Stability of riverine ecosystems under dam-induced disturbances: multidimensional responses driven by multi-trophic cascades

Abstract

Globally, the disturbances caused by dam construction to the stability of river ecosystems are intensifying. Previous studies largely focused on a single stressor, a single trophic level, or a single dimension of stability. In contrast, this review adopts a multi-trophic cascade perspective to systematically outline four key mechanisms through which dam construction affects stability: (1) hydrological changes weaken resistance, resilience, and persistence; (2) biogeochemical imbalances increase the risk of regime shifts; (3) the transition from brown food webs to green food webs and the resulting simplification lead to decreased resistance; and (4) diversity compression disrupts resistance and increases variability through increased species synchrony and reduced network modularity. Traditional unidimensional assessments struggle to capture these non-synergistic changes; multidimensional stability frameworks, such as ellipsoids and n-dimensional hypervolumes, provide methods to analyze decoupling and reconstruction. Dam construction often occurs in conjunction with phenomena such as eutrophication, and their coupled effects exhibit heterogeneity across different trophic levels, further complicating stability assessments. Future research should integrate multidisciplinary methods, including eDNA and ecological network analysis, to provide further theoretical support for adaptive river management.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Dam / River ecosystems / Stability / Multidimensional assessment / Food webs / Multiple stressors

Highlight

	● Dams undermine river stability through dual-cascade pathways based on the food web.
	● Damming reduces biodiversity, simplifies networks, and raises species synchrony.
	● Multidimensional stability framework needed to capture the decoupling of stability.
	● Coupled dam-eutrophication effects interact heterogeneously across trophic levels.

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