The geomorphological dynamics of rivers have been traditionally explained largely by the physical processes of water flow, and sediment erosion and deposition, but the significant role of a third element, vegetation, in driving geomorphological changes has been increasingly highlighted recently. However, few studies have documented how both aquatic and woody riparian plants interact with fluvial processes to induce landform development and initiate channel adjustment. This paper presents analyses of historical maps, recent aerial images and field observations from the River Frome (Dorset, UK), which, as a result of human pressures, has been subject to an increased supply of sand and finer sediment, particularly over the last 50–60 years.

This research presents an analysis of river responses to flow regulation and other disturbances over time. The study was conducted in the Porma and Curuenõ rivers, using the hierarchical multi-scale process-based framework developed within the European REFORM Project. The characterisation of the rivers at the landscape unit, segment and reach scales under current and past conditions by different hydro-morphological indicators has provided a useful approach to (1) identify where and how main channel adjustments have occurred, (2) establish causal relationships at different scales and (3) discuss potential future scenarios and restoration strategies. 

Fine sediment (here defined as fine sand, silt and clay) is a serious management problem in lowland rivers because of alterations to river channels, floodplains and the wider landscape. The multi-scale, complex and stochastic nature of sediment production, delivery and transport processes complicates the diagnosis of fine sediment sources, pathways and impacts. The hydromorphological assessment framework developed by the REFORM project offers a flexible approach to investigate fine sediment pressures. In this study, the framework was applied to a lowland river impacted by excess fine sediment (River Frome, Dorset, UK) to investigate likely sources and timing of sediment production, the segment-scale capacity of the river to transport sediment, and the reach-scale geomorphological response of the river. 

Previous studies investigating community-level relationships between plant functional trait characteristics and stream environmental characteristics remain scarce. Here, we used community-weighted means to identify how plant traits link to lowland stream typology and how agricultural intensity in the catchment affects trait composition.

We analysed plant trait characteristics in 772 European lowland streams to test the following two hypotheses: (i) trait characteristics differ between plant communities in small and medium-sized streams, reflecting adaptations to different habitat characteristics, and (ii) trait characteristics vary with the intensity of agricultural land use in the stream catchment, mediated either directly by an increase in productive species or indirectly by an increase in species that efficiently intercept and utilize light.

1. River regulation and altered land use are two common anthropogenic disturbances in rivers worldwide. Alteration of the stream bed, through processes such as siltation, or of hydrology through river regulation, are likely to modify hyporheic processes or clog interstitial space and thereby affect both hyporheic invertebrates and nutrient dynamics.

2. We tested the separate and combined effects of increased flow and increased fine sediment on hyporheic water quality and invertebrates in flume mesocosms. 

Reference conditions are a key concept in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). The WFD stipulates that the ecological status of a given water body shall be assessed by quantifying the deviation from a set of reference conditions that represent the stable state of an ecosystem in the absence of significant human disturbance. This concept is subject to criticism from several authors, particularly because underlying ecological concepts are weak and the distinction between natural variability and the effects of anthropogenic activities on ecosystem function will become increasingly artificial.

Many current river assessment methods emphasise the river ‘reach’ scale (a fixed length of river of the order of a few hundred meters) and provide a wealth of useful information that characterises the river corridor at the time of survey. However, they also have several limitations when they are used for understanding physical processes and causes of river alteration. A multi-scale, process-based framework is needed, which incorporates reach scale information into a larger spatial and temporal assessment of the controls on reach dynamics, and a process-based interpretation of the contemporary status of reaches, their historical dynamics and their likely future trajectories of adjustment. 

The hydrology and geomorphology of most rivers has been fundamentally altered through a long history of human interventions includingmodification of river channels, floodplains, and wider changes in the landscape that affect water and sediment delivery to the river.

Numerous hydromorphological assessment methods have been developed in different countries during recent decades, with notable differences in their aims, scales, and approaches. Although these methods are increasingly applied to support river management, the strengths and limitations have been insufficiently investigated. This review of 121 methods analyses hydromorphological assessment methods dating from 1983 to 2013, identifying their main strengths, limitations, gaps, the potential to integrate different approaches, and the need for further improvements. 

 We analyzed the effects of 36 river restoration projects on fish assemblages. We expected increased reproduction in restored river reaches leading to a sustainable increase in the total amount of fishes. The restored reaches are situated in small to medium-sized rivers in lowlands and lower mountainous areas in Germany. Restoration measures considerably changed river morphology and created more natural conditions by improving habitat diversity. For each restored reach, we sampled an upstream unrestored counterpart that resembled the restored reach before the restoration measures were implemented. 

This study aims to evaluate how the habitat of the Iberian barbel (Luciobarbus bocagei) has changed over the last nine decades in a reach of the River Duero in Toro (Zamora). The available physical habitat through different streamflows was quantified as the wetted area potentially usable by adult barbel with maximum preference (weighted usable area [WUA]). Historical time series of streamflows were used to generate a time series of habitat. Flow data were studied from 1912 to 2008, period being divided into three sub-periods.