Abstract Rapid shifts in biotic communities due to environmental variability challenge the detection of anthropogenic impacts by current biomonitoring programs. Metacommunity ecology has the potential to inform such programs, because it combines dispersal processes with niche-based approaches and recognizes variability in community composition. Using intermittent rivers—prevalent and highly dynamic ecosystems that sometimes dry—we develop a conceptual model to illustrate how dispersal limitation and flow intermittence influence the performance of biological indices. We produce a methodological framework integrating physical- and organismal-based dispersal measurements into predictive modeling, to inform development of dynamic ecological quality assessments. Such metacommunity-based approaches could be extended to other ecosystems and are required to underpin our capacity to monitor and protect ecosystems threatened under future environmental changes.

中文翻译：

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改善高度动态淡水生态系统生物评估的元社区方法


摘要 由于环境变化导致生物群落的快速变化，对当前生物监测项目检测人为影响提出了挑战。元群落生态学有潜力为此类计划提供信息，因为它将扩散过程与基于生态位的方法相结合，并认识到群落组成的可变性。利用间歇性河流（普遍存在且高度动态、有时会干涸的生态系统），我们开发了一个概念模型来说明扩散限制和流量间歇性如何影响生物指数的表现。我们制定了一个方法框架，将基于物理和生物的扩散测量整合到预测模型中，为动态生态质量评估的发展提供信息。这种基于元社区的方法可以扩展到其他生态系统，并且需要巩固我们监测和保护在未来环境变化下受到威胁的生态系统的能力。