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- When dissolved in water it is the most energetically favourable terminal electron acceptor and a key element in biological and redox reactions including aerobic respiration or metal oxide formation.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825221002300Transfer and transformations of oxygen in rivers as catchment ...
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Mar 5, 2024 · Respiration combines carbon and oxygen to generate energy for living organisms. This process also creates some “exhaust” in the form of carbon dioxide that is “exhaled” by organisms such as algae and bacteria within stream and river ecosystems.
- Water Flow
- Substrate
- Light
- Temperature
- Water Chemistry
- Bacteria
- Plants
- Invertebrates
- Fish
- Birds
Water flow is the main factor that makes river ecology different from other water ecosystems. This is known as a lotic (flowing water) system. The strength of water flow varies from torrential rapids to slow backwaters. The speed of water also varies and is subject to chaotic turbulence. Flow can be affected by sudden water input from snowmelt, rai...
The substrate is the surface on which the river organisms live. It may be inorganic, consisting of geological material from the catchment area such as boulders, pebbles, gravel, sand or silt, or it may be organic, including fine particles, leaves, wood, moss and plants. Substrate is generally not permanent and is subject to large changes during flo...
Light provides energy for photosynthesis, which produces the primary food source for the river. It also provides refuges for prey species in the shadows it casts. The amount of light received in a flowing waterway is variable, for example, depending on whether it’s a stream within a forest shaded by overhanging trees or a wide exposed river where t...
Water temperature in rivers varies with the environment. Water can be heated or cooled through radiation at the surface and conduction to or from the air and surrounding substrate. Temperature differences can be significant between the surface and the bottom of deep, slow-moving rivers. Climate, shading and elevation all affect water temperature. S...
The chemistry of the water varies from one river ecosystem to another. It is often determined by inputs from the surrounding environment or catchment area but can also be influenced by rain and the addition of pollution from human sources. Oxygen is the most important chemical constituent of river systems – most organisms need it for survival. It e...
Bacteria are present in large numbers in river waters. They play a significant role in energy recycling. Bacteria decompose organic material into inorganic compounds that can be used by plants and by other microbes.
Plants photosynthesise – converting light energy from the Sun into chemical energy that can be used to fuel organisms’ activities. Algae are the most significant source of primary food in most rivers or streams. Most float freely and are therefore unable to maintain large populations in fast-flowing water. They build up large numbers in slow-moving...
Invertebrates have no backbone or spinal column and include crayfish, snails, limpets, clams and mussels found in rivers. A large number of the invertebrates in river systems are insects. They can be found in almost every available habitat – on the water surface, on and under stones, in or below the substrate or adrift in the current. Some avoid hi...
The ability of fish to live in a river system depends on their speed and duration of that speed – it takes enormous energy to swim against a current. This ability varies and is related to the area of habitat the fish may occupy in the river. Most fish tend to remain close to the bottom, the banks or behind obstacles, swimming in the current only to...
A large number of birds also inhabit river ecosystems, but they are not tied to the water as fish are and spend some of their time in terrestrial habitats. Fish and water invertebrates are an important food source for water birds.
These larger streams remain well oxygenated because air is entrained by turbulent flow in riffles. Open canopy, and fairly shallow water, means that light can reach the river...
Mar 21, 2023 · River ecosystem metabolism is a fundamental metric of ecosystem functions regulating energy flow and carbon fluxes, including carbon accumulation through gross primary production (GPP) and...
- Yanhua Chen
- Yanhua.Chen@nature.com
Respiration combines carbon and oxygen to generate energy for living organisms. This process also creates some "exhaust" in the form of carbon dioxide that is "exhaled" by organisms such as...
Mar 6, 2024 · The oxygen fuels a process called decomposition, where they break down dead plants, algae, and animal waste in the river. This breakdown releases energy, which these organisms need to survive and grow, just like we get energy from food.
Sep 1, 2021 · Because rivers integrate biogeochemical information of catchments, their oxygen dynamics may also reflect ecosystem and landscape health. Here we summarize the most important sources and sinks of DO and its role in river systems.
