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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Restoring dissolved organic carbon subsidies from floodplains to lowland river food webs: a role for environmental flows?

Darren S. Baldwin A B H , Matthew J. Colloff B , Simon M. Mitrovic C D , Nick R. Bond E G and Ben Wolfenden F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A The Murray–Darling Freshwater Research Centre, LaTrobe University, PO Box 821, Wodonga, Vic. 3689, Australia.

B CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

C Applied Ecology Team, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.

D New South Wales Department of Primary Industries: Water, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Private Bag 4008, Narellan, NSW 2567, Australia.

E Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Qld 4111, Australia.

F Institute of Land Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia.

G Present address: Murray–Darling Freshwater Research Centre, La Trobe University, PO Box 821, Wodonga, Vic. 3689, Australia.

H Corresponding author. Email: darren.baldwin@csiro.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 67(9) 1387-1399 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF15382
Submitted: 7 October 2015  Accepted: 28 January 2016   Published: 12 April 2016

Abstract

Environmental flows are managed events in river systems designed to enhance the ecological condition of aquatic ecosystems. Although not traditionally seen as important in lowland rivers, there is mounting evidence that terrestrial subsidies can be an important energy source in aquatic metazoan food webs. We argue that the apparent lack of importance of terrestrial subsidies to many lowland river food webs may reflect an artefact resulting from historical anthropogenic changes to lowland river–floodplain ecosystems, including the loss of lateral connectivity between rivers and their floodplains, changes in floodplain land use and carbon stores, and loss of sites of transformation within the main channel. The loss of floodplain subsidies to the main river channel can be partially redressed using environmental flows; however, this will require mimicking important aspects of natural high-flow events that have hitherto been overlooked when targeting environmental flows to a limited suite of biota. We suggest that key biotic targets for environmental flow releases may not be achievable unless river–floodplain subsidies are sufficiently restored. Environmental flows can go some way to addressing this shortfall, but only if floodplain subsidies to river channels are explicitly included in the design and management of environmental flows.

Additional keywords: bioenergetics modelling, C, levee, Murray–Darling Basin.


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