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RECOVERY OF LOTIC COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS FOLLOWING DISTURBANCE: THEORY AND APPLICATION
Citation:
Yount, J. AND G. Niemi. RECOVERY OF LOTIC COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS FOLLOWING DISTURBANCE: THEORY AND APPLICATION. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-90/316 (NTIS PB91146704), 1990.
Description:
We present a narrative account of case studies of the recovery of flowing water systems from disturbance, focusing on the investigators' conclusions about recovery rime and the factors contributing to recovery. e restrict our attention to case studies in which the recovery of some biological property of the system has been examined, excluding those that deal with physical or chemical properties. lthough natural processes and rates of recovery are emphasized, studies of reclamation or restoration of damaged ecosystems are included where they contribute to an understanding of recovery processes. or the majority of studies examined, the systems recovered quite rapidly. he most commonly cited reasons for short recovery times were: 1) life history characteristics that allowed rapid recolonization and repopulation of the affected areas, (2) the availability and accessibility of unaffected upstream and downstream areas ans internal refugia to serve as sources of organisms for repopulation, (3) the high flushing rates of lotic systems that allowed them to quickly dilute or replace polluted waters and (4) the fact that lotic systems are naturally subjected to a variety of disturbances and the biota have evolved life history characteristics that favor flexibility or adaptability. n general, longer recovery times were observed in disturbances, such as characterization, that resulted in alterations to physical conditions. his reviews also indicates that much of our knowledge of recovery in lotic ecosystems is fragmented and uncoordinated. n addition to establishing the bounds of recovery time, our review identifies some research gaps that need to be filled.