title: The impact of cattle access on ecological water quality in streams: Examples from agricultural catchments within Ireland.
abstract: Unrestricted cattle access to rivers and streams represent a potentially significant localised pressure on freshwater systems. However there is no consensus in the literature on the occurrence and extent of impact and limited research has examined the effects on aquatic biota in the humid temperate environment examined in the present study. Furthermore, this is one of the first times that research consider the potential for cattle access impacts in streams of varying water quality in Northern Europe. We investigated the effects of cattle access on macroinvertebrate communities and deposited fine sediment levels, in four rivers of high/good and four rivers of moderate water quality status which drain, low gradient, calcareous grassland catchments in Ireland. We assessed the temporal variability in macroinvertebrates communities across two seasons, spring and autumn. Site specific impacts were evident which appeared to be influenced by water quality status and season. All four high/good water status rivers revealed significant downstream changes in community structure and at least two univariate metrics (total richness and EPT richness together with taxon, E and EPT abundance). Two of the four moderate water status rivers showed significant changes in community structure, abundance and richness metrics and functional feeding groups driven in the main by downstream increases in collectors/gatherers, shredders and burrowing taxa. These two moderate water status rivers had high or prolonged livestock activity. In view of these findings, the potential for some of these sites to achieve at least high/good water quality status, as set out in the EU Water Framework Directive, may be compromised. The results presented highlight the need for additional research to further define the site specific factors and livestock management practices, under different discharge conditions, that increase the risk of impact on aquatic ecology due to these cattle-river interactions.
authors.affiliation: School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. Electronic address: elizabeth.conroy@ucdconnect.ie.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Conroy
authors.affiliation: School of Geography and UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: UCD Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research, School of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rymszewicz
authors.affiliation: UCD Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research, School of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.affiliation: UCD Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research, School of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bruen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lawler
authors.affiliation: School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland; Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Dublin Rd, Galway City, Ireland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lally
authors.affiliation: School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kelly-Quinn
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D007494:Ireland; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D014872:Water Movements; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D060753:Water Quality
keywords: Biological impact; Deposited sediment; Macroinvertebrates; Rivers