Developing a shared understanding of the Upper Mississippi River: the foundation of an ecological resilience assessment
Developing a shared understanding of the Upper Mississippi River: the foundation of an ecological resilience assessment
复制标题
形成对密西西比河上游的共同理解：生态恢复力评估的基础
DOI：
10.5751/es-10014-230206
复制
发表时间：
2018
影响因子：
4.1
通讯作者：
J. Hendrickson
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
K. Bouska;J. N. Houser;N. D. Jager;J. Hendrickson
密西西比河上游水系（UMRS）是一个庞大而复杂的洪泛区河流生态系统，横跨多个州和联邦机构的管辖范围。为了支持这一广泛伙伴关系正在进行的生态系统恢复和管理，我们正在对UMRS进行复原力评估。我们在生态恢复力评估的背景下描述UMRS。我们的描述阐明了我们对UMRS评估的时间和空间范围，相关的历史背景，系统提供的有价值的服务，以及决定其结构和功能的基本控制变量。开发系统描述的一个重要目标是确定对UMRS的最简单、充分的概念性理解。我们将简化的UMRS概念化为三个相互连接的子系统：逻辑通道，非通道区域和洪泛平原。通过识别每个子系统中的控制变量，我们已经对UMRS的基本结构和功能形成了共同的理解，这将作为对可能有助于UMRS恢复力的因素进行定量评估的基础。当我们进行恢复力评估的后续要素时，我们预计我们对相互作用、反馈和临界阈值的改进理解将有助于自然资源管理者更好地认识系统适应现有和新压力的能力。
The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) is a large and complex floodplain river ecosystem that spans the jurisdictions of multiple state and federal agencies. In support of ongoing ecosystem restoration and management by this broad partnership, we are undertaking a resilience assessment of the UMRS. We describe the UMRS in the context of an ecological resilience assessment. Our description articulates the temporal and spatial extent of our assessment of the UMRS, the relevant historical context, the valued services provided by the system, and the fundamental controlling variables that determine its structure and function. An important objective of developing the system description was to determine the simplest, adequate conceptual understanding of the UMRS. We conceptualize a simplified UMRS as three interconnected subsystems: lotic channels, lentic off-channel areas, and floodplains. By identifying controlling variables within each subsystem, we have developed a shared understanding of the basic structure and function of the UMRS, which will serve as the basis for ongoing quantitative evaluations of factors that likely contribute to the resilience of the UMRS. As we undertake the subsequent elements of a resilience assessment, we anticipate our improved understanding of interactions, feedbacks, and critical thresholds will assist natural resource managers to better recognize the system’s ability to adapt to existing and new stresses.