Interested colleagues are invited to submit contributions to the SPECIAL SESSION:

Springs and small streams: understudied and under-protected key habitats for biodiversity conservation

SIL2007 (30th Congress of the International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology). Montréal, Canada, 12-18 August 2007

Session organizers:
Dr Marco Cantonati, Trento Science Museum, Limnology and Phycology Section, Trento, Italy & Prof John S. Richardson, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Session motivation and description
The biological communities of small streams and springs are distinctive, and more than simply a nested subset of species found downstream. Springs are considered special habitats by all running water classification systems in recognition of their marked environmental stability and generally low degree of pollution. They are however much less studied than other freshwater habitats. The processes that provide habitat conditions suitable for specialized taxa have often only been described in general terms. Advances in testing physical, chemical and biological mechanisms that select amongst taxa have started to demonstrate the roles of hydraulic and other physical processes that set habitat constraints. As applied problems emerge, it is increasingly important to strengthen fundamental knowledge on these environments. Indeed, springs and groundwater-fed streams are often under-protected in some landscapes (e.g. managed forests), while in others they are increasingly threatened by capture for drinking water use (European Alps).

This session will explore the distinctiveness of the biological and physical systems, as well as how these are affected by various kinds of management. The links (or absence thereof) to broader policy, such as the Clean Water Act (USA) and the Water Framework Directive (EU-WFD) will also be considered. Initiatives for an improved international cooperation in spring-research will be explored.

Keynote speakers: Prof Eugen Rott, University of Innsbruck, Austria:
Headwater streams: Biodiversity and conservation aspects.

Dr Reinhard Gerecke, University of Tübingen, Germany:
Spring habitats: the biota and pros for long-term ecological research.

For further information on the Special Session please contact: cantonati@mtsn.tn.it
Der Link zur Tagungsseite mit allen Infos: [ http://www.sil2007.org ]