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Lenka Kuglerová

Bio: Lenka Kuglerová is an academic researcher from Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The author has contributed to research in topics: Riparian zone & Riparian forest. The author has an hindex of 12, co-authored 28 publications receiving 631 citations. Previous affiliations of Lenka Kuglerová include University of British Columbia & Umeå University.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Riparian forests along streams and rivers in forested landscapes provide many ecosystem functions that are important for the biodiversity and biogeochemistry of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as discussed by the authors, which is important for aquatic ecosystems.

153 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Mar 2014-Ecology
TL;DR: Strong relationships between GW discharge, plant species richness and environmental conditions across the entire stream size gradient are demonstrated, suggesting that both river hydrology and upland inputs should be considered to fully understand riparian vegetation dynamics.
Abstract: Riparian vegetation research has traditionally focused on channel-related processes because riparian areas are situated on the edge of aquatic ecosystems and are therefore greatly affected by the f ...

83 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of forest clear-cutting on snow accumulation, melt dynamics and associated stream responses in a paired catchment experiment in northern Sweden were investigated and two boreal first-order s...

70 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Feb 2015-Ecology
TL;DR: These results provide the first empirical evidence that position in the river network drives spatial patterns in riparian plant diversity and composition by the joint influence of local (disturbance, habitat conditions, and habitat breadth) and regional (dispersal) forces.
Abstract: River systems form dendritic ecological networks that influence the spatial structure of riverine communities. Few empirical studies have evaluated how regional, dispersal-related processes and local habitat factors interact to govern network patterns of species composition. We explore such interactions in a boreal watershed and show that riparian plant species richness increases strongly with drainage size, i.e., with downstream position in the network. Assemblage composition was nested, with new species successively added downstream. These spatial patterns in species composition were related to a combination of local and regional processes. Breadth in local habitat conditions increased downstream in the network, resulting in higher habitat heterogeneity and reduced niche overlap among species, which together with similar trends in disturbance, allows more species to coexist. Riparian edaphic conditions were also increasingly favorable to more species within the regional pool along larger streams, with greater nitrogen availability (manifested as lower C:N) and more rapid mineralization of C and N (as indicated by ratios of stable isotopes) observed with downstream position in the network. The number of species with the capacity for water dispersal increased with stream size, providing a mechanistic link between plant traits and the downstream accumulation of species as more propagules arrive from upstream sites. Similarity in species composition between sites was related to both geographical and environmental distance. Our results provide the first empirical evidence that position in the river network drives spatial patterns in riparian plant diversity and composition by the joint influence of local (disturbance, habitat conditions, and habitat breadth) and regional (dispersal) forces.

66 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work shows how forest management can be optimized by incorporating landscape sensitivity and hydrological connectivity into a framework that promotes the protection of water quality.
Abstract: Protecting water quality in forested regions is increasingly important as pressures from land-use, long-range transport of air pollutants, and climate change intensify. Maintaining forest industry without jeopardizing sustainability of surface water quality therefore requires new tools and approaches. Here, we show how forest management can be optimized by incorporating landscape sensitivity and hydrological connectivity into a framework that promotes the protection of water quality. We discuss how this approach can be operationalized into a hydromapping tool to support forestry operations that minimize water quality impacts. We specifically focus on how hydromapping can be used to support three fundamental aspects of land management planning including how to (i) locate areas where different forestry practices can be conducted with minimal water quality impact; (ii) guide the off-road driving of forestry machines to minimize soil damage; and (iii) optimize the design of riparian buffer zones. While this work has a boreal perspective, these concepts and approaches have broad-scale applicability.

65 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors synthesize current knowledge of the vulnerability of riparian ecosystems to climate change by assessing the potential exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of their key components and processes, as well as ecosystem functions, goods and services, to projected global climatic changes.
Abstract: Riparian ecosystems in the 21st century are likely to play a critical role in determining the vulnerability of natural and human systems to climate change, and in influencing the capacity of these systems to adapt. Some authors have suggested that riparian ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts due to their high levels of exposure and sensitivity to climatic stimuli, and their history of degradation. Others have highlighted the probable resilience of riparian ecosystems to climate change as a result of their evolution under high levels of climatic and environmental variability. We synthesize current knowledge of the vulnerability of riparian ecosystems to climate change by assessing the potential exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of their key components and processes, as well as ecosystem functions, goods and services, to projected global climatic changes. We review key pathways for ecological and human adaptation for the maintenance, restoration and enhancement of riparian ecosystem functions, goods and services and present emerging principles for planned adaptation. Our synthesis suggests that, in the absence of adaptation, riparian ecosystems are likely to be highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. However, given the critical role of riparian ecosystem functions in landscapes, as well as the strong links between riparian ecosystems and human well-being, considerable means, motives and opportunities for strategically planned adaptation to climate change also exist. The need for planned adaptation of and for riparian ecosystems is likely to be strengthened as the importance of many riparian ecosystem functions, goods and services will grow under a changing climate. Consequently, riparian ecosystems are likely to become adaptation ‘hotspots’ as the century unfolds.

