Experimental determination of ramping rate effects on downstream biota: Magpie River, Ontario

加拿大是世界上最大的水力发电生产国，拥有230多座水电站。三分之二的国内电力来自水电，加拿大在水电设施的开发和管理方面处于世界领先地位。有效管理的关键是认识和最小化操作的生态效应。迄今为止，很少有关于大坝放水速度突然变化以满足电力需求快速增长对大坝下游河流生态系统的生态影响的研究。本文提出的研究旨在测试调节斜坡速度是否可以提供生态效益，同时最大限度地减少运营商的生产损失。据信，限制爬坡速率可以减少危害，包括：下游多样性丧失、栖息地退化、沉积物输入和河流温度状况的变化。这里提出的研究将通过实验比较斜坡速度限制和无限制斜坡的时期，并通过检查个体生长速度、条件和居住鱼类使用的水温的变化来确定生活在河流中的鱼类是如何受到影响的。此外，还将研究河流食物网结构的变化，以确定不受限制的斜坡是否简化了食物网，并显著改变了鱼类的饮食和对猎物的依赖。为了开展这项工作，将使用和开发有助于确定水温和鱼类猎物的尖端稳定同位素方法。实验河的研究结果将与没有大坝的对照河的平行研究结果进行对比，以确定坡道如何改变整个河流生态系统。该研究解决了对新的实验方法的需求，通过使用受控的河流流量操纵，并强调科学家、工业和资源管理者之间的合作互动，从而在与整个河流管理相关的尺度上推进科学理解，所有这些人都将在某种程度上参与研究。因此，这项研究将为生境和渔业管理人员提供实用信息，并建议和测试有关斜坡和利用斜坡率保护河流生态系统的新工具。

Canada is the worlds largest producer of hydro-electric power, with more than 230 plants. Two-thirds of domestic electricity comes from hydro and Canada is a world leader in the development and management of hydro-electric facilities. Key to effective management is knowledge and minimization of the ecological effects of operation. To date there has been little study of the ecological effects of ramping, sudden changes in the rate of water release from dams to meet rapid increases in electric demand, on river ecosystems downstream of dams. The research proposed here aims to test whether regulating ramping rates can provide ecological benefits, while at the same time minimizing operator production losses. Ramping rate restrictions are believed to result in harm reduction including: loss of downstream diversity, habitat degradation, changes in sediment input and river temperature regimes. The study proposed here will experimentally compare a period of ramping rate restriction to unlimited ramping and determine how fish living in the river are affected by examining changes in individual growth rates, condition and the water temperatures used by resident fish. In addition, changes in the structure of the river foodweb will also be examined to determine if unrestricted ramping simplifies the foodweb and significantly alters fish diets and dependence on prey. To conduct the work cutting edge stable isotope methods that facilitate determining the water temperatures and prey used by fish will be both used and developed. Results of study in the experimental river will be contrasted to a parallel study of a control river that has no dam to determine how ramping changes the river ecosystem as a whole. The research addresses the need for new experimental approaches to advance scientific understanding at scales relevant to whole-river management by using controlled river flow manipulations and placing emphasis on cooperative interactions among scientists, industry and resource managers, all of whom will participate at some level in the research. Thus, the research will provide practical information and suggest and test new tools for habitat and fisheries managers in relation to ramping and the use of ramping rates for river ecosystem protection.