Reconceptualizing the hyporheic zone for nonperennial rivers and streams.
Amanda G DelVecchia, Margaret Shanafield, Margaret A Zimmer, Michelle H Busch, Corey A Krabbenhoft, Rachel Stubbington, Kendra E Kaiser, Ryan M Burrows, Jake Hosen, Thibault Datry, Stephanie K Kampf, Samuel C Zipper, Ken Fritz, Katie Costigan, Daniel C Allen
Author Information
Amanda G DelVecchia: Department of Biology, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27708 USA.
Margaret Shanafield: College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Ring Road, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042 Australia.
Margaret A Zimmer: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1156 High Street, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064 USA.
Michelle H Busch: Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, Oklahoma 73019 USA.
Corey A Krabbenhoft: Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, St Paul, Minnesota 55108 USA.
Rachel Stubbington: School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Campus, Clifton Lane, Nottingham NG11 8NS United Kingdom.
Kendra E Kaiser: Geosciences Department, Boise State University, 1295 University Drive, Boise, Idaho 83725 USA.
Ryan M Burrows: School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Burnley, Victoria 3121 Australia.
Jake Hosen: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 195 Marsteller Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 USA.
Thibault Datry: French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, UR-RiverLy, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, Centre Lyon-Grenoble Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 5 rue de la Doua CS70077, 69626 Villeurbanne CEDEX France.
Stephanie K Kampf: Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, 1476 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521 USA.
Samuel C Zipper: Kansas Geological Survey, 1930 Constant Avenue, Lawrence, Kansas 66047 USA.
Ken Fritz: Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Mailstop 585, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 USA.
Katie Costigan: School of Geosciences, University of Louisiana, 611 McKinley Street, Hamilton Hall 323, P.O. Box 43717, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504USA.
Daniel C Allen: Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, 311 Forestry Resources Building, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 USA.
Nonperennial streams dominate global river networks and are increasing in occurrence across space and time. When surface flow ceases or the surface water dries, flow or moisture can be retained in the subsurface sediments of the hyporheic zone, supporting aquatic communities and ecosystem processes. However, hydrological and ecological definitions of the hyporheic zone have been developed in perennial rivers and emphasize the mixing of water and organisms, respectively, from both the surface stream and groundwater. The adaptation of such definitions to include both humid and dry unsaturated conditions could promote characterization of how hydrological and biogeochemical variability shape ecological communities within nonperennial hyporheic zones, advancing our understanding of both ecosystem structure and function in these habitats. To conceptualize hyporheic zones for nonperennial streams, we review how water sources and surface and subsurface structure influence hydrological and physicochemical conditions. We consider the extent of this zone and how biogeochemistry and ecology might vary with surface states. We then link these components to the composition of nonperennial stream communities. Next, we examine literature to identify priorities for hydrological and ecological research exploring nonperennial hyporheic zones. Lastly, by integrating hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecology, we recommend a multidisciplinary conceptualization of the nonperennial hyporheic zone as the porous subsurface streambed sediments that shift between lotic, lentic, humid, and dry conditions in space and time to support aquatic-terrestrial biodiversity. As river drying increases in extent because of global change, we call for holistic, interdisciplinary research across the terrestrial and aquatic sciences to apply this conceptualization to characterize hyporheic zone structure and function across the full spectrum of hydrological states.
