Abstract. River restoration is essential as a means to enhance river dynamics, environmental heterogeneity and biodiversity. The underlying processes governing the dynamic changes need to be understood thoroughly to ensure that restoration projects meet their goals. In particular, we need to understand quantitatively how hydromorphological variability relates to ecosystem functioning and services, biodiversity and (ground)water quality in restored river corridors. Here, we provide a short overview on the literature and present a study of a restored river corridor in Switzerland combining physical, chemical, and biological observations with modeling. The results show complex spatial patterns of bank infiltration, habitat-type, biotic communities and biogeochemical processes. In particular, we found an increase in taxonomic and functional diversity for earthworms, testate amoebae and bacteria in the restored part of the river. This complexity is driven by river hydrology and morphodynamics, which are in turn actively coupled to riparian vegetation processes. Given this complexity and the multiple constraints on the uses and management of floodplains, a multi-disciplinary approach is needed to monitor the success of restoration measures and to make recommendations for future restoration projects.

Restoration Ecology

Biogeochemical Cycle

River ecosystem

10.5194/hessd-10-10913-2013

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Citations (6)

Methanotrophic microbial communities associated with bubble plumes above gas seeps in the Black Sea

Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems (2006)

Carsten J. Schubert Edith Durisch‐Kaiser C.P. Holzner Lucia Klauser Bernhard Wehrli

Bubbles evolving from active gas seeps can be traced by hydroacoustic imaging up to 1000 m high in the Black Sea water column. Although methane concentrations are not distinguishable between the water column above the deep seep and reference sites, atmospheric noble gas measurements clearly show the constant input of gases (mainly methane) via seepage into the Black Sea. Archaea (ANME‐1, ANME‐2) and methanotrophic bacteria detected with specific 16S rRNA‐targeted oligonucleotide probes are related to active gas seeps in the oxic and anoxic water column. It is suggested that methane seeps have a much greater influence on the Black Sea methane budget than previously acknowledged and that ANME‐1 and ANME‐2 are injected via gas bubbles from the sediment into the anoxic water column mediating methane oxidation. Our results show further that only minor amounts of methane evolving from Black Sea gas seeps reach the atmosphere due to the very effective microbial barrier. Hence only major thermodynamically and/or tectonically triggered gas hydrate dissociation has the potential to induce rapid climate changes as suggested by the “clathrate gun hypothesis.”

Clathrate hydrate

Petroleum seep

Chemocline

10.1029/2005gc001049

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Citations (40)

Methane production, oxidation, and emission from the water column of lake Rotsee, Switzerland

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) (2008)

Cj Schubert F. Lucas Edith Durisch‐Kaiser Torsten Diem B. G. MUELLER

Source

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