Jonathan, over at the spring in the Francis Marion National Forest near Charleston, South Carolina. The spring has recently slowed down. The old people that I’ve asked said the spring has always been there, with no other specifics. I go over there to collect drinking water. But for some reason just in the past year or so it is noticeably slower. The little spring flows into a brackish run that goes on into the east Cooper river.
Why do you suppose it would slow down?
Next question will be..if the spring contributes less freshwater to that stream, then will the wildlife move away if it becomes too salty?
My guess would be water abstraction for agriculture or some industrial use. And, yes, you'd expect over longer periods for salinity to increase. But in the near term, a reduction in cool groundwater will have a wide range of ecological impacts, which could cause species to move away or be outcompeted by more tolerant species etc.
Sure thing: contact details at the bottom of my lab website: https://tonkinlab.org. I won't post my email here in case it exposes it to more spam bots.
I once commissioned a macroinvertebrate study of high energy headwater streams in the Berkshire Mtns in Massachusetts, formerly USA (soon to be USR???) Researchers found a >60% unique diversity in those streams, i.e. over 60% of the species found in each stream were unique to that sub-watershed. Yes, not found in any of the other streams.
Species richness is important, and knowing it’s rate of change over time is important too, but the biodiversity represented in these healthy sub-watersheds, in areas with few or no roads/development, is a critical piece of the puzzle. As climate changes, and other human impacts on habitats persist (microplastics? opaque spherules?) what becomes of these unique critters? To me, it’s not just a matter of how many different species are found there, but which ones? Where is home for species x,y, or z?
Great reflection, Sally! Yes, there can be incredible turnover among headwater streams. They really are key refuges for some species. While they may often be low in the number of species locally, they can vary considerably among segments. So the value is in the whole: i.e. we need to protect not just single sections of rivers, but whole catchments.
add sitting still at the astonishing diversity on this ocean river planet and what else do you need?
Here in Seattle area the Bigleaf maples are dying out from heat, an indicator of the rapid (in earth time 30 years is a lightning bolt to me) transplanting of Sequoias by Seattle Parks as the preferred replacement tree.
Well each of these trees brings their own biodiversity with them, so we shall see what it is like to have the oak woodlands return and the California trees as neighbors.
your note on new life that is used to warmer waters in Germany replacing cold water plants is also true for us. Somehow I take some pleasure in knowing the people who are fighting for a fascist America can never win for long. the planet won't have it. I've read that eery extinction we've had, science sees amazing improvements in biodiversity.
this is us if we would only see ourselves as rivers, as the sea, born of this Earth and not separate from her.
I'm not sure where you are located, but I made a cool map of the Cascadia watersheds with Raven Maps years ago. Happy to send you one.
I was watching The Great Simplification with Nate interviewing Janine Benyus who started Biomimicry Institute. At the end he asked her what her closing thoughts were and she said something that brings tears to my eyes:
paraphrasing:
We've been given free land
Fresh water
Clean air
Abundant food
How do we return the favor?
I think science over time will help us answer that question. We ought to live ethically and build a stewardship society that cares for each other and plants and animals, watersheds and the sea.
I keep Mary Oliver's quote on my desktop as a daily prayer to read:
“I would say that there exist a thousand unbreakable links between each of us and everything else, and that our dignity and our chances are one. The farthest star and the mud at our feet are a family; and there is no decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list. The pine tree, the leopard, the Platte River, and ourselves - we are at risk together, or we are on our way to a sustainable world together. We are each other's destiny.”
Keep up the good work and writing about it. Peace of wildlife,
What a beautiful share, thanks Timothy! Lots to take in there. I enjoyed reading the whole thing. And Mary Oliver ❤️ -- she's just amazing. I love her work -- her keenness and observation skills are amazing.
So many changes are happening as you say.
