SGER: Rehabilitation of Impounded Rivers: Effects of Removal of a Kennebec River Dam on Food Webs

Thorp修复被困河流：拆除肯纳贝克河大坝对食物网的影响尽管美国数十座水电大坝需要在未来三年内重新启用或退役，但拆除大坝对河流造成的环境后果的证据很少。1999年，缅因州肯纳贝克河上的爱德华兹大坝将被拆除，自1837年以来，这条河首次恢复了24公里的自由流动状态。索普博士和他的同事，包括几名本科生，将在大坝拆除之前和11个月后，在河里的三个地点采集鱼类、底栖和浮游无脊椎动物、水生植物和藻类的样本。各种分析将帮助研究人员展示大坝拆除对生态系统新陈代谢的影响，支持食物网的能源来源，以及食物网的复杂性。由于保留或移除大坝的环境基础不像经济理由那样发达，这项研究将有助于填补我们对河流生态系统理解的一个重要知识空白。

99-09717ThorpRehabilitation of Impounded Rivers: Effects of Removal of a Kennebec River Dam on Food WebsEvidence of environmental consequences of dam removal on rivers is rare, even though dozens of U.S. hydropower dams will need to be relicensed or decommissioned in the next three years. In 1999, the Edwards dam on Maine's Kennebec River will be removed, restoring 24 km of the river to a free-flowing state for the first time since 1837. Dr. Thorp and colleagues, including several undergraduate students, will sample fish, benthic and planktonic invertebrates, aquatic plants, and algae at 3 sites in the river immediately before dam removal and 11 months after. A variety of analyses will help the investigators demonstrate effects of dam removal on ecosystem metabolism, the sources of energy supporting the food web, and the complexity of the food web. Because the environmental bases for retaining or removing a dam are not as well developed as the economic justifications, this study will help fill an important knowledge gap in our understanding of river ecosystems.