This is an article collection published in Ecological Processes.
Edited by: Yushun Chen, Michael A. Eggleton, Michael J. Moore, Quinton Phelps
The aquatic fauna of large river systems have been cornerstones of multiple civilizations throughout human history. They remain critically important as a primary resource and an indicator of ecosystem function today. Unfortunately, almost all global large river systems are at risk from over-exploitation, pollution, large-scale development, navigation, dredging, climate change, and other threats. To help address threats in two internationally important river basins, the Mississippi-Yangtze River Inter-Basin Symposium (MYRIBS) and subsequent international partnership was started in 2013. Ecologists, biologists, managers, and policy makers from the United States and China gathered to encourage communication and exchange of scholarly discussion, with the goal of conserving important large river resources.
This special issue invited original manuscripts on conservation and management of the Yangtze and Mississippi River basins, but not excluding quality manuscripts of other large boatable rivers, lakes, and their tributaries throughout the world such as the Mekong, Columbia, Colorado, Danube, Murray-Darling, Volga, Ganges, Okavango, Nile, Congo, Amazon, Orinoco and more.
The special issue was successfully closed with 13 articles and 1 editorial published. Topics covered biodiversity and aquatic ecosystems conservation based on ecological processes, included but were not limited to:
- Fish ecology, diversity, and management
- Mussel, crayfish, and other invertebrates conservation
- Taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity
- Aquatic invasive species
- Tools and techniques for sampling rivers and lakes
- Multiple stressors and river and lake restoration success and failures
- Watershed approaches to river and lake management
- Ecosystem services of rivers and lakes