Abstract

The influence of past land use on the present-day diversity of stream invertebrates and fish was investigated by comparing watersheds with different land-use history. Whole watershed land use in the 1950s was the best predictor of present-day diversity, whereas riparian land use and watershed land use in the 1990s were comparatively poor indicators. Our findings indicate that past land-use activity, particularly agriculture, may result in long-term modifications to and reductions in aquatic diversity, regardless of reforestation of riparian zones. Preservation of habitat fragments may not be sufficient to maintain natural diversity in streams, and maintenance of such biodiversity may require conservation of much or all of the watershed.

Keywords

Riparian zoneBiodiversityWatershedLand useReforestationGeographySTREAMSHabitatEcologyInvertebrateAgricultural landAgroforestryEnvironmental scienceBiology

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Publication Info

Year
1998
Type
article
Volume
95
Issue
25
Pages
14843-14847
Citations
1023
Access
Closed

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Jon S. Harding, E. F. Benfield, P. V. Bolstad et al. (1998). Stream biodiversity: The ghost of land use past. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 95 (25) , 14843-14847. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.95.25.14843

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DOI
10.1073/pnas.95.25.14843