I live in New Zealand. I lived in Corvallis OR for three years and have a friend in Seattle so know that part of the world well. :)
A beautiful explanation. As much as our data can show us what is happening, it's what we can't measure and see that I also worry about. For example, the shift in the use of artificial light at night and what we don't see as easily in the data about the complex interactions of species and light (our human selves included). We still have so much to learn. So much of our knowledge about biodiversity still seems invisible, and so anything we can do with data and stories to help us all understand what is happening to our biodiversity is so vital. I also really like that you explain the graphs to bring everyone along on the journey.
Thanks so much, Angela! So glad to get that feedback and that the explanations are helpful! And yes, well said: it's what we can't see that's concerning.
I subscribed, then upgraded after my first read. Fantastic info. A couple things:
1. My doctoral advisor found interesting patterns in trout streams in Michigan, USA following pathogen-caused decline in a grazing caddisfly and resulting increases in overall richness. I saw similarities in your work and that study.
"Pathogen outbreaks reveal large‐scale effects of competition in stream communities"
Steven L Kohler, Michael J Wiley
Ecology 78 (7), 2164-2176, 1997
2. "Phenological mismatches" as a term seems to fall short in this instance. "Phenological desynchronization" may be a more accurate term given that phenological matching or synchronization has been disrupted by human activity. "Mismatch" fails to convey that.
Just my opinion.
"Such shifts are called ‘phenological mismatches’, where species that depend on each other, like pollinators and plants or predators and prey, become out of sync..."
Hi David. So great to connect and thanks so much for the upgrade! Very much appreciate it.
That's so cool. I know Steven Kohler's work very well. He wrote a few what I consider classics in stream ecology on the role of interactions among species. In fact, a colleague and I recently wrote a book chapter on "Species interactions and community structure" in the book "Foundations in Stream Ecology" and his work featured a couple of times. These books feature foundational papers with associated commentary for why they were foundational. His work didn't feature as one of the main papers we featured, but it did get used a couple of times because it was so timely and important.
Re: Terminology. Good point! Happy to receive counter opinions! Many thanks and yes I see your point.
Steven Kohler was a colleague of my awesome major advisor. Mike Wiley at UM-Ann Arbor, where I did my Ph.D.. My dissertation looked at taxa relationships in watersheds in Michigan. Testing indicator species theory, etc.
My masters was in toxicology so ive been interested in interactions since.
Just popping in to say hello as another Michigander—and that I like the suggestion of Phenological desynchronization to explain this phenomena. Perhaps the more technical word would be intimidating to some, but I agree it’s the more precise description of the issue.
Regardless, a fascinating and concerning topic! It’s something we see directly in agriculture, too, or at least adjacent to things we see in ag. Perennial plants breaking dormancy too early, and suffering frost damage as a result, higher parasite pressures as winters become milder on average… I’m sure these same pressures affect wild ecosystems as well.
Yes, farmers and growers are at the coalface here. So much uncertainty with the changing timing of things. That can be the difference between making money and losing money. And the almond industry is a prime example of something that is suffering due to issues with mutualistic partners.
And in many ways, the honey industry itself. I was just thinking through where we might place some hives (a beekeeper friend just reached out), and wondering if a slower-to-warm north facing spot might be better than a more traditional south facing area. In our region at least, bees are waking up with the unusually warm midwinter and early spring temps, but with no forage to feed on, and running through their winter honey reserves before they can be replaced with spring blooms.
I thank you for paying attention to these subtle changes in our environment.
Jonathan, over at the spring in the Francis Marion National Forest near Charleston, South Carolina. The spring has recently slowed down. The old people that I’ve asked said the spring has always been there, with no other specifics. I go over there to collect drinking water. But for some reason just in the past year or so it is noticeably slower. The little spring flows into a brackish run that goes on into the east Cooper river.
Why do you suppose it would slow down?
Next question will be..if the spring contributes less freshwater to that stream, then will the wildlife move away if it becomes too salty?
