Streams in Mediterranean Climate Regions: Abiotic Influences and Biotic Responses to Predictable Seasonal Events

@article{Gasith1999StreamsIM,
  title={Streams in Mediterranean Climate Regions: Abiotic Influences and Biotic Responses to Predictable Seasonal Events},
  author={Avital Gasith and Vincent H. Resh},
  journal={Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics},
  year={1999},
  volume={30},
  pages={51-81}
}
  • A. GasithV. Resh
  • Published 1 November 1999
  • Environmental Science, Geography
  • Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics
▪ Abstract Streams in mediterranean-climate regions (areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, parts of western North America, parts of west and south Australia, southwestern South Africa and parts of central Chile) are physically, chemically, and biologically shaped by sequential, predictable, seasonal events of flooding and drying over an annual cycle. Correspondingly, aquatic communities undergo a yearly cycle whereby abiotic (environmental) controls that dominate during floods are reduced… 

High variability is a defining component of mediterranean-climate rivers and their biota

Variability in flow as a result of seasonal precipitation patterns is a defining element of streams and rivers in Mediterranean-climate regions of the world and strongly influences the biota of these

Mediterranean-climate streams and rivers: geographically separated but ecologically comparable freshwater systems

Streams and rivers in mediterranean-climate regions (med-rivers in med-regions) are ecologically unique, with flow regimes reflecting precipitation patterns. Although timing of drying and flooding is

The influence of land use and Mediterranean seasonality on California stream fishes

Freshwaters ecosystems support extraordinary biodiversity relative to their extent and provide important societal benefits. As such, freshwater environments and biota are often heavily impacted by

Flow intermittence in river networks: understanding the ecohydrological diversity of aquatic–terrestrial ecosystems

Temporary streams comprise dynamic mosaics of lotic, lentic and terrestrial habitats and dominate global river networks, occurring across regions with contrasting climate types. Recent advances in

Riparian vegetation responses to altered flow regimes driven by climate change in Mediterranean rivers

Mediterranean regions are characterized by a large intra‐annual and inter‐annual variability in rainfall and associated hydrological regime patterns. Predictions of changes in climate indicate that

Taxonomic and biological trait differences of stream macroinvertebrate communities between mediterranean and temperate regions: implications for future climatic scenarios

Streams in mediterranean regions have highly seasonal discharge patterns, with predictable torrential floods and severe droughts. In contrast, discharge is less variable in temperate regions and

Effects of multi‐year droughts on fish assemblages of seasonally drying Mediterranean streams

Results supported the view that present-day droughts cause relatively small and transient changes to Mediterranean stream fish assemblages, however, longer and more severe droughting expected under altered future climates, may result in declines or local extinctions of the most sensitive species and their potential replacement by more resistant species.

Reciprocal fluxes of stream and riparian invertebrates in a coastal California basin with Mediterranean climate

Stream and riparian food webs are connected by reciprocal fluxes of invertebrates, and a growing number of studies demonstrate strong effects of these subsidies on consumers and food webs in both
...

Structure and Functional Response of Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Climate of Australia

The mediterranean-type climate of Australia, with wet winter periods alternating with dry summer periods, is confined to the south-west corner of Western Australia, the southern portion of South

Distribution and Peculiarity of Mediterranean Ecosystems

The lands of mediterranean scrub or chaparral climate and the ecosystems that have developed in them must be defined in climatic terms. If we attempt to focus on the characteristic core of a

Hydrologic and trophic controls of seasonal algal blooms in northern California rivers

This hypothesis predicts that pronounced algal bloomdetachment-senescence cycles will occur in unregulated rivers in Mediterranean climates following winter flooding, and that blooms will not occur in the absence of flooding in regulated channels, or in natural rivers during prolonged drought.

Ecosystem Expansion and Contraction in Streams Desert streams vary in both space and time and fluctuate dramatically in size

St re<l ms are hydrologically diverse and dynamic ecosystems. Flow may vary between extremes, from high-discharge floods to periods when surface water is absent. Although much is known about the role

Spatial and temporal variation in the macroinvertebrate fauna of streams of the northern jarrah forest, Western Australia: community structure

Highest stream discharge occurs during winter (June-November) reducing to negligible flow over late summer and autumn (January-May). Low flows in summer were associated with warm water, lower

The Role of Disturbance in Stream Ecology

We define disturbance in stream ecosystems to be: any relatively discrete event in time that is characterized by a frequency, intensity, and severity outside a predictable range, and that disrupts

Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems: Opportunities and Constraints for Studying the Function of Biodiversity

The Mediterranean Basin has played a prominent role in humanity’s biological and cultural evolution. From archaeological sites scattered throughout the region, and from the rich written records of

Mediterranean Type Ecosystems

The fossil record indicates that species similar to most woody plants that now make up the sclerophyllous mixed evergreen forest, oak woodland-savanna, and chaparral vegetation of California were in

High Variability in Temporal and Spatial Nutrient Retention in Mediterranean Streams

Nutrient retention studies were conducted in two second-order streams located north of Barcelona (Spain) that differed in watershed lithology, soil type, and vegetation. La Solana drains a calcareous

Year-to-Year Variation in the Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Fauna of a Northern California Stream

The benthic macroinvertebrate community of a third-order coastal stream in northern California was examined in mid May and late August over a 7-yr period in which there was substantial year-to-year variability in precipitation and, consequently, stream discharge.
...