Managed adaptation is a strategy to reduce the impacts of climate change on ecosystems. Of particular interest to WTT, the planting of riparian woodland is advocated widely to provide shade and hence reduce the warming of temperate streams, but of course there are other benefits as well such as increasing retention of water within the catchment (to reduce potential flooding) or increase bank stability (and hence reduce soil ingress / bank erosion). Leaf litter has also long been recognised as a vital energy source to many rivers and streams.
In a recent study of upland Welsh streams, a team of researchers from Cardiff University has investigated whether four types of riparian management, including those proposed to reduce potential climate change impacts, might also affect the community composition of macroinvertebrates, and how they feed and what they might functionally contribute within the wider food web.
Perhaps surprisingly, the type of riparian land use (native deciduous, non-native conifer, grassland pasture, or moorland) had only small effects on invertebrate taxonomic composition, and their diet appeared to comprise roughly 50:50 food derived from within the river and food derived from outside (i.e. leaf litter), irrespective of land management type.