most important domestic tributary of the Danube. Over the past five years, environmental protection experts have observed a significant decrease in precipitation within its catchment area. They applied to CER researchers with the observation that the trend-like, continuous decrease in precipitation likely affects the composition of the benthic diatom assemblages.
During the joint work, they sought to find the answer to whether one-off drought events and trend-like precipitation decrease result in similar changes in the composition of the river’s benthic diatom assemblages. It has been shown in other ecosystems that the resilience of the assemblages can vary depending on whether drought occurs regularly, for extended periods, or only intermittently.
Maintaining the good condition of our rivers and reducing harmful effects, such as nutrient load, are important societal interests. The legal framework for this is determined by the EU Water Framework Directive, which Hungary also follows. In order to characterize and monitor the ecological status of our surface watercourses, experts regularly monitor the river ecosystems, in which benthic diatoms play a key role. These tiny organisms have a significant function in the food web and primary production.
Although microscopic in size, the biofilm they create is visible to the naked eye and can be felt, for example, on the steps of beaches, on rocks, and on shoreline and aquatic plants. Perhaps few people are aware of the wonders hidden within this film. When magnified, it reveals a micro-world resembling a small forest, where, similar to the ground level of a forest, there are species adhering on the surface, often very small, as well as prominent, branching species that resemble trees. Just as forests, the biofilm is also shaped by the environment. The number of species and individuals present, as well as the species with specific characteristics that can occur in a given biofilm, greatly depend on the influences affecting the water. Besides nutrient load, other threatening factors such as the increase in pharmaceutical residues, rising water temperature, changes in water residence time, drastic decrease in water level and flow, or the receding of flash floods significantly influence the composition of this tiny forest. Ultimately, this will also have an impact on higher taxonomic groups, such as aquatic invertebrates and fish,” said Viktória B-Béres, one of the lead authors of the study.
In order to understand these processes, the analysis and evaluation of long-term datasets are of paramount importance. For the investigation, the authors of the study utilized datasets available for the Rába River, covering a period of fifteen years. The period from 2007 to 2021 was divided into two groups based on annual precipitation. Between 2007 and 2016, fluctuating years of both drier and wetter conditions alternated, while from 2017 onwards, consistently decreasing annual precipitation was characteristic.
“Our results showed that one-off dry events had little influence on the composition and biological diversity of benthic diatom assemblages. In contrast, continuously decreasing precipitation ‒ dry periods ‒ significantly reduced species-level and functional diversities, the latter based on individual characteristics. Using the previous analogy, it was as if our tiny forest transformed into a barren landscape. Small-sized species that strongly adhere to the substrate, such as Amphora pediculus and Reimeria sinuata, became dominant, while the proportion of larger tree-like species decreased significantly. This is problematic because this type of algae plays an important role in the river’s food web as a food source for snails and macroinvertebrates. Therefore, their absence or decline in population size can have detrimental effects on the larger organisms inhabiting the river,” added Viktória B-Béres.
In a recently published study, researchers analyzed for the first time the differences in the effects between one-off dry weather events and trend-like changes in precipitation on the benthic diatom assemblages of a large river. The results clearly highlighted that the continuous decrease in annual precipitation has a much more significant impact on the composition and biodiversity than a single dry year. Climate scenarios project extreme water balance conditions in the near future, including longer periods of low precipitation. Therefore, any knowledge that can predict changes in the microscopic river ecosystems can assist in the development of action plans by authorities to preserve the functional and structural characteristics of riverine ecosystems, and thus maintain the ecosystem services provided by benthic algal assemblages. The study indirectly draws attention to the vulnerability of even large, perennial riverine ecosystems during dry periods, emphasizing the importance of responsible water management. The researchers are asking the public to report any incidents of extraordinary water pollution, untreated wastewater discharge, shoreline littering, or large amounts of mussel or fish carcasses to the environmental protection departments of e.g. the Győr-Moson-Sopron County or Hajdú-Bihar County Government Offices.
Photo: Sampling from the Rába River
Publication:
Zsuzsanna Nemes-Kókai, Krisztián Kovács, Gábor Borics, Rezső Mayer, Zoltán Novák, Ákos Gábor Robotka, Júlia József, Károly Érczes, Áron Lukács, Viktória B-Béres (2023). Continuous precipitation loss induced more pronounced compositional and diversity changes in the lotic phytobenthos than one-off drought events. Ecological Indicators, Volume 148, 2023. 110051, ISSN 1470-160X. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110051.