Simulating rewetting events in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams: A global analysis of leached nutrients and organic matter.
Oleksandra Shumilova, Dominik Zak, Thibault Datry, Daniel von Schiller, Roland Corti, Arnaud Foulquier, Biel Obrador, Klement Tockner, Daniel C Allan, Florian Altermatt, María Isabel Arce, Shai Arnon, Damien Banas, Andy Banegas-Medina, Erin Beller, Melanie L Blanchette, Juan F Blanco-Libreros, Joanna Blessing, Iola Gonçalves Boëchat, Kate Boersma, Michael T Bogan, Núria Bonada, Nick R Bond, Kate Brintrup, Andreas Bruder, Ryan Burrows, Tommaso Cancellario, Stephanie M Carlson, Sophie Cauvy-Fraunié, Núria Cid, Michael Danger, Bianca de Freitas Terra, Anna Maria De Girolamo, Ruben Del Campo, Fiona Dyer, Arturo Elosegi, Emile Faye, Catherine Febria, Ricardo Figueroa, Brian Four, Mark O Gessner, Pierre Gnohossou, Rosa Gómez Cerezo, Lluís Gomez-Gener, Manuel A S Graça, Simone Guareschi, Björn Gücker, Jason L Hwan, Skhumbuzo Kubheka, Simone Daniela Langhans, Catherine Leigh, Chelsea J Little, Stefan Lorenz, Jonathan Marshall, Angus McIntosh, Clara Mendoza-Lera, Elisabeth Irmgard Meyer, Marko Miliša, Musa C Mlambo, Marcos Moleón, Peter Negus, Dev Niyogi, Athina Papatheodoulou, Isabel Pardo, Petr Paril, Vladimir Pešić, Pablo Rodriguez-Lozano, Robert J Rolls, Maria Mar Sanchez-Montoya, Ana Savić, Alisha Steward, Rachel Stubbington, Amina Taleb, Ross Vander Vorste, Nathan Waltham, Annamaria Zoppini, Christiane Zarfl
Author Information
Oleksandra Shumilova: Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany. ORCID
Dominik Zak: Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin (FU), Berlin, Germany. ORCID
Thibault Datry: IRSTEA, UR RIVERLY, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, Villeurbanne Cedex, France. ORCID
Daniel von Schiller: Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain. ORCID
Roland Corti: IRSTEA, UR RIVERLY, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, Villeurbanne Cedex, France. ORCID
Arnaud Foulquier: Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine (LECA), UMR CNRS-UGA-USMB 5553, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France. ORCID
Biel Obrador: Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBIO), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. ORCID
Klement Tockner: Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany. ORCID
Daniel C Allan: Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma. ORCID
Florian Altermatt: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland. ORCID
María Isabel Arce: Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany. ORCID
Shai Arnon: Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel. ORCID
Damien Banas: Université de Lorraine - UR AFPA, Vandoeuvre-Les-Nancy, France.
Andy Banegas-Medina: Faculty of Environmental Science and EULA-Chile Center, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
Erin Beller: Department of Geography, University of California, Berkeley, California.
Melanie L Blanchette: Mine Water and Environment Research Centre (MiWER), School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia.
Juan F Blanco-Libreros: Instituto de Biología (ELICE-RESTORES), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. ORCID
Joanna Blessing: Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Qld, Australia. ORCID
Iola Gonçalves Boëchat: Department of Geosciences, Federal University of São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei, Brazil. ORCID
Kate Boersma: Department of Biology, University of San Diego, San Diego, California. ORCID
Michael T Bogan: School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
Núria Bonada: Grup de Recerca Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management (FEHM), Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. ORCID
Nick R Bond: Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems, La Trobe University, Wodonga, Vic., Australia. ORCID
Kate Brintrup: Faculty of Environmental Science and EULA-Chile Center, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
Andreas Bruder: Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland. ORCID
Ryan Burrows: Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld, Australia. ORCID
Tommaso Cancellario: Department of Environmental Biology, Biodiversity Data Analytics and Environmental Quality Group, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
Stephanie M Carlson: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California. ORCID
Sophie Cauvy-Fraunié: IRSTEA, UR RIVERLY, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, Villeurbanne Cedex, France. ORCID
Núria Cid: Grup de Recerca Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management (FEHM), Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Michael Danger: LIEC, Université de Lorraine, Metz, France. ORCID
Bianca de Freitas Terra: Centro de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, Universidade Estadual Vale do Acaraú, Sobral, Brazil. ORCID
Anna Maria De Girolamo: Water Research Institute - National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Montelibretti (Rome), Italy. ORCID
Ruben Del Campo: Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany. ORCID
Fiona Dyer: Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Bruce, Canberra ACT, Australia. ORCID
Arturo Elosegi: Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain. ORCID
Emile Faye: Centre International de Recherche en Agronomie pour le Développement, CIRAD, UPR HortSys, Montpellier, France.
