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Download fileInvertebrate zoogeomorphology: A review and conceptual framework for rivers
journal contribution
posted on 2021-07-12, 12:48 authored by Richard Mason, Harry SandersInvertebrates are important sediment engineers, making up for their small body
size with abundance and behavioral diversity. However, despite the recognized
importance of invertebrates as sediment engineers in terrestrial and marine
environments, zoogeomorphology in rivers has primarily considered larger taxa,
such as fish and beaver. This article reviews the zoogeomorphic effects of invertebrates in freshwater habitats, with a focus on rivers. To better synthesize current zoogeomorphic research and to help guide future studies we build a
conceptual model considering biotic (behavior, abundance, body size, life history, and species invasions) and abiotic (geophysical energy and sediment grain
size) controls on the direction and magnitude of zoogeomorphology. We also
incorporate invertebrate engineers into conceptual sediment entrainment
models, to understand their geomorphic role in the context of hydraulic power
and sediment size. We structure our review around invertebrate behavior as a
key control on whether invertebrates have a sediment destabilizing or stabilizing
impact. Invertebrate zoogeomorphic behavior are diverse; the majority of
research concerns bioturbation, a result of locomotion, foraging, and burrowing
behaviors by many taxa. Similarly, burrowing into bedrock by a caddisfly and
non-biting midge larvae promotes bioerosion. Attachment to the substrate,
(e.g., silk nets by caddisfly larvae or byssal threads by some mussels) can stabilize sediment, providing bioprotection. Bioconstructions (e.g., caddisfly cases and
mussel shells) may have either stabilizing or destabilizing effects depending on
their density and abiotic context. Interactions between lotic invertebrates and
fluvial processes are complex and understudied, requiring further research
across a greater range of taxa, behaviors, and spatiotemporal scales.
Funding
Loughborough University PhD scholarship
History
School
- Social Sciences and Humanities
Department
- Geography and Environment
Published in
WIREs WaterVolume
8Issue
5Publisher
WileyVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Rights holder
© The authorsPublisher statement
This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Wiley under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Acceptance date
2021-05-09Publication date
2021-06-25Copyright date
2021ISSN
2049-1948Publisher version
Language
- en