812387 Environmental impacts on riverine ecosystems I

Type
Seminar
Semester hours
3
Lecturer (assistant)
Kührer, Johannes , Borgwardt, Florian , Schmutz, Stefan , Bondar-Kunze, Elisabeth , Graf, Wolfram
Organisation
Offered in
Wintersemester 2024/25
Languages of instruction
Englisch
Content

Introduction of fish and inertebrate relevant impacts

- Continuum disruptions (longitudinal, lateral, habitat fragmentation, upstream & downstream migration)
- Impoundments (type and size, dam operation, loss of fluvial habitats, effects in different fish regions, temperate versus tropical rivers)
- Reservoir flushing (effects within reservoirs, downstream effects, turbidity, water quality, habitat alteration)
- Hydro-peaking (effects of magnitude, frequency, duration, effects on fish behaviour, stranding effects, differences in life stages, species, fish regions and climatic zones, case studies)
- Water abstraction (effects of magnitude, timing and reduced dynamics, response of life stages, fish species in different fish regions and climatic zones)
- Channelisation (effects of habitat alteration, loss of woody debris, different life stages, species in different fish regions and climatic zones)
- Water quality (incl. cooling water, acute and chronic effects)
- Other and combinded effects (interaction among pressures, land use, temporal and spatial issues)
Previous knowledge expected


Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

After successful completion of this module, participants are able to:
•Discuss concepts to assess riverine ecosystem degradation;
•Review methodological approaches to assess environmental and human impacts on riverine ecosystems;
•Understand the effects of climate change on aquatic biota in rivers;
•Apply methods for quantitative and qualitative data analyses including GIS analyses;
•Assess the effects of environmental impacts on fish and benthic invertebrates, as well as on ecosystem services;
•Present and defend own investigation results based on case studies.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.