BBEST practices: Intentional efforts to identify elusive flow-ecology thresholds
Developing and discerning flow-ecology relationships, particularly identifying the limits of hydrologic alterations on aquatic ecosystems, is critical for effective water resource management. In the absence of clear, empirically derived hydrologic alteration thresholds, alternative methods such as c...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25002420 |
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| author | Mark B. Lueders Ryan A. McManamay Diane Le Bouille Kayla Garrett Lydia Roush Stephen Powers David Young Preston Bean Kevin Mayes Ryan Smith Joseph F. Trungale |
| author_facet | Mark B. Lueders Ryan A. McManamay Diane Le Bouille Kayla Garrett Lydia Roush Stephen Powers David Young Preston Bean Kevin Mayes Ryan Smith Joseph F. Trungale |
| author_sort | Mark B. Lueders |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Developing and discerning flow-ecology relationships, particularly identifying the limits of hydrologic alterations on aquatic ecosystems, is critical for effective water resource management. In the absence of clear, empirically derived hydrologic alteration thresholds, alternative methods such as consensus and knowledge co-production, have been employed. One example is the BBEST (Basin and Bay Area Expert Science Team) program in Texas established with the explicit goal of identifying thresholds for river systems. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive review and meta-analysis of the standing scientific literature on flow-ecology relationships in Texas and neighboring geographies and compared that literature with reports from BBEST and the Texas Instream Flow Program (TIFP). We extracted all available flow-ecology values, including trend data, thresholds, before/after comparisons, and qualitative responses, yielding a total of ∼27,000 observations. Despite three times as many scientific literature sources, 85 % of flow-ecology observations were obtained from BBEST and TIFP reports. Of these observations, 83 % (∼19,000) were thresholds, whereas these types of observations were virtually absent in the scientific literature (< 100; ∼2 %). By reanalyzing flow-ecology trend observations from literature, we found repeated evidence of the presence of thresholds, all of which were from studies originally failing to report any such values. With the exception of high flow pulses, magnitude-related thresholds from BBEST and TIFP were not significantly different from hydrologic values in scientific literature where thresholds were undetected. These observations support the position that lack of thresholds could be due to elusivity rather than absence, and intentional interdisciplinary efforts may be a step forward in identifying flow thresholds. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2e1aabc910254c099274a8f69731258d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-2e1aabc910254c099274a8f69731258d2025-08-20T03:42:41ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-03-0117211331110.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113311BBEST practices: Intentional efforts to identify elusive flow-ecology thresholdsMark B. Lueders0Ryan A. McManamay1Diane Le Bouille2Kayla Garrett3Lydia Roush4Stephen Powers5David Young6Preston Bean7Kevin Mayes8Ryan Smith9Joseph F. Trungale10Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States; Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United StatesDepartment of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States; Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States; Corresponding author at: One Bear Place #97622, Waco TX 76798-7266, United States.Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States; Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United StatesDepartment of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United StatesDepartment of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United StatesCenter for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States; Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United StatesInland Fisheries Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX 78744, United StatesInland Fisheries Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX 78744, United StatesInland Fisheries Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX 78744, United StatesThe Nature Conservancy, San Antonio, TX, 78215, United StatesThe Nature Conservancy, Boulder, CO, 80302, United StatesDeveloping and discerning flow-ecology relationships, particularly identifying the limits of hydrologic alterations on aquatic ecosystems, is critical for effective water resource management. In the absence of clear, empirically derived hydrologic alteration thresholds, alternative methods such as consensus and knowledge co-production, have been employed. One example is the BBEST (Basin and Bay Area Expert Science Team) program in Texas established with the explicit goal of identifying thresholds for river systems. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive review and meta-analysis of the standing scientific literature on flow-ecology relationships in Texas and neighboring geographies and compared that literature with reports from BBEST and the Texas Instream Flow Program (TIFP). We extracted all available flow-ecology values, including trend data, thresholds, before/after comparisons, and qualitative responses, yielding a total of ∼27,000 observations. Despite three times as many scientific literature sources, 85 % of flow-ecology observations were obtained from BBEST and TIFP reports. Of these observations, 83 % (∼19,000) were thresholds, whereas these types of observations were virtually absent in the scientific literature (< 100; ∼2 %). By reanalyzing flow-ecology trend observations from literature, we found repeated evidence of the presence of thresholds, all of which were from studies originally failing to report any such values. With the exception of high flow pulses, magnitude-related thresholds from BBEST and TIFP were not significantly different from hydrologic values in scientific literature where thresholds were undetected. These observations support the position that lack of thresholds could be due to elusivity rather than absence, and intentional interdisciplinary efforts may be a step forward in identifying flow thresholds.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25002420Hydrologic alterationStreamsRiversStreamflowThresholdsEcological limits |
| spellingShingle | Mark B. Lueders Ryan A. McManamay Diane Le Bouille Kayla Garrett Lydia Roush Stephen Powers David Young Preston Bean Kevin Mayes Ryan Smith Joseph F. Trungale BBEST practices: Intentional efforts to identify elusive flow-ecology thresholds Ecological Indicators Hydrologic alteration Streams Rivers Streamflow Thresholds Ecological limits |
| title | BBEST practices: Intentional efforts to identify elusive flow-ecology thresholds |
| title_full | BBEST practices: Intentional efforts to identify elusive flow-ecology thresholds |
| title_fullStr | BBEST practices: Intentional efforts to identify elusive flow-ecology thresholds |
| title_full_unstemmed | BBEST practices: Intentional efforts to identify elusive flow-ecology thresholds |
| title_short | BBEST practices: Intentional efforts to identify elusive flow-ecology thresholds |
| title_sort | bbest practices intentional efforts to identify elusive flow ecology thresholds |
| topic | Hydrologic alteration Streams Rivers Streamflow Thresholds Ecological limits |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25002420 |
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