Global ecosystem typology

Alternative site for the Global ecosystem typology with additional information for ecosystem profiles and indicative maps.

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F1.2 Permanent lowland rivers

Biome: F1. Rivers and streams biome

Contributors:
(texts)

Lowland rivers with slow continuous flows up to 10,000m3/s are common at low elevations throughout tropical and temperate parts of the world. These are productive ecosystems with major energy and fine sediment inputs from floodplains and upper catchments. Zooplankton can be abundant, along with aquatic plants and diverse communities of fish able to tolerate a range of temperatures and oxygen concentrations, as well as reptiles, birds, and mammals that depend wholly or partly on lowland lotic aquatic habitats.

Key Features

Low-medium velocity, high volume, perennial flows with abundant zooplankton, fish, macrophytes, macroinvertebrates & piscivores.

Overview of distribution

Global lowlands fed by wet uplands.

Profile versions

  • v1.0 (2020-01-20): RT Kingsford; RC Mac Nally; DA Keith
  • v1.2 (2020-05-14): RT Kingsford; R Mac Nally; DA Keith
  • v2.0 (2020-06-01): RT Kingsford; R Mac Nally; PS Giller; MC; Rains; AH Arthington; DA Keith
  • v2.01 ():
  • v2.1 (2022-04-06): RT Kingsford; R Mac Nally; PS Giller; MC; Rains; AH Arthington; DA Keith Full profile available at official site

Main references

Selected references for this functional group:

Diagrammatic assembly model

Diagrammatic assembly model of F1.2 Permanent lowland rivers. See general notes on diagrams. Open image full size.

Maps

Maps are indicative of global distribution patterns are not intended to represent fine-scale patterns. The maps show areas of the world containing major (coloured red) or minor occurrences (coloured yellow) of each ecosystem functional group. See general notes on maps.

There are 2 alternative versions of the indicative map for this functional group, please compare description and sources below.

F1.2.IM.grid_v1.0

Datasets

  • HydroAtlas-1.0
  • FEOW-2008
  • GSW-1.1

Map references

  • Linke, S., Lehner, B., Ouellet Dallaire, C., Ariwi, J., Grill, G., Anand, M., Beames, P., Burchard-Levine, V., Maxwell, S., Moidu, H., Tan, F., Thieme, M. (2019) Global hydro-environmental sub-basin and river reach characteristics at high spatial resolution Scientific Data 6: 283 DOI:10.1038/s41597-019-0300-6

  • Abell R, Thieme ML, Revenga C, Bryer M, Kottelat M, Bogutskaya N, Coad B, Mandrak N, Contreras Balderas S, Bussing W, Stiassny MLJ, Skelton P, Allen GR, Unmack P, Naseka A, Ng R, Sindorf N, Robertson J, Armijo E, Higgins JV, Heibel TJ, Wikramanayake E, Olson D, López HL, Reis RE, Lundberg JG, Sabaj Pérez MH, Petry P (2008) Freshwater ecoregions of the world: A new map of biogeographic units for freshwater biodiversity conservation, BioScience 58: 403–414. DOI:10.1641/B580507

  • Pekel JF, Cottam A, Gorelick N, Belward AS (2016) High-resolution mapping of global surface water and its long-term changes Nature 540, 418-422 DOI:10.1038/nature20584

F1.2.web.map_v1.0

Freshwater ecoregions (Abell et al. 2008) were identified as containing occurrences of these functional groups if: i) their descriptions mentioned features consistent with those identified in the profile of the Ecosystem Functional Group; and ii) if their location was consistent with the ecological drivers described in the profile. Within these areas, major occurrences were mapped using stream orders 4-9 taken from the RiverATLAS (v1.0) database (Linke et al. 2019) combined with global estimates of surface water phenology (classes 1, 2 and 7 from Pekel et al. 2016). The remaining area of selected ecoregions was designated as minor occurrences. Open image full size.
Freshwater ecoregions (Abell et al. 2008) were identified as containing occurrences of these functional groups if: i) their descriptions mentioned features consistent with those identified in the profile of the Ecosystem Functional Group; and ii) if their location was consistent with the ecological drivers described in the profile. Within these areas, major occurrences were mapped using stream orders 4-9 taken from the RiverATLAS (v1.0) database (Linke et al. 2019) combined with global estimates of surface water phenology (classes 1, 2 and 7 from Pekel et al. 2016). The remaining area of selected ecoregions was designated as minor occurrences. Open image full size.

Datasets

  • HydroAtlas-1.0
  • GSW-1.1
  • FEOW-2008

Map references

  • Linke, S., Lehner, B., Ouellet Dallaire, C., Ariwi, J., Grill, G., Anand, M., Beames, P., Burchard-Levine, V., Maxwell, S., Moidu, H., Tan, F., Thieme, M. (2019) Global hydro-environmental sub-basin and river reach characteristics at high spatial resolution Scientific Data 6: 283 DOI:10.1038/s41597-019-0300-6

  • Pekel JF, Cottam A, Gorelick N, Belward AS (2016) High-resolution mapping of global surface water and its long-term changes Nature 540, 418-422 DOI:10.1038/nature20584

  • Abell R, Thieme ML, Revenga C, Bryer M, Kottelat M, Bogutskaya N, Coad B, Mandrak N, Contreras Balderas S, Bussing W, Stiassny MLJ, Skelton P, Allen GR, Unmack P, Naseka A, Ng R, Sindorf N, Robertson J, Armijo E, Higgins JV, Heibel TJ, Wikramanayake E, Olson D, López HL, Reis RE, Lundberg JG, Sabaj Pérez MH, Petry P (2008) Freshwater ecoregions of the world: A new map of biogeographic units for freshwater biodiversity conservation, BioScience 58: 403–414. DOI:10.1641/B580507

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