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Ecohydrological interfaces as hot spots of ecosystem processes
Citation
Krause, S and Lewandowski, J and Grimm, NB and Hannah, DM and Pinay, G and McDonald, K and Marti, E and Argerich, A and Pfister, L and Klaus, J and Battin, T and Lamed, ST and Schelker, J and Fleckenstein, J and Schmidt, C and Rivett, MO and Watts, G and Sabater, F and Sorolla, A and Turk, V, Ecohydrological interfaces as hot spots of ecosystem processes, Water Resources Research, 53 pp. 6359-6376. ISSN 0043-1397 (2017) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
© 2017. American Geophysical Union
Abstract
The movement of water, matter, organisms, and energy can be altered substantially at ecohydrological
interfaces, the dynamic transition zones that often develop within ecotones or boundaries between
adjacent ecosystems. Interdisciplinary research over the last two decades has indicated that ecohydrological
interfaces are often ‘‘hot spots’’ of ecological, biogeochemical, and hydrological processes and may provide
refuge for biota during extreme events. Ecohydrological interfaces can have significant impact on global
hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, biodiversity, pollutant removal, and ecosystem resilience to disturbance.
The organizational principles (i.e., the drivers and controls) of spatially and temporally variable processes
at ecohydrological interfaces are poorly understood and require the integrated analysis of hydrological,
biogeochemical, and ecological processes. Our rudimentary understanding of the interactions between different
drivers and controls critically limits our ability to predict complex system responses to change. In this
paper, we explore similarities and contrasts in the functioning of diverse freshwater ecohydrological interfaces
across spatial and temporal scales. We use this comparison to develop an integrated, interdisciplinary framework,
including a roadmap for analyzing ecohydrological processes and their interactions in ecosystems. We
argue that, in order to fully account for their nonlinear process dynamics, ecohydrological interfaces need to
be conceptualized as unique, spatially and temporally dynamic entities, which represents a step change from
their current representation as boundary conditions at investigated ecosystems.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | biogeochemistry, hydrology |
| Research Division: | Earth Sciences |
| Research Group: | Hydrology |
| Research Field: | Ecohydrology |
| Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
| Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
| Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences |
| UTAS Author: | McDonald, K (Ms Karlie McDonald) |
| ID Code: | 154685 |
| Year Published: | 2017 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 106 |
| Deposited By: | Sustainable Marine Research Collaboration |
| Deposited On: | 2022-12-21 |
| Last Modified: | 2023-01-12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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