283 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A conceptual model is developed that predicts that the explanatory power of the river network peaks in mesic systems for obligate aquatic dispersers, and proposes directions of future avenues of research, including the use of manipulative field and laboratory experiments that test metacommunity theory in river networks.
Abstract: River networks are hierarchical dendritic habitats embedded within the terrestrial landscape, with varying connectivity between sites depending on their positions along the network. This physical organisation influences the dispersal of organisms, which ultimately affects metacommunity dynamics and biodiversity patterns. We provide a conceptual synthesis of the role of river networks in structuring metacommunities in relation to dispersal processes in riverine ecosystems. We explore where the river network best explains observed metacommunity structure compared to other measurements of physical connectivity. We mostly focus on invertebrates, but also consider other taxonomic groups, including microbes, fishes, plants, and amphibians. Synthesising studies that compared multiple spatial distance metrics, we found that the importance of the river network itself in explaining metacommunity patterns depended on a variety of factors, including dispersal mode (aquatic versus aerial versus terrestrial) and landscape type (arid versus mesic), as well as location-specific factors, such as network connectivity, land use, topographic heterogeneity, and biotic interactions. The river network appears to be less important for strong aerial dispersers and insects in arid systems than for other groups and biomes, but there is considerable variability. Borrowing from other literature, particularly landscape genetics, we developed a conceptual model that predicts that the explanatory power of the river network peaks in mesic systems for obligate aquatic dispersers. We propose directions of future avenues of research, including the use of manipulative field and laboratory experiments that test metacommunity theory in river networks. While field and laboratory experiments have their own benefits and drawbacks (e.g. reality, control, cost), both are powerful approaches for understanding the mechanisms structuring metacommunities, by teasing apart dispersal and niche-related factors. Finally, improving our knowledge of dispersal in river networks will benefit from expanding the breadth of cost-distance modelling to better infer dispersal from observational data; an improved understanding of life-history strategies rather than relying on independent traits; exploring individual-level variation in dispersal through detailed genetic studies; detailed studies on fine-scale environmental (e.g. daily hydrology) and organismal spatiotemporal variability; and synthesising comparative, experimental, and theoretical work. Expanding in these areas will help to push the current state of the science from a largely pattern-detection mode into a new phase of more mechanistically driven research.

250 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Positive outcomes from mixtures are identified including increased biodiversity, water quality, esthetic and recreational values, as well as reduced stand vulnerability to pest and pathogen damage.
Abstract: Whereas there is evidence that mixed-species approaches to production forestry in general can provide positive outcomes relative to monocultures, it is less clear to what extent multiple benefits can be derived from specific mixed-species alternatives. To provide such insights requires evaluations of an encompassing suite of ecosystem services, biodiversity, and forest management considerations provided by specific mixtures and monocultures within a region. Here, we conduct such an assessment in Sweden by contrasting even-aged Norway spruce (Picea abies)-dominated stands, with mixed-species stands of spruce and birch (Betula pendula or B. pubescens), or spruce and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). By synthesizing the available evidence, we identify positive outcomes from mixtures including increased biodiversity, water quality, esthetic and recreational values, as well as reduced stand vulnerability to pest and pathogen damage. However, some uncertainties and risks were projected to increase, highlighting the importance of conducting comprehensive interdisciplinary evaluations when assessing the pros and cons of mixtures.

179 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Riparian forests along streams and rivers in forested landscapes provide many ecosystem functions that are important for the biodiversity and biogeochemistry of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as discussed by the authors, which is important for aquatic ecosystems.

153 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Managing the land use in the hydrologically connected parts of the landscape may be the most feasible way to counteractBrowning of natural waters, and potential mitigation measures to locally counteract browning are explored.
Abstract: Browning of surface waters, as a result of increasing dissolved organic carbon and iron concentrations, is a widespread phenomenon with implications to the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. In this article, we provide an overview of the consequences of browning in relation to ecosystem services, outline what the underlying drivers and mechanisms of browning are, and specifically focus on exploring potential mitigation measures to locally counteract browning. These topical concepts are discussed with a focus on Scandinavia, but are of relevance also to other regions. Browning is of environmental concern as it leads to, e.g., increasing costs and risks for drinking water production, and reduced fish production in lakes by limiting light penetration. While climate change, recovery from acidification, and land-use change are all likely factors contributing to the observed browning, managing the land use in the hydrologically connected parts of the landscape may be the most feasible way to counteract browning of natural waters.

144 citations