State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
College of Agricultural Equipment Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Apr;26(10):10251-10262. doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-04110-0. Epub 2019 Feb 13.
For decades, the river health of the Yellow River source region (YRSR) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau has been a focal issue owing to its unique geographic location and ecological functions. This study investigated the ecological status of the headwater streams, the main stem, and the tributaries of the Yellow River in the YRSR using the tolerance values of macroinvertebrates and those related to biotic indices. The macroinvertebrate assemblages of the headwater streams were characterized by lower biodiversity than the tributaries downstream, based on comparisons of taxonomical composition, functional feeding group composition, and the pollution-tolerant capacity of taxa. The headwater streams had a lower ratio (16%) of pollution-sensitive macroinvertebrate taxa than that of the tributaries downstream (30%). The biotic indices (family- and genus-level biotic indices) indicated that the ecological health of the headwater streams was comparably poorer than that of the downstream tributaries. The combined effect of vulnerable natural conditions and increasing human disturbance is likely the main cause of eco-environmental degradation in the Yellow River headwater streams.
几十年来，由于其独特的地理位置和生态功能，青藏高原黄河源区（YRSR）的河流健康一直是一个焦点问题。本研究使用大型无脊椎动物的耐受力值和与生物指数相关的耐受力值，调查了 YRSR 的源头溪流、干流和支流的生态状况。基于分类组成、功能摄食群组成以及分类单元的耐污能力的比较，源头溪流的大型无脊椎动物组合的生物多样性低于下游支流。源头溪流的污染敏感大型无脊椎动物类群的比例（16%）低于下游支流（30%）。生物指数（科级和属级生物指数）表明，源头溪流的生态健康状况明显不如下游支流。脆弱的自然条件和不断增加的人为干扰的综合影响可能是黄河源头溪流生态环境退化的主要原因。
