RESTOLINK: Quantifying restoration success across biomes by linking biodiversity, multifunctionality and hydromorphological heterogeneity

• Grant number: 21/04399-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: April 01, 2022 - March 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Environmental Sanitation
• Convênio/Acordo: European Commission (Horizon 2020)
• Principal Investigator: Davi Gasparini Fernandes Cunha
• Grantee: Davi Gasparini Fernandes Cunha
• Principal researcher abroad: Mario Brauns
• Institution abroad: Helmholtz Association, Germany
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Björn Gücker ; Iola Gonçalves Boechat ; Juliano José Corbi

Abstract

Restoration approaches to improve in-stream hydromorphology are increasing worldwide, but often fail to recover good ecological status as well as biodiversity. Evidence for the dominant effect of hydromorphology on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning suggests that the strong potential for hydromorphological restoration is not fully explored in stream rehabilitation measures. We argue that restoration is too often conducted to meet aesthetic aims, rather than explicitly considering scales of stream morphology and hydrodynamics most relevant to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Moreover, indicators of restoration success are mostly related to biodiversity, which may not show the same recovery trajectories as key ecosystem functions. Integrating functioning into measures for restoration success may increase our ability to detect early restoration success and link restoration to ecosystem services humans receive from nature. Despite repeated calls to connect biodiversity with ecosystem functioning into a restoration framework, such approaches are missing to date. We propose a novel framework for evaluating restoration success by mechanistically linking three central facets of stream ecosystems, i.e., hydromorphological heterogeneity, multi-group biodiversity (microbial and macrobial), and ecosystem multifunctionality. We will apply this framework to streams across the full latitudinal gradient from the boreal to the tropical biome in four participating countries (Brazil, Germany, Spain, and Sweden), where large-scale factors such as climate, vegetation, and hydrology may set the boundaries for local responses. With RESTOLINK, we i) identify scales of hydromorphology that need to be restored to induce recovery of microbial and macrobial biodiversity (theme 3 of the BIODIVERSA call), ii) decipher the role of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning (theme 1), iii) establish ecosystem functions as new indicators as well as targets of freshwater restoration (theme 2), iv) determine thresholds of biodiversity that must be restored to maximize ecosystem multifunctionality (theme 1), and v) evaluate the uncertainties of biodiversity and (multi)functional restoration targets across biomes (theme 3). RESTOLINK will advance our fundamental understanding of how physical complexity, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning are interlinked. Such knowledge will guide managers to tailor restoration measures that improve biodiversity, the ecological status, and the functioning of streams. Functional indicators delivered by RESTOLINK will allow for the implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the European Union 2030 Biodiversity Strategy as well as similar initiatives in Brazil by different national, state and municipal-level stakeholders, considering biodiversity and ecosystem functioning as environmental commodities at risk. (AU)