River Processes and Implications for Fluvial Ecogeomorphology: An European Perspectives

In this chapter, the state of the art of the research of fluvial processes and their linkages with ecology are presented, with a focus on European physical context. European river systems have experienced a long history of catchment-wide (land-use changes) and in-channel human disturbances (channelization, dams, sediment mining, etc.). In many rivers, the impacts on river morphology culminated in the twentieth century, particularly during recent decades, and major alterations to river functioning are also forecast for the nearby future due to climate changes. Considerable progress in understanding,quantifying, and modeling channel processes has emerged from recent European research and findings on sediment transport, bank erosion, and the formation of various channel patterns in rivers are discussed. Major concepts linking the structure and functioning of river ecosystem with fluvial processes are presented, followed by a discussion of the impacts of geomorphic processes on the connectivity, habitat heterogeneity, and a scale of flood disturbance in riverine ecosystems. With the increasing emphasis on reestablishing good ecological quality of European rivers, an improved understanding of the impacts of hydromorphology on river biodiversity and defining the scientific bases for river management and restoration by the use of process-oriented approach are necessary.