My guess would be water abstraction for agriculture or some industrial use. And, yes, you'd expect over longer periods for salinity to increase. But in the near term, a reduction in cool groundwater will have a wide range of ecological impacts, which could cause species to move away or be outcompeted by more tolerant species etc.
You're welcome :)
Jonathan Tonkin, is there any way to reach you directly? I’d like to invite you to present in a webinar series I produce.
Sure thing: contact details at the bottom of my lab website: https://tonkinlab.org. I won't post my email here in case it exposes it to more spam bots.
Great article! Very clear description of the interrelatedness of species to climate changes. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Lisa! :)
I once commissioned a macroinvertebrate study of high energy headwater streams in the Berkshire Mtns in Massachusetts, formerly USA (soon to be USR???) Researchers found a >60% unique diversity in those streams, i.e. over 60% of the species found in each stream were unique to that sub-watershed. Yes, not found in any of the other streams.
Species richness is important, and knowing it’s rate of change over time is important too, but the biodiversity represented in these healthy sub-watersheds, in areas with few or no roads/development, is a critical piece of the puzzle. As climate changes, and other human impacts on habitats persist (microplastics? opaque spherules?) what becomes of these unique critters? To me, it’s not just a matter of how many different species are found there, but which ones? Where is home for species x,y, or z?
Great reflection, Sally! Yes, there can be incredible turnover among headwater streams. They really are key refuges for some species. While they may often be low in the number of species locally, they can vary considerably among segments. So the value is in the whole: i.e. we need to protect not just single sections of rivers, but whole catchments.
Very interesting & informative. Thank you. Looking forward to learning more.
Thanks Linda! Glad you think so.
Thank you - well compiled information, mostly ignored.
Thanks Richard.
Impermanence
interconnectedness
compassion
add sitting still at the astonishing diversity on this ocean river planet and what else do you need?
Here in Seattle area the Bigleaf maples are dying out from heat, an indicator of the rapid (in earth time 30 years is a lightning bolt to me) transplanting of Sequoias by Seattle Parks as the preferred replacement tree.
Well each of these trees brings their own biodiversity with them, so we shall see what it is like to have the oak woodlands return and the California trees as neighbors.
your note on new life that is used to warmer waters in Germany replacing cold water plants is also true for us. Somehow I take some pleasure in knowing the people who are fighting for a fascist America can never win for long. the planet won't have it. I've read that eery extinction we've had, science sees amazing improvements in biodiversity.
this is us if we would only see ourselves as rivers, as the sea, born of this Earth and not separate from her.
I'm not sure where you are located, but I made a cool map of the Cascadia watersheds with Raven Maps years ago. Happy to send you one.
I was watching The Great Simplification with Nate interviewing Janine Benyus who started Biomimicry Institute. At the end he asked her what her closing thoughts were and she said something that brings tears to my eyes:
paraphrasing:
We've been given free land
Fresh water
Clean air
Abundant food
How do we return the favor?
I think science over time will help us answer that question. We ought to live ethically and build a stewardship society that cares for each other and plants and animals, watersheds and the sea.
I keep Mary Oliver's quote on my desktop as a daily prayer to read:
“I would say that there exist a thousand unbreakable links between each of us and everything else, and that our dignity and our chances are one. The farthest star and the mud at our feet are a family; and there is no decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list. The pine tree, the leopard, the Platte River, and ourselves - we are at risk together, or we are on our way to a sustainable world together. We are each other's destiny.”
Keep up the good work and writing about it. Peace of wildlife,
Timothy
What a beautiful share, thanks Timothy! Lots to take in there. I enjoyed reading the whole thing. And Mary Oliver ❤️ -- she's just amazing. I love her work -- her keenness and observation skills are amazing.
So many changes are happening as you say.
I live in New Zealand. I lived in Corvallis OR for three years and have a friend in Seattle so know that part of the world well. :)
we have friends that moved to Wellington, enjoyed it so much they got work permits in the 90's and our loss became their great happiness.