Catherine Febria: School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. ORCID
Ricardo Figueroa: Faculty of Environmental Science and EULA-Chile Center, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
Brian Four: INRA, UAR 1275 DEPT EFPA, Centre de recherche de Nancy, Champenoux, France.
Mark O Gessner: Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany. ORCID
Pierre Gnohossou: Faculté d'Agronomie, Département d'Aménagement et de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles, Université de Parakou, Parakou, Benin.
Rosa Gómez Cerezo: Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Regional Campus of International Excellence 'Campus Mare Nostrum' - University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain. ORCID
Lluís Gomez-Gener: Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. ORCID
Manuel A S Graça: MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. ORCID
Simone Guareschi: Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Regional Campus of International Excellence 'Campus Mare Nostrum' - University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain. ORCID
Björn Gücker: Department of Geosciences, Federal University of São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei, Brazil. ORCID
Jason L Hwan: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California. ORCID
Skhumbuzo Kubheka: Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Simone Daniela Langhans: Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. ORCID
Catherine Leigh: Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld, Australia. ORCID
Chelsea J Little: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland. ORCID
Stefan Lorenz: Institute for Ecological Chemistry, Plant Analysis and Stored Product Protection, Julius-Kuehn-Institute, Berlin, Germany. ORCID
Jonathan Marshall: Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
Angus McIntosh: School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. ORCID
Clara Mendoza-Lera: IRSTEA, UR RIVERLY, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, Villeurbanne Cedex, France. ORCID
Elisabeth Irmgard Meyer: Department of Limnology, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Germany.
Marko Miliša: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Musa C Mlambo: Department of Freshwater Invertebrates, Albany Museum, Affiliated Research Institute of Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
Marcos Moleón: Department of Zoology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. ORCID
Peter Negus: Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Qld, Australia. ORCID
Dev Niyogi: Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Missouri. ORCID
Athina Papatheodoulou: Terra Cypria - The Cyprus Conservation Foundation, Limassol, Cyprus.
Isabel Pardo: Departamento de Ecología y Biología Animal, Universidad de Vigo, Vigo, Spain. ORCID
Petr Paril: Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. ORCID
Vladimir Pešić: Department of Biology, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
Pablo Rodriguez-Lozano: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California. ORCID
Robert J Rolls: School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia. ORCID
Maria Mar Sanchez-Montoya: Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Regional Campus of International Excellence 'Campus Mare Nostrum' - University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain. ORCID
Ana Savić: Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia.
Alisha Steward: Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
Rachel Stubbington: School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK. ORCID
Amina Taleb: Laboratoire d'Écologie et Gestion des Ecosystèmes Naturels (LECGEN), University of Tlemcen, Tlemcen, Algeria.
Ross Vander Vorste: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California. ORCID
Nathan Waltham: TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia. ORCID
Annamaria Zoppini: Water Research Institute - National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Montelibretti (Rome), Italy. ORCID
Christiane Zarfl: Center for Applied Geosciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. ORCID
Climate change and human pressures are changing the global distribution and the extent of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), which comprise half of the global river network area. IRES are characterized by periods of flow cessation, during which channel substrates accumulate and undergo physico-chemical changes (preconditioning), and periods of flow resumption, when these substrates are rewetted and release pulses of dissolved nutrients and organic matter (OM). However, there are no estimates of the amounts and quality of leached substances, nor is there information on the underlying environmental constraints operating at the global scale. We experimentally simulated, under standard laboratory conditions, rewetting of leaves, riverbed sediments, and epilithic biofilms collected during the dry phase across 205 IRES from five major climate zones. We determined the amounts and qualitative characteristics of the leached nutrients and OM, and estimated their areal fluxes from riverbeds. In addition, we evaluated the variance in leachate characteristics in relation to selected environmental variables and substrate characteristics. We found that sediments, due to their large quantities within riverbeds, contribute most to the overall flux of dissolved substances during rewetting events (56%-98%), and that flux rates distinctly differ among climate zones. Dissolved organic carbon, phenolics, and nitrate contributed most to the areal fluxes. The largest amounts of leached substances were found in the continental climate zone, coinciding with the lowest potential bioavailability of the leached OM. The opposite pattern was found in the arid zone. Environmental variables expected to be modified under climate change (i.e. potential evapotranspiration, aridity, dry period duration, land use) were correlated with the amount of leached substances, with the strongest relationship found for sediments. These results show that the role of IRES should be accounted for in global biogeochemical cycles, especially because prevalence of IRES will increase due to increasing severity of drying events.
