01 Stream Ecology overview

This is the first lecture of BIOL 380 - Stream Ecology. This lecture is a general introduction to why we study stream ecology, some terms, and a warning about its complexity. The reading is the first nine pages of "Stream Ecology: Structure and Function of Running Waters, 2nd Edition".

[@Abhalerao96]

This video series is turning out to be very useful for me to get into the basics of freshwater/stream ecology.

[@thelukesternater]

I hope this is the channel I have been looking for.

[@Mike-yg9zw]

These videos are great, thanks so much

[@deepikasasidharan144]

Verymuch informative..👍

[@KrishnaReville]

So grateful for this amazing series of lectures. Wondering if you may have any ideas if there are similar available for Australia? Thanks so much!

[@thomasevans3387]

Glad they were helpful. These were put together by me for a course, so all you need to do is convince someone in Australia to put their lectures together.

[@n0sr3t3p]

ouch, is that a patch of japanese knotweed on the lower right of the river? 0:01

[@tangent94]

Thank you so much for putting this up. I wanted to take stream eco at UMD but missed my chance. A question: In stream order, what's the minimum requirement for counting as a stream at all? I grew up near rock creek park. There's loads of little "mini-creeks" - shallow channels, maybe 2 ft diameter and 1 ft deep, feeding into the creek. Are those first order streams? Do we count them if we have evidence they are former irrigation channels?

[@thomasevans3387]

Generally the lowest order stream is defined as a place where there is continuous surface water in a normal year of rain. All this exposes had humans need to put things in boxes to understand them, but outside of that exists a wide universe of grey area.

[@tangent94]

Is 'pool/riffle/run" primarily applicable to lower order streams?

[@thomasevans3387]

Pool-riffle-run is an idealized pattern. It happens sometimes, but you should expect it to be violated as often as it is upheld. In small high order streams you may get nothing but riffles and runs, or even just riffles is the gradient is extremely steep.