Effects of climate and land-use change on lowland stream ecosystems

During the past decades human interference in regional hydrologic systems has intensified. These systems act as an integrating medium. They link climate, human activities and ecological processes through groundwater and surface water interactions. In this study we have examined the potential impacts of climate and land-use change on the streams Beerze and Reusel in the Netherlands. For examining the potential impacts of climate change we have followed a scheme involving predictions for: - indirect effects of climate change, that are transferred to ecological subsystems through the regional hydrologic system - direct effects of climate change, through the direct influence of temperature on the growth and reproduction of plant species, and the dispersal of aquatic invertebrates Large effects on peak discharges are predicted for some of the climate scenarios. Effects on terrestrial ecosystems are moderate and mainly positive. Under all scenarios the climate change had a significantly negative effect on the stream community of the aquatic ecosystem