2.1 Climate Change and Water Scarcity: from a Global Scale to Particular Aspects in Mediterranean Region (Portugal)
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ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING OF TEMPORARY RIVERS Joana Isabel Caeiro Condeço Rosado Tese apresentada à Universidade de Évora para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Biologia ORIENTADORES: Maria Manuela Morais Klement Tockner ÉVORA, NOVEMBRO DE 2012 INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGAÇÃO E FORMAÇÃO AVANÇADA ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING OF TEMPORARY RIVERS Joana Isabel Caeiro Condeço Rosado Tese apresentada à Universidade de Évora para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Biologia ORIENTADORES: Maria Manuela Morais Klement Tockner ÉVORA, NOVEMBRO DE 2012 INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGAÇÃO E FORMAÇÃO AVANÇADA The research presented in this thesis was carried out in the Laboratório da Água - Universidade de Évora, in the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science (Eawag), Switzerland and in the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGC), Germany. This research was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, POPH (Programa Operacional Potencial Humano, QREN), PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/18359/2004/41ZX. All photographs by J. Rosado, except when indicated. This thesis should be cited as: Rosado, J. (2012). Ecosystem functioning of temporary rivers. Ph.D. Thesis, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal. Acknowledgements / Agradecimentos This research work does not reflect the effort of a single person but rather the combination of several contributions and so, it is my will to express the recognition and sincere gratitude to all those involved in my work throughout the years. The thesis was indeed a teamwork! First and foremost, I want to thank my two supervisors, Prof. Maria Manuela Morais and Prof. Klement Tockner for all their support and guidance, and to whom I am deeply grateful for foster my interest in aquatic ecology. I have to thank both of them for all the supporting that started in the very beginning, when the thesis was a single proposal, until the so desirable end, and all the adjoin distress. They addressed creative ideas to my working process and kept me going, even when difficult situations came into my way. To Prof. Manuela I recognize her hard work, confidence, encouragement and friendship during the last years. Despite all constrains, she provided me all the resources needed to carry out the fieldwork, as well as samples processing and laboratory analysis. I still remember with mood all the problems that we had to deal with customs authorities just to get the emergence traps, offered by Prof. Klement, from the airport, and all the chocolates raisins that she remembered bringing to make my fieldwork during weekends sweeter. To Prof. Klement thanks for kindly receiving me at EAWAG (Switzerland) and IGB (Berlin) and for his promptness in responding to my solicitations, despite being so far away. He provided me full support since the beginning, not only in practical terms (i.e., fieldwork material, literature) but also in providing me new life experiences and open my mind to different life perspectives. I am also very grateful to Klement’s wife, Barbara and their lovely daughters, for their pleasant welcome and great meals. I really enjoyed our amusing dinners and very enlightening talks. Those relaxing moments will remain in my memory! I am very grateful to my colleagues of the Laboratório da Água and, in particular to Maria Helena, António, Helena, Ana, Anabela, Pedro, Elsa and Margarida. To all of you thank for your generous support and friendship! Despite all the difficulties, you kept supporting me in the fieldwork, laboratory analysis and during the entire thesis working process. I am also very grateful to my colleagues from Eawag, particularly Simone Langhans, Ana Ostojić, Michael Doering and Simone Blaser for the work collaboration in Switzerland and Italy. Special thanks to Claudio Cruciat and Ombretta Mingolo for the basic life support in River Tagliamento and the amazing pizzas! I cannot forget all the practical help given by my good friend and colleague Maria Helena for reading this thesis and for her priceless corrections and advices especially during the last two years; António for the figures preparation and all the graphic design of the thesis; João Matos for the help in the fieldwork, Maria da Luz, Sérgio and Joel for all the unreserved friendship and for keeping me believing! Special thanks to my very best friend, cousin and colleague i Helena, for the extra journey to the River Tagliamento, utter friendship and for taking care of my furry roommate during my absences. It would have been impossible without all their help and faith in me! I am also very thankful to my mother for all the encouragement, patience, and unconditional love during all these years. “To all my family and friends, for all the time I didn’t spend with them…” (M.H. Novais) I cannot imagine going through this thesis without your constant support, love and understanding. Obrigada a todos! I dedicate this thesis to my wonderful little stars, aunt Quina and grandmother Jacinta who passed away this year. ii Funcionamento de ecossistemas de rios temporários Resumo O presente estudo abrange questões relevantes sobre o funcionamento de rios temporários. São abordados diferentes tópicos tais como a problemática da escassez de água particularmente na bacia Mediterrânica, a biodiversidade aquática e ripícola, a dinâmica de nutrientes e fatores fundamentais para a gestão e conservação de rios temporários Mediterrânicos. O principal objetivo é estudar alguns dos processos que ocorrem ao nível da bacia de drenagem e galeria ripícola associada, fazendo sempre a ligação dos resultados obtidos com a importância de uma correta gestão da bacia hidrográfica. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram uma necessidade urgente de implementação de estratégias de gestão adequadas ao nível das bacias hidrográficas de forma a reduzir a vulnerabilidade dos rios temporários. A tese pretende acima de tudo adicionar informação sobre rios temporários dada a sua importante representatividade a nível mundial. Palavras-chave: rios temporários, disponibilidade de água, biodiversidade de água doce, dinâmica de nutrientes, gestão e conservação de bacias hidrográficas Número de palavras: 133 iii Ecosystem functioning of temporary rivers Abstract This research intended to address some relevant issues concerning the functioning of temporary rivers. It will be approached different topics such as water scarcity particularly in the Mediterranean basin, aquatic and riparian biodiversity, nutrients dynamics and key factors in the management and conservation of temporary Mediterranean streams. The main aim is to study some of the processes that occur within the river basin and subjacent riparian gallery, always linking the obtained data with the importance of a correct river basin management. The results showed an urgent need to implement suitable management strategies at river basin level to reduce the vulnerability of temporary rivers. This thesis intends most of all to increase the knowledge on temporary rivers given their important worldwide representativity. Key words: temporary rivers, water availability, freshwater biodiversity, nutrient dynamics, management and conservation of river basins Word Count: 121 words iv Contents Acknowledgements / Agradecimentos....................................................................... i Resumo...................................................................................................................... iii Abstract ..................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ........................................................................................................... vi List of Tables .............................................................................................................. x 1 General introduction................................................................................................ 1 2 Main problems concerning water scarcity in the mediterranean regions ........... 15 2.1 Climate change and water scarcity: from a global scale to particular aspects in Mediterranean region (Portugal) ................................................................................. 17 2.2 Strategies for the management of water scarcity in semiarid and mediterranean climate regions (Estratégias de gestão da água em situação de escassez: regiões semiáridas e mediterrâneas) ...................................................................................... 27 3 The importance of temporary streams biodiversity ............................................. 47 3.1 Some dipterans from Portugal captured by emergency traps (Insecta, Diptera) (Algunos dípteros de Portugal capturados mediante trampas de emergencia (Insecta, Diptera)) ..................................................................................................................... 49 4 Effects of first flood event in dry riverbed ............................................................ 61 4.1 Mass dispersal of terrestrial organisms during first flush events in a temporary stream ........................................................................................................................ 63 5 The seasonal inundation dynamics on ecosystem functioning .......................... 77 5.1 Release of nutrients and organic matter from river floodplain habitats: simulating seasonal inundation dynamics .................................................................................... 79 5.2 The effect of different nutrient sources and first flood event on system functioning in