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Limnology in Australia pp 293–312Cite as

Boundary Layers, Flow Microenvironments and Stream Benthos

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Part of the book series: Monographiae Biologicae ((MOBI,volume 61))

Abstract

Water movement is the dominant physical feature of rivers and streams, yet, despite the very large amount of effort that has been devoted to research in lotic ecosystems, few studies have attempted to describe lotic flow regimes in more than the most general terms. The lack of data on benthic flow regimes is at least partly due to the difficulties involved in measuring velocities close to the streambed. In addition, the lack of a suitable literature spanning the disciplines of fluid mechanics and aquatic biology has created difficulties for biologists who may have wished to include detailed flow studies within their research program but were uncertain as to which measurements to make or why. This problem has now been overcome, to some extent, by recent publications.

Recent work is discussed and attention drawn to the fact that single mean velocity measurements per site are not enough to characterize benthic flow regimes. Instead, velocity profiles and heights of roughness elements (substrate microprofiles) are required to enable the calculation of shear velocities, u *, roughness Reynolds numbers, Re *, and boundary layer thicknesses, δ.

More detailed descriptions of three-dimensional flow patterns around benthic objects (boulders and cobbles) are required in shallow water situations, and probably the most important, but little known, feature of flow around benthic objects is the horseshoe vortex system. Such vortices may have considerable influence on both the distribution of macroinvertebrates and the ecology of suspension-feeding organisms.

Recent work on the hydrodynamics of benthic invertebrates and on the mechanisms of suspension feeding and some ecological studies are discussed and some suggestions made as to the probable directions of future research into the interactions between benthic macroinvertebrates and their flow environments.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. J. A. Davis

    Present address: School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, W.A., 6150, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, W.A., 6009, Australia

    J. A. Davis

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  1. J. A. Davis
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., 3168, Australia

    Patrick De Deckker

  2. Department of Zoology, University of Adelaide, Box 498, G.P.O., Adelaide, S.A., 5001, Australia

    W. D. Williams

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© 1986 CSIRO — Australia

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Davis, J.A. (1986). Boundary Layers, Flow Microenvironments and Stream Benthos. In: De Deckker, P., Williams, W.D. (eds) Limnology in Australia. Monographiae Biologicae, vol 61. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4820-4_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4820-4_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8636-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-4820-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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