Does catchment geodiversity foster stream biodiversity?
Abstract Context One approach to maintain the resilience of biotic communities is to protect the variability of abiotic characteristics of Earth’s surface, i.e. geodiversity. In terrestrial environments, the relationship between geodiversity and biodiversity is well recognized. In streams, the abiotic properties of upstream catchments influence stream communities, but the relationships between catchment geodiversity and aquatic biodiversity have not been previously tested. Objectives The aim was to compare the effects of local environmental and catchment variables on stream biodiversity. We specifically explored the usefulness of catchment geodiversity in explaining the species richness on …
Risk assessment of gypsum amendment on agricultural fields: Effects of sulfate on riverine biota
Gypsum (CaSO4 ∙ 2H2 O) amendment is a promising way of decreasing the phosphorus loading of arable lands, and of thus preventing aquatic eutrophication. However, in freshwaters with low sulfate concentrations, gypsum-released sulfate may pose a threat to the biota. To assess such risks, we performed a series of sulfate toxicity tests in the laboratory and conducted field surveys. These field surveys were associated with a large-scale pilot exercise involving spreading gypsum on agricultural fields covering 18% of the Savijoki River catchment area. The gypsum amendment in such fields resulted in about fourfold increase in the mean sulfate concentration for a 2-month period, and a transient, …