Hydrodynamic–Habitat Models as Tools for Biodiversity Conservation, Freshwater Resources and Ecosystem Management

Dear colleagues,

To effectively manage and conserve aquatic ecosystems, we need to assess the available quantity and quality of in-stream habitats for plants or animals of interest, such as fish or benthic macroinvertebrates, for various management strategies and design options; such assessments are typically performed via the use of hydrodynamic-habitat models (HHMs).

HHMs combine calculations of a river’s hydrodynamic characteristics, mainly water depths and flow velocities, using 1D, 2D or 3D hydrodynamic models (other variables, such as water temperature and the type of substrate that can be used are also calculated via heat transfer and sediment transport models, respectively) with habitat models that are empirical habitat suitability models or process-based population or bioenergetic models. Currently, HHMs are used to evaluate the implementation of various freshwater ecosystem management strategies and design options, such as river and lake restoration plans, fishway efficiency, and to assess environmental flows.

This Special Issue aims to assess current progress and practices in the development and applications of HHMs. We specifically welcome contributions on engaging topics that attempt to provide answers to the following research questions:

1. Which habitat models can be ideally combined with hydrodynamic models? Which biota can be effectively used as habitat suitability indicators in HHMs?
2. How can we establish flow/habitat relationships for species of interest and their life stages, in order to model their responses to long- and short-term flow fluctuations imposed by human activities?
3. How can we carry out accurate environmental flow assessments (EFAs) using HHMs? How do HHMs compare with hydrology-based alternatives? Can hydrological metrics sufficiently analyze spatial variation in the aquatic environment as they do with temporal variation?
4. Are HHMs the most robust EFA tools, applicable in situations where a high degree of certainty is required to provide water managers and stakeholders with defensible environmental flow recommendations?
5. How can we assess the ecological effects of alternative water management strategies, such as restoration plans, which involve certain channel morphological changes that result in specific hydrodynamic and in-stream habitat conditions?
6. How can we link hydrodynamic models with process-based population or bioenergetic models to identify optimal locations and habitats for species of interest? How can we apply this linkage to optimize the location, design and efficiency of fishways?
7. How can we determine the ecological effects of river hydrodynamics on population processes, such as growth and survival, dynamics, and time-averaged population abundance?
8. What other advances in HHMs can further facilitate the accurate planning of biodiversity conservation, freshwater resources and ecosystem management strategies?

Prof. Dr. Anastasios I. Stamou
Prof. Dr. Peter Rutschmann
Prof. Piotr Parasiewicz
Dr. Christos Theodoropoulos
Guest Editors

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• hydrodynamic models
• eco-hydraulics
• habitat suitability curves
• integrated habitat assessment
• channel morphological changes
• environmental flow assessment