FYI https://biomimicry.org/inspiration/what-is-biomimicry/
Thanks for sharing! And a belated welcome to your friends to NZ! :)
A beautiful explanation. As much as our data can show us what is happening, it's what we can't measure and see that I also worry about. For example, the shift in the use of artificial light at night and what we don't see as easily in the data about the complex interactions of species and light (our human selves included). We still have so much to learn. So much of our knowledge about biodiversity still seems invisible, and so anything we can do with data and stories to help us all understand what is happening to our biodiversity is so vital. I also really like that you explain the graphs to bring everyone along on the journey.
Thanks so much, Angela! So glad to get that feedback and that the explanations are helpful! And yes, well said: it's what we can't see that's concerning.
Hi Jonathan,
I subscribed, then upgraded after my first read. Fantastic info. A couple things:
1. My doctoral advisor found interesting patterns in trout streams in Michigan, USA following pathogen-caused decline in a grazing caddisfly and resulting increases in overall richness. I saw similarities in your work and that study.
"Pathogen outbreaks reveal large‐scale effects of competition in stream communities"
Steven L Kohler, Michael J Wiley
Ecology 78 (7), 2164-2176, 1997
2. "Phenological mismatches" as a term seems to fall short in this instance. "Phenological desynchronization" may be a more accurate term given that phenological matching or synchronization has been disrupted by human activity. "Mismatch" fails to convey that.
Just my opinion.
"Such shifts are called ‘phenological mismatches’, where species that depend on each other, like pollinators and plants or predators and prey, become out of sync..."
Hi David. So great to connect and thanks so much for the upgrade! Very much appreciate it.
That's so cool. I know Steven Kohler's work very well. He wrote a few what I consider classics in stream ecology on the role of interactions among species. In fact, a colleague and I recently wrote a book chapter on "Species interactions and community structure" in the book "Foundations in Stream Ecology" and his work featured a couple of times. These books feature foundational papers with associated commentary for why they were foundational. His work didn't feature as one of the main papers we featured, but it did get used a couple of times because it was so timely and important.
Re: Terminology. Good point! Happy to receive counter opinions! Many thanks and yes I see your point.
Steven Kohler was a colleague of my awesome major advisor. Mike Wiley at UM-Ann Arbor, where I did my Ph.D.. My dissertation looked at taxa relationships in watersheds in Michigan. Testing indicator species theory, etc.
My masters was in toxicology so ive been interested in interactions since.
Very cool! It's great to connect with another stream ecologist -- it's a small world when it comes to stream ecology.
Just popping in to say hello as another Michigander—and that I like the suggestion of Phenological desynchronization to explain this phenomena. Perhaps the more technical word would be intimidating to some, but I agree it’s the more precise description of the issue.
Regardless, a fascinating and concerning topic! It’s something we see directly in agriculture, too, or at least adjacent to things we see in ag. Perennial plants breaking dormancy too early, and suffering frost damage as a result, higher parasite pressures as winters become milder on average… I’m sure these same pressures affect wild ecosystems as well.
Yes, farmers and growers are at the coalface here. So much uncertainty with the changing timing of things. That can be the difference between making money and losing money. And the almond industry is a prime example of something that is suffering due to issues with mutualistic partners.
And in many ways, the honey industry itself. I was just thinking through where we might place some hives (a beekeeper friend just reached out), and wondering if a slower-to-warm north facing spot might be better than a more traditional south facing area. In our region at least, bees are waking up with the unusually warm midwinter and early spring temps, but with no forage to feed on, and running through their winter honey reserves before they can be replaced with spring blooms.
Super interesting and very concerning! Life is continuing to get more challenging when relying on nature directly.
Nice article, Jonathan! Informative indeed.
Thanks Lazaros! Appreciate that.
Good insight 😌 Can i translate part of this article into Spanish with links to you and a description of your newsletter?
Sure thing! Thanks.