Operationalizing Riverscapes

Riverscapes are an increasingly important and common focus of stream ecology and conservation. A series of highly cited “riverscape ecology” publications lay out diverse larger-scale approaches to studying rivers and streams that integrate some combination of geomorphology, multiple spatial and temporal sampling scales, continuous sampling, heterogeneity, patch dynamics, and individual fish species life history information. However, moving from theory to practice can be daunting, and a consensus among environmental professionals on goals and processes for riverscape ecology is needed.  To advance synthesis and integration, we address three questions regarding riverscapes: 1) Is there a universally accepted approach to riverscape ecology?, 2) Is the riverscape a scale issue or an approach issue?, 3) Are there realistic ways to operationalize riverscape research given diverse components, views, and approaches? Here we provide an overview of the history and theory of the riverscape approach by reviewing the most cited riverscape papers, summarizing riverscape metrics, providing examples of why this approach may be functionally difficult to accomplish, and outlining steps to convert riverscape theory into a practical, operational approach for applied stream ecology. The resulting synthesis can guide the development of a unified theory of stream fish ecology and conservation.