Intermittent Rivers: A Challenge for Freshwater Ecology
Abstract
For many decades, river research has been focused on perennial rivers. Intermittent river research has a shorter history, and recent studies suggest that alternating dry and wet conditions alter virtually all biotic communities and biogeochemical processes in these rivers. Intermittent rivers constitute more than half of the length of the global river network and are increasing in number and length in response to climate change, land-use alteration, and water abstraction. Our views of the roles that rivers play in maintaining biodiversity and controlling material fluxes will change substantially when intermittent rivers are fully integrated into regional and global analyses. Concepts, questions, and methodologies from lotic, lentic, and terrestrial ecology need to be integrated and applied to intermittent rivers to increase our knowledge and effective management of these rivers.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Intermittence of flow has a linear negative effect on aquatic species.
“Intermittence of flow has a linear negative effect on aquatic species [118].”
From Urban Stream and Wetland Restoration in the Global South—A DPSIR Analysis (2019) · cites this paper as [118]
Cites
Vannote, R. L., Minshall, G. W., Cummins, K. W., Sedell, J. R., & Cushing, C. E. (1980) · Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences · doi:10.1139/f80-017 · Cited by 9,984 · see citing works
Freshwater biodiversity: importance, threats, status and conservation challenges
Dudgeon, D., Arthington, A. H., Gessner, M. O., Kawabata, Z., Knowler, D. J., Lévêque, C., Naiman, R. J., Prieur‐Richard, A., Soto, D., Stiassny, M. L. J., et al. (2006) · Biological Reviews · doi:10.1017/s1464793105006950 · Cited by 8,489 · see citing works
The flood pulse concept in river-floodplain systems
Junk, W. J. (1989) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 4,267 · see citing works
the flood pulse concept in river-floodplain ecosystems
Junk, W. J. (1989) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 1,832 · see citing works
Battin, T. J., Luyssaert, S., Kaplan, L. A., Aufdenkampe, A. K., Richter, A. A., & Tranvik, L. J. (2009) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo618 · Cited by 1,651 · see citing works
Global Freshwater Resources: Soft-Path Solutions for the 21st Century
Gleick, P. H. (2003) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1089967 · Cited by 1,391 · see citing works
Poff, N. L., & WARD, J. V. (1989) · Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences · doi:10.1139/f89-228 · Cited by 1,159 · see citing works
Winterbourn, M. J., Fontaine, T. D., & Bartell, S. M. (1984) · Journal of Ecology · doi:10.2307/2259560 · Cited by 1,077 · see citing works
Big data and the future of ecology
Hampton, S. E., Strasser, C. A., Tewksbury, J. J., Gram, W. K., Budden, A. E., Batcheller, A. L., Duke, C. S., & Porter, J. H. (2013) · Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment · doi:10.1890/120103 · Cited by 930 · see citing works
Understanding Processes and Downstream Linkages of Headwater Systems
GOMI, T., SIDLE, R. C., & RICHARDSON, J. S. (2002) · BioScience · doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052[0905:upadlo]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 841 · see citing works
Plant litter decomposition in a semi-arid ecosystem controlled by photodegradation
Austin, A. T., & Vivanco, L. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature05038 · Cited by 830 · see citing works
Significant efflux of carbon dioxide from streams and rivers in the United States
Butman, D., & Raymond, P. A. (2011) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo1294 · Cited by 794 · see citing works
Emerging concepts in temporary‐river ecology
Larned, S. T., Datry, T., Arscott, D. B., & Tockner, K. (2009) · Freshwater Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2009.02322.x · Cited by 733 · see citing works
Self-citationThe serial discontinuity concept of lotic ecosystems
WARD, J. V., & Stanford, J. A. (1983) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 698 · see citing works
Ecological explanations for (incomplete) speciation
Nosil, P., Harmon, L. J., & D, O. S. C. (2009) · Trends in Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1016/j.tree.2008.10.011 · Cited by 680 · see citing works
The Biology of Temporary Waters
Williams, D. D. (2005) · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198528128.001.0001 · Cited by 561 · see citing works
Ecological and evolutionary significance of dispersal by freshwater invertebrates
Bohonak, A. J., & Jenkins, D. G. (2003) · Ecology Letters · doi:10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00486.x · Cited by 552 · see citing works
Process, form and change in dryland rivers: a review of recent research
Tooth, S. (2000) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/s0012-8252(00)00014-3 · Cited by 542 · see citing works
The biology of temporary waters
(2007) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.44-6231 · Cited by 507 · see citing works
The Ecology of Temporary Waters
Williams, D. D. (1987) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-011-6084-1 · Cited by 475 · see citing works
The shifting habitat mosaic of river ecosystems
Stanford, J. A., Lorang, M. S., & Hauer, F. R. (2005) · SIL Proceedings 1922-2010 · doi:10.1080/03680770.2005.11901979 · Cited by 471 · see citing works
Ecosystem Expansion and Contraction in Streams
Stanley, E. H., Fisher, S. G., & Grimm, N. B. (1997) · BioScience · doi:10.2307/1313058 · Cited by 467 · see citing works
Döll, P., & Schmied, H. M. (2012) · Environmental Research Letters · doi:10.1088/1748-9326/7/1/014037 · Cited by 403 · see citing works
DYNAMICS OF INTERMITTENT STREAM HABITAT REGULATE PERSISTENCE OF A THREATENED FISH AT MULTIPLE SCALES
Labbe, T. R., & Fausch, K. D. (2000) · Ecological Applications · doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[1774:doishr]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 372 · see citing works
Bonada, N., Rieradevall, M., & Prat, N. (2007) · Hydrobiologia · doi:10.1007/s10750-007-0723-5 · Cited by 364 · see citing works
Moving Headwater Streams to the Head of the Class
Lowe, W. H., & Likens, G. E. (2005) · BioScience · doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[0196:mhstth]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 351 · see citing works
Flow variability in dryland rivers: boom, bust and the bits in between
Bunn, S. E., Thoms, M. C., Hamilton, S. K., & Capon, S. J. (2006) · River Research and Applications · doi:10.1002/rra.904 · Cited by 344 · see citing works
When the river runs dry: human and ecological values of dry riverbeds
Steward, A., von Schiller, D., Tockner, K., et al. (2012) · Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment · doi:10.1890/110136 · Cited by 333 · see citing works
Self-citationStrongly Interacting Species: Conservation Policy, Management, and Ethics
Soulé, M. E., Estes, J. A., Miller, B. J., & Honnold, D. L. (2005) · BioScience · doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[0168:siscpm]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 314 · see citing works
Stability of an Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Community in a Multiyear Hydrologic Disturbance Regime
Boulton, A. J., Peterson, C. G., Grimm, N. B., et al. (1992) · Ecology · doi:10.2307/1941467 · Cited by 259 · see citing works
Datry, T., Larned, S. T., Fritz, K. M., Bogan, M. T., Wood, P. J., Meyer, E. I., & Santos, A. N. (2013) · Ecography · doi:10.1111/j.1600-0587.2013.00287.x · Cited by 240 · see citing works
Self-citationAn expanded role for river networks
Benstead, J. P., & Leigh, D. S. (2012) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo1593 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Ecological roles and threats to aquatic refugia in arid landscapes: dryland river waterholes
Sheldon, F., Bunn, S. E., Hughes, J. M., et al. (2010) · Marine and Freshwater Research · doi:10.1071/mf09239 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Datry, T. (2011) · Freshwater Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02725.x · Cited by 189 · see citing works
Self-citationDestruction and Re-establishment of Stream Fish and Invertebrates Affected by Drought
Larimore, R. W., Childers, W. F., & Heckrotte, C. (1959) · Transactions of the American Fisheries Society · doi:10.1577/1548-8659(1959)88[261:darosf]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Collaboration and Productivity in Scientific Synthesis
Hampton, S. E., & Parker, J. N. (2011) · BioScience · doi:10.1525/bio.2011.61.11.9 · Cited by 176 · see citing works
Fish community responses to drying disturbances in an intermittent stream: a landscape perspective
Davey, A. J. H., & Kelly, D. J. A. (2007) · Freshwater Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2007.01800.x · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Aquatic invertebrate community structure along an intermittence gradient: Selwyn River, New Zealand
Arscott, D. B., Larned, S. T., Scarsbrook, M. R., et al. (2010) · Journal of the North American Benthological Society · doi:10.1899/08-124.1 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
Self-citationRegionalization of patterns of flow intermittence from gauging station records
Snelder, T. H., Datry, T., Lamouroux, N., Larned, S. T., Sauquet, É., Pella, H., & Catalogne, C. (2013) · Hydrology and earth system sciences · doi:10.5194/hess-17-2685-2013 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
Self-citationWarfe, D. M., Pettit, N. E., Davies, P. M., Pusey, B. J., Hamilton, S. K., Kennard, M. J., Townsend, S., BAYLISS, P., Ward, D. P., Douglas, M. M., et al. (2011) · Freshwater Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02660.x · Cited by 148 · see citing works
von Schiller, D., Acuña, V., Graeber, D., et al. (2011) · Aquatic Sciences · doi:10.1007/s00027-011-0195-6 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Stromberg, J. C., Bagstad, K. J., Leenhouts, J. M., et al. (2005) · River Research and Applications · doi:10.1002/rra.858 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Leibowitz, S. G., Wigington, P. J., Rains, M. C., et al. (2007) · Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment · doi:10.1890/070068 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
Corti, R., Datry, T., Drummond, L. O., et al. (2011) · Aquatic Sciences · doi:10.1007/s00027-011-0216-5 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Self-citationFlows and hypoxic blackwater events in managed ephemeral river channels
Hladyz, S., Watkins, S. C., Whitworth, K. L., et al. (2011) · Journal of Hydrology · doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.02.014 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Sequential floods drive ‘booms’ and wetland persistence in dryland rivers: a synthesis
Leigh, C., Sheldon, F., Kingsford, R. T., et al. (2010) · Marine and Freshwater Research · doi:10.1071/mf10106 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
An Overview of Temporary Stream Hydrology in Canada
Buttle, J. M., Boon, S., Peters, D. L. L., et al. (2012) · Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques · doi:10.4296/cwrj2011-903 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Phillipsen, I. C., & Lytle, D. A. (2012) · Ecography · doi:10.1111/j.1600-0587.2012.00002.x · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Logan, P., & Furse, M. T. (2002) · Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems · doi:10.1002/aqc.535 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Corti, R., & Datry, T. (2012) · Freshwater Science · doi:10.1899/12-017.1 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Self-citationDatry, T., Larned, S. T., & Scarsbrook, M. R. (2007) · Freshwater Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2007.01775.x · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Self-citationFeng, Q., Liu, W., Si, J., et al. (2005) · Environmental Geology · doi:10.1007/s00254-005-1288-0 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
The Ecology of Temporary Streams I. The Faunas of Two Canadian Streams
Williams, D. D., & Hynes, H. B. N. (1976) · Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie · doi:10.1002/iroh.19760610604 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Anthropogenic sulfate loads in the Rio Grande, New Mexico (USA)
Szynkiewicz, A. A., Witcher, J. C., Modelska, M., et al. (2011) · Chemical Geology · doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2011.01.017 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Acuña, V., & Tockner, K. (2010) · Global Change Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02170.x · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Self-citationJacobson, P. J., Jacobson, K. M., Angermeier, P. L., & Cherry, D. S. (2000) · Freshwater Biology · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2427.2000.00604.x · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Katz, G., Denslow, M., & Stromberg, J. C. (2011) · Freshwater Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02714.x · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Reich, P., McMaster, D. G., Bond, N. R., et al. (2009) · River Research and Applications · doi:10.1002/rra.1265 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
The terrestrial invertebrate fauna of a temporary stream in southern Africa
Wishart, M. J. (2000) · African Zoology · doi:10.1080/15627020.2000.11657090 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Rainfall Cues and Flash-Flood Escape in Desert Stream Insects
Lytle, D. A., & White, N. J. (2007) · Journal of Insect Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10905-007-9089-9 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Evaporation as a nutrient retention mechanism at Sycamore Creek, Arizona
McLaughlin, C. (2008) · Hydrobiologia · doi:10.1007/s10750-007-9275-y · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Cluett, L. (2005) · River Research and Applications · doi:10.1002/rra.842 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Global carbon dioxide emissions from inland waters
Raymond, P. A., Hartmann, J., Lauerwald, R., Sobek, S., McDonald, C., Hoover, M., Butman, D., Striegl, R., Mayorga, E., Humborg, C., et al. (2013) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature12760 · Cited by 2,553 · see citing works
Biggs, J., von Fumetti, S., & Kelly-Quinn, M. (2017) · Hydrobiologia · doi:10.1007/s10750-016-3007-0 · Cited by 594 · see citing works
Enhancing protection for vulnerable waters
Creed, I. F., Lane, C. R., Serran, J. N., Alexander, L. C., Basu, N. B., Calhoun, A. J. K., Christensen, J. R., Cohen, M. J., Craft, C., D'Amico, E., et al. (2017) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo3041 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
Urban Stream and Wetland Restoration in the Global South—A DPSIR Analysis
Wantzen, K., Alves, C., Badiane, S., Bala, R., Blettler, M., Callisto, M., Cao, Y., Kolb, M., Kondolf, G., Leite, M., et al. (2019) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su11184975 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Recognizing Agricultural Headwaters as Critical Ecosystems
Bieroza, M., Hallberg, L., Livsey, J., Prischl, L.-A., & Wynants, M. (2024) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.3c10165 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Martínez-Mena, M., Almagro, M., García-Franco, N., de Vente, J., García, E., & Boix-Fayos, C. (2019) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-16-1035-2019 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“Ephemeral and intermittent fluvial courses represent more than 50 % of the global river network, being the dominant type of water course in dry climates (Datry et al., 2014).”
Background
- Authors
- Datry, T., Larned, S. T., & Tockner, K.
- Affiliations
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Venue
- BioScience
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2014-01-14
- Volume
- 64
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 229-235
- ISSN
- 0006-3568 (ISSN-L)
- 1525-3244
- OpenAlex
- W2103373879
- Cited by
- 743
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2026: 62 · 2025: 68 · 2024: 68 · 2023: 58 · 2022: 81 · 2021: 102 · 2020: 75 · 2019: 65 · 2018: 41 · 2017: 57 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 35.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- BioScience (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Cemadoc (Cemagref / IRSTEA) (submittedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
- European Commission
- Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversite
- Office National de l’Eau et des Milieux Aquatiques
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes
- Keywords
- intermittent streams, wetting-drying cycles, river ecology, biogeochemical processes, biodiversity, climate change impacts, land use change, water abstraction, river management
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
