Journal article
Identifying conservation priorities for aquatic refugia in an arid zone, ephemeral catchment: A hydrological approach
JF Costelloe, KL Russell
Ecohydrology | Published : 2014
DOI: 10.1002/eco.1476
Abstract
The conservation priorities for protecting aquatic habitat of arid zone rivers requires an understanding of the drivers of distribution, characteristics and persistence of aquatic refugia in ephemeral to intermittent arid zone rivers. We describe and analyse the aquatic refugia that persist during drought periods in a large, arid, ephemeral river, the Neales River of central Australia, concentrating on refugia for fish and the hydrological processes that influence their location, characteristics and persistence. Field data were collected on flow events, water-level fluctuations in waterbodies during periods of no flow, waterbody dimensions and salinity. Modelling of open-water evaporation ra..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This study was supported by Australian Commonwealth Government funding from the 'Caring for our Country' scheme and was part of a larger project managed by the South Australian Arid Lands Natural Resource Management Board. The project team of Henry Mancini, Dale McNeil, David Schmarr, Gini Lee and Gresley Wakelin-King greatly assisted this work. The fieldwork would not have been possible without the assistance of Graeme Tomlinson and Peter Richards. Travis Gotch supplied invaluable advice on artesian spring locations and characteristics. We thank the following landholders for allowing fieldwork on their properties; Randall Crozier, Norm Sims and Devon Durbidge of Mount Anna Station and Peake Station (S. Kidmans & Co.), Trevor Williams of Nilpinna Station, Douglas Lillecrap of Todmorden Station, Tony Williams of Mt Barry Station, Andrew Clarke and Rodney Fullarton of Allandale Station. We also thank reviewers and the editor for their comments.