Search

Riparian zones are the paragon of transitional ecosystems, providing critical habitat and ecosystem services that are especially threatened by global change. Following consultation with experts, 10 key challenges were identified to be addressed for riparian vegetation science and management improvement: (1) Create a distinct scientific community by establishing stronger bridges between disciplines; (2) Make riparian vegetation more visible and appreciated in society and policies; (3) Improve knowledge regarding biodiversity-ecosystem functioning links; (4) Manage spatial scale and context-based issues; (5) Improve knowledge on social dimensions of riparian vegetation; (6) Anticipate responses to emergent issues and future trajectories; (7) Enhance tools to quantify and prioritize ecosystem services; (8) Improve numerical modeling and simulation tools; (9) Calibrate methods and increase data availability for better indicators and monitoring practices and transferability; and (10) Undertake scientific validation of best management practices. These challenges are discussed and critiqued here, to guide future research into riparian vegetation. This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Nature of Freshwater Ecosystems Water and Life > Stresses and Pressures on Ecosystems Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness

Microplastics are a pervasive pollutant of aquatic ecosystems and are reported to interact with a wide range of aquatic biota. The complexities of natural food webs means that the transfer and accumulation of microplastics is difficult to assess, and only a handful of studies have attempted to quantify trophic transfer in freshwater biota. Bioaccumulation models can provide a valuable tool to explore the transfer of microplastics along complex food webs, but such approaches have been rarely applied to freshwater ecosystems. Here, a food web accumulation model was implemented to assess the transfer, bioaccumulation and hence biomagnification potential of microplastics along a food web located in the River Slaney catchment in south-east Ireland. Literature feeding values and environmental field data were used to simulate microplastic uptake in benthic macroinvertebrates, with fish and Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra (Linnaeus, 1758)) comprising the higher trophic levels. Microplastic concentrations from the model were used to form a basis of comparison with empirical data for benthic macroinvertebrates and brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758). Predicted concentrations were greatest in benthic macroinvertebrates and lowest in fish species such as European eel (Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758)) and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus (Linnaeus, 1758)). Biota magnification factors for fish and L. lutra indicate that microplastic accumulation between the specific predator-prey interactions are not expected. To better inform models such as this, and therefore improve their accuracy, it is important to gain a better understanding of microplastic retention times in biota and the interaction between microplastics and resources utilised by benthic macroinvertebrates and fish, such as plant material, allochthonous detritus as well as terrestrial and aerial prey.