Aquatic habitats are severely threatened by human activities. For anadromous species, managing freshwater habitats to maximize production of more, larger juveniles could improve resilience to threats in marine habitats and enhance population viability. In some juvenile salmonid habitats, complexity created by large substrates provides resources and reduces competitive interactions, thereby promoting juvenile production. In lowland rivers, which lack large substrates, aquatic plants might provide similar complexity and enhance fish productivity. To test the influence of aquatic plants on juvenile Atlantic salmon and sympatric brown trout in a lowland river, we directly manipulated the cover of the dominant macrophyte, Ranunculus, in nine sites during summer and autumn for two years. We quantified the abundance, site retention and growth of salmon and trout under high, medium or low Ranunculus cover. To investigate the effects of Ranunculus cover on feeding opportunities and interspecific competition, we quantified available prey biomass and body size, fish diet composition and compared dietary niche overlap. Experimentally increased Ranunculus cover supported higher salmon abundance in summer and autumn, and higher site retention and growth of salmon in summer. Trout abundance and growth were not influenced by Ranunculus cover, but trout site retention doubled in high, relative to low, cover sites. Despite the weak effects of Ranunculus cover on prey availability, salmon and trout inhabiting high cover sites consumed larger prey and a higher biomass of prey. Furthermore, dietary niche overlap was lower in high, relative to low, cover sites, suggesting that abundant Ranunculus reduced interspecific competition. This field experiment shows that high Ranunculus cover can support more and better growing juvenile salmon, and facilitate foraging and co-existence of sympatric salmonid species. Maintaining or enhancing natural macrophyte cover can be achieved through sympathetic in-river and riparian vegetation management and mitigating pressures on them, such as sediment inputs and low flows, or through planting. Further research should test whether macrophyte cover benefits propagate to subsequent life stages, particularly juvenile overwintering associated with high mortality. This knowledge, in combination with our findings, would further clarify whether beneficial juvenile habitat can improve the viability of at-risk salmonid populations. Overall, our findings suggest that the aims of river restoration might be achieved through promotion of in-stream aquatic vegetation.

Despite growing interest in the environmental impact of microplastics, a standardized characterization method is not available. We carried out a systematic analysis of reliable global data detailing the relative abundance of polymers in freshwaters and estuaries. The polymers were identified according to seven main categories: polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyurethane and a final category of miscellaneous plastic. The results show that microplastics comprised of polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane are significantly less abundant than would be expected based on global production, possibly due to their use. This has implications for models of microplastic release into the environment based on production and fate. When analysed by matrix (water, sediment or biota) distinct profiles were obtained for each category. Polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene were more abundant in sediment than in biota, while miscellaneous plastics was more frequent in biota. The data suggest that environmental sorting of microplastic particles, influenced by physical, chemical and biological processes, may play a key role in environmental impact, although partitioning among matrices based on density was not realized. The distinct profile of microplastics in biota raises an important question regarding potential selectivity in uptake by organisms, highlighting the priority for more and better-informed laboratory exposure studies.

SUMMARY. Orthodadius (Euorthodadius) calvus Pinder. similar to Orthocladius (Euorthodadius) thienemanni Kieffer. colonized a new gravel substratum in two recirculating stream channels. A maximum population density of 68.621 m‐2 was attained after only 16 days. This had fallen to a negligible density by the thirty‐third day. Some recruitment occurred over most of the study period (April‐May 1981) and no single sharply defined cohort was evident. There was a large range of body lengths within each instar. and considerable overlap between instars. The population density estimates for instars I and II were low compared with instars III and IV. The relationship between instantaneous growth rate (g) and geometric mean length indicated that growth was best described by a Gompertz curve. Growth rate decreased with increasing length from a value of about 40% length day‐1 at 2 mm body length to about 5% length day‐1 at 9 mm. Growth rates for individual larvae, kept in culture, were very variable with maximum rates close to the values determined from the field data. Mean duration of larval life was 16 days. Estimates of production for the study period ranged from 13.5 g dry wt m‐2 (Channel III, size‐frequency method) to 34.2 g dry wt m‐2 (Channel II, Allen's graphical method, values corrected for non‐linear growth). Gut contents were estimated to represent about 55% of the total weight therefore production values should be reduced by this amount.