The effects of water chemistry and lock-mediated connectivity on macroinvertebrate diversity and community structure in
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The effects of water chemistry and lock-mediated connectivity on macroinvertebrate diversity and community structure in a canal in northern England Jack R. Walker 1
&
Christopher Hassall 1
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Freshwater ecosystems are under threat from habitat loss, partly due to urban expansion. However, some elements of urban freshwaters are already integral parts of the urban landscape and so are more resilient to loss, representing opportunities for the enhancement of freshwater resources within cities. This study investigated the biodiversity value of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal in Leeds, UK, in relation to its landscape context. Specifically, we tested the hypotheses that (i) biodiversity value is lowest nearest to the urban core, and (ii) the pattern of canal locks structured ecological communities. Nutrients, metals and dissolved carbon all existed at relatively low concentrations, contrary to what is often seen in urban water bodies, although concentrations were higher in the urban core. This gradient of chemical stress was associated with a decline in macroinvertebrate diversity towards the city centre, which manifested as pollution-sensitive taxa being excluded from this area. Community structures were found to vary between groups of sampling sites separated by locks, suggesting that locks may act as barriers for aquatic invertebrates by restricting dispersal. The results in this study indicate that canals in urban areas can be high-quality habitats, despite the associated anthropogenic stressors, and locks may represent a unique model for researching relationships between connectivity and community structure. Keywords Canal . Macroinvertebrate . Pollution . Connectivity . Biodiversity . Community structure
Introduction Anthropogenic activities are continuing to alter the environment, resulting in the loss of biodiversity and changes in the structure and functionality of natural ecosystems. Anthropogenic stressors include habitat loss, pollution, the introduction of invasive species and the over-exploitation of natural resources, among others (Sala et al. 2000). These changes are a substantial threat to the ecosystem services necessary for human society, such as food and water production, carbon storage, climate regulation and nutrient cycling (Hooper et al. 2005). Urbanisation is one of the primary causes of habitat loss and is a major threat to Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-020-01053-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Jack R. Walker [email protected] 1
School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
biodiversity as it impairs ecosystems more severely than conversion to other types of land use (McKinney 2006). Urbanisation leads to habitat fragmentation (York et al. 2011), improves the fitness of invasive species (McKinney 2006) and impairs gene flow by restricting th
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