24.1 - Rivers and streams

Classification des habitats du Paléarctique (2001)

Description

Flowing water courses of the Palaearctic region, permanent or temporary, and their associated animal and microscopic algae pelagic and benthic communities. Rivers, streams, brooks, rivulets, rills, torrents, wadis or oueds, waterfalls, cascades and rapids are included. The macrophytic, euhydrophytic communities that colonize them are separately listed under unit 24.4. Features of the river bed, uncovered by low water or permanently emerging, such as gravel, sand, mud or rock islands and bars are listed under units 24.2, 24.3, 24.5 and 24.6. The macrophytic amphibious communities and the terrestrial communities that may develop on them are listed under the relevant sections when specific to watercourses, are otherwise indicated by codes from units 15, 22.3, 3 or 4. The fringing belts of tall or short emergent vegetation are listed under unit 53, the spring vegetation under unit 54.1, the riverside veils of tall herbs and lianas under unit 37.71, riverine arbustive and arborescent vegetation under unit 44. The subdivisions of this unit are based on slope, width and water temperature, according to usual ichthyological practice. Classifications based on flora, such as that of Holmes (1983) for British streams, give broadly similar results. For each of the divisions below, subdivisions can be introduced to take into account regional characteristics, as well as the morphodynamics of the stream, as proposed, for instance, by Malavoi (1989).

Bibliographie

Devillers P., Devillers-Terschuren J. & Vander Linden C., 2001. PHYSIS Palaearctic Habitat Classification Database. Updated to 10 December 2001. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles, Bruxelles. (Source)

Ellenberg, 1963, 1988; Whitten and Brooks, 1972; Lelek, 1980; Haslam and Wolseley, 1981; Philippart and Vranken, 1983; Holmes, 1983, 1992; Haslam, 1987; Malavoi, 1989; Clark, 1990; Schubert, 1991; Summerfield, 1991; Leser, 1994: 141-142; Einarsson, 1994; Waugh, 1995: 50-89; Cummins & al., 1995; Petersen & al., 1995; Ladle and Westlake, 1995; Billen & al., 1995; Sabater & al., 1995; Statzner and Kohmann, 1995; Cattaneo & al., 1995; Bogatov & al., 1995; Dudgeon, 1995; Mrakovcic, 1996; Gudmundsson and Kjartansson, 1996.