BACKGROUND Early civilizations developed around seasonal river floodplains, and the
natural rhythm of rivers remains critical to humans today. We use streams and rivers to meet …

Non-perennial river segments—those that recurrently cease to flow or frequently dry—occur
in all river networks and are globally more abundant than perennial (always flowing) …

Rivers that do not flow year-round are the predominant type of running waters on Earth.
Despite a burgeoning literature on natural flow intermittence (NFI), knowledge about the …

Freshwater biodiversity conservation has received substantial attention in the scientific
literature and is finally being recognized in policy frameworks such as the Global …

Ecological thresholds comprise relatively fast changes in ecological conditions, with respect
to time or external drivers, and are an attractive concept in both scientific and policy arenas …

Climate change is interacting with water resource pressures to alter the frequency, severity
and spatial extent of drought, which can thus no longer be considered a purely natural …

The current erosion of biodiversity is a major concern that threatens the ecological integrity
of ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide. Due to global change, an …

Conceptual models underpin river ecosystem research. However, current models focus on
continuously flowing rivers and few explicitly address characteristics such as flow cessation …

Abstract Knowledge of ecosystem-size influences on river populations and communities is
integral to the balancing of human and environmental needs for water. The multiple …

Our understanding of how ecosystems function has changed from an equilibria-based view
to one that recognizes the dynamic, fluctuating, nonlinear nature of aquatic systems. This …