In-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: Use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.

Population decline and extinction risk of river dolphins are primarily associated with flow alteration. Previous studies predominantly highlighted maintenance of adequate flow for low water seasons when habitats contract and the risk of local extinction escalates. Although river dolphins are sensiti...

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Autores principales:	Shambhu Paudel, John L Koprowski, Usha Thakuri, Ajay Karki
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/6571f2152b9b43c088ea707392345b09
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:6571f2152b9b43c088ea707392345b092021-12-02T20:04:59ZIn-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: Use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0241099https://doaj.org/article/6571f2152b9b43c088ea707392345b092021-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241099https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203Population decline and extinction risk of river dolphins are primarily associated with flow alteration. Previous studies predominantly highlighted maintenance of adequate flow for low water seasons when habitats contract and the risk of local extinction escalates. Although river dolphins are sensitive to reduction in river flow, no studies quantify the relationships between flow and ecology of river dolphins to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of flow alteration. We quantify the relationships between flow and the ecology of river cetaceans concerning Ganges River dolphins (GRD; Platanista gangetica gangetica) usable area availability (AWS) for the low water season at wider flows (50-575 m3/s) at finer spatial and temporal scales. This study reveals that distribution of area usable to GRD is highly regulated by the adequate flow and river attributes (velocity and depth) interactions that likely offer energetically efficient modes of locomotion to GRD, suggesting the hydro-physical environment as a major determinant of river dolphin distribution and abundance. Flow and AWS relationships indicate that the flow during the dry season negatively contributed to AWS, whereas that of pre-monsoon maximized the AWS, suggesting that modifying flow regimes does alter in-stream habitats at varying spatial scales and may influence life-history strategies. Substantial fragmentation in suitable pool availability and loss of longitudinal connectivity exhibited by dry season flow suggested a higher risk of adverse biological effects during the dry season, which may reduce population viability by reducing survivorship and reproduction failure. Owing to river dolphins' dependence on the attribute of freshwater flow, they can be expected to be more affected by flow regulations as interactive effects. Considering the seasonal effects and changes in the availability of usable areas by flow alteration, adopting effective habitat retention plans by water-based development projects appears critical to avoid further ecological risks in aquatic species conservation. Identifying priority riverscapes for river cetaceans and prioritizing investment opportunities is an essential first step towards effective riverine cetacean conservation.Shambhu PaudelJohn L KoprowskiUsha ThakuriAjay KarkiPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 7, p e0241099 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Shambhu Paudel John L Koprowski Usha Thakuri Ajay Karki In-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: Use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.
description	Population decline and extinction risk of river dolphins are primarily associated with flow alteration. Previous studies predominantly highlighted maintenance of adequate flow for low water seasons when habitats contract and the risk of local extinction escalates. Although river dolphins are sensitive to reduction in river flow, no studies quantify the relationships between flow and ecology of river dolphins to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of flow alteration. We quantify the relationships between flow and the ecology of river cetaceans concerning Ganges River dolphins (GRD; Platanista gangetica gangetica) usable area availability (AWS) for the low water season at wider flows (50-575 m3/s) at finer spatial and temporal scales. This study reveals that distribution of area usable to GRD is highly regulated by the adequate flow and river attributes (velocity and depth) interactions that likely offer energetically efficient modes of locomotion to GRD, suggesting the hydro-physical environment as a major determinant of river dolphin distribution and abundance. Flow and AWS relationships indicate that the flow during the dry season negatively contributed to AWS, whereas that of pre-monsoon maximized the AWS, suggesting that modifying flow regimes does alter in-stream habitats at varying spatial scales and may influence life-history strategies. Substantial fragmentation in suitable pool availability and loss of longitudinal connectivity exhibited by dry season flow suggested a higher risk of adverse biological effects during the dry season, which may reduce population viability by reducing survivorship and reproduction failure. Owing to river dolphins' dependence on the attribute of freshwater flow, they can be expected to be more affected by flow regulations as interactive effects. Considering the seasonal effects and changes in the availability of usable areas by flow alteration, adopting effective habitat retention plans by water-based development projects appears critical to avoid further ecological risks in aquatic species conservation. Identifying priority riverscapes for river cetaceans and prioritizing investment opportunities is an essential first step towards effective riverine cetacean conservation.
format	article
author	Shambhu Paudel John L Koprowski Usha Thakuri Ajay Karki
author_facet	Shambhu Paudel John L Koprowski Usha Thakuri Ajay Karki
author_sort	Shambhu Paudel
title	In-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: Use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.
title_short	In-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: Use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.
title_full	In-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: Use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.
title_fullStr	In-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: Use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.
title_full_unstemmed	In-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: Use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.
title_sort	in-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/6571f2152b9b43c088ea707392345b09
work_keys_str_mv	AT shambhupaudel instreamhabitatavailabilityforriverdolphinsinresponsetoflowuseofecologicalintegritytomanageriverflows AT johnlkoprowski instreamhabitatavailabilityforriverdolphinsinresponsetoflowuseofecologicalintegritytomanageriverflows AT ushathakuri instreamhabitatavailabilityforriverdolphinsinresponsetoflowuseofecologicalintegritytomanageriverflows AT ajaykarki instreamhabitatavailabilityforriverdolphinsinresponsetoflowuseofecologicalintegritytomanageriverflows
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In-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: Use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.

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