Functional traits: the pathways to riverine plant resistance in times of hydropeaking

Abstract

Hydropeaking, which refers to rising or falling discharges caused by the turning on or off of hydro-turbines to generate electricity, is a topic of growing interest due to its impact on fluvial ecosystems. To date, most hydropeaking studies have focused on the impact of peak fluctuations on invertebrate and fish communities, but little attention has been paid to its impact on riverine plants and how functional traits may make them resistant to hydropeaking. We performed a review to assess how a set of 32 plant functional traits can be expressed in riverine plant species, and found evidence of how such expression affects their capacity to cope with common sources of hydropeaking disturbance (i.e., inundation, fast water drawdown, and rapid water fluctuations linked to up-ramping and down-ramping hydropeaking operations). The information here presented can simplify the evaluation of impacts on riverine plant communities worldwide, as well as to detect suitable species to successfully restore rivers affected by hydropower production.