caa a22 4500 445892064 CHVBK 20180317145619.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20110801xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10750-011-0703-7 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10750-011-0703-7 An assessment of structural attributes and ecosystem function in restored Virginia coalfield streams [Elektronische Daten] [Robert Northington, Ernest Benfield, Stephen Schoenholtz, Anthony Timpano, Jackson Webster, Carl Zipper] As human populations continue to grow, expanding energy needs enhance freshwater resource conservation challenges. Mining for coal has significantly altered the landscape in the United States' Appalachian region, with significant negative effects on downstream water quality and ecosystem function. With recent policy changes concerning the impacts of coal mining on aquatic ecosystems, many coal companies choose to restore sections of stream located on older coal mining areas as mandated compensatory mitigation for mining-related stream disturbances. We assessed such mitigation using measures of both structure and function in restored and unrestored streams affected by surface mining operations. Macroinvertebrate assemblages in streams affected by older mining and recent restoration practices were rated as "stressed” and "severely stressed,” with streams varying from fair to optimal in terms of habitat. All streams were net heterotrophic with varying levels of ammonium uptake. No site differences were found for any measured physicochemical or functional variables, while invertebrate community metric scores were higher in unrestored streams. There were also no significant relationships found between structural and functional measurements in these streams. Principal components analysis implicated the importance of measuring physicochemical, structural, and functional variables in further analyses of restoration success. This study was unable to document pre-disturbance conditions, and as a result, we were unable to find evidence that restoration is currently having a significant effect on ecosystem processes within these systems. Further research is needed to understand the changes in ecosystem structure and function that come with time. Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2011 Coal mine streams nationallicence Ecosystem function nationallicence Ecosystem metabolism nationallicence Nutrient cycling nationallicence Stream restoration nationallicence Northington Robert Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2119 Derring Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut Benfield Ernest Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2119 Derring Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut Schoenholtz Stephen Virginia Water Resources Research Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 210-G Cheatham Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut Timpano Anthony Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 363 Smyth Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut Webster Jackson Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2119 Derring Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut Zipper Carl Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 363 Smyth Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut Hydrobiologia Springer Netherlands 671/1(2011-08-01), 51-63 0018-8158 671:1<51 2011 671 10750 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0703-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0703-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Northington Robert Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2119 Derring Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Benfield Ernest Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2119 Derring Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Schoenholtz Stephen Virginia Water Resources Research Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 210-G Cheatham Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Timpano Anthony Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 363 Smyth Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Webster Jackson Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2119 Derring Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Zipper Carl Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 363 Smyth Hall, 24061, Blacksburg, VA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Hydrobiologia Springer Netherlands 671/1(2011-08-01), 51-63 0018-8158 671:1<51 2011 671 10750 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer