Small artificial impoundments have big implications for hydrology and freshwater biodiversity

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Morden, R
Horne, A
Bond, NR
Nathan, R
Olden, JD
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2022
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Abstract

Headwater streams are critical for freshwater ecosystems. Global and continental studies consistently show major dams as dominant sources of hydrological stress threatening biodiversity in the world’s major rivers, but cumulative impacts from small artificial impoundments (SAIs) concentrated in headwater streams have rarely been acknowledged. Using the Murray Darling River basin (Australia) and the Arkansas River basin (US) as case studies, we examined the hydrological impacts of SAIs. The extent of their influence is considerable, altering hydrology in 280–380% more waterways as compared to major dams. Hydrological impacts are concentrated in smaller streams (catchment area <100 km2), raising concerns that the often diverse and highly endemic biota found in these systems may be under threat. Adjusting existing biodiversity planning and management approaches to address the cumulative effects of many small and widely distributed artificial impoundments presents a rapidly emerging challenge for ecologically sustainable water management.

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Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

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20

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3

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© 2022 The Authors. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.

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Freshwater ecology

Environmentally sustainable engineering

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Morden, R; Horne, A; Bond, NR; Nathan, R; Olden, JD, Small artificial impoundments have big implications for hydrology and freshwater biodiversity, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2022, 20 (3), pp. 141-146

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