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Rachel Stubbington

Professor Rachel Stubbington

Professor

School of Science & Technology

Staff Group(s)
Bioscience

Role

Dr Rachel Stubbington:

  • is a Professor in River Ecology, and an international research leader in freshwater ecology, with expertise in ecological community responses to drought and drying in perennial and temporary river ecosystems.
  • leads the , whose members include postdoctoral Research Fellows Romain Sarremejane (2023–25) and Kieran Gething (2023–25), Research Assistant Oliver Longstaffe (2023–24) and PhD researchers Rob Collier (2023–25) and Hallam Mason (2023–26).
  • is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, the Freshwater Biological Association, the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Society of Biology.
  • was a leading member of the EU COST Action CA15113 Science and Management of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams (SMIRES) 2016-20 including membership of the Management Committee and Steering Committee, and leadership of : Community Ecology and Biomonitoring (2016-20)
  • is an interactive, research-informed teacher who contributes to environmental modules of BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences.
  • is Course Leader for BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences and Pathway Leader for BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences (Environmental Biology).

Career overview

Prof. Stubbington obtained a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Biology from ŷ in 2006 and a PhD in freshwater ecology from Loughborough University (Department of Geography) in 2011.

Prof. Stubbington joined the Biosciences team at NTU in 2010, having previously been employed as a:

  • Research Assistant on a funded project investigating the response of river invertebrates to drought (Loughborough University, Department of Geography).
  • Ecological Appraisal Assistant at the , a role which included biomonitoring of groups including fish, invertebrates and macrophytes as well as assessing environmental impacts of proposed developments.

Research areas

Prof. Stubbington's research interests centre on the responses of freshwater invertebrate communities to flow variability in dynamic stream ecosystems. In particular, she is interested in:

  • Effective biomonitoring of ecosystem health in wet and dry temporary streams
  • The aquatic–terrestrial biodiversity of wet–dry temporary streams
  • The effects of drought, wider climate change and interacting pressures on biodiversity in UK rivers including chalk streams
  • Invertebrate community responses to variation in surface flow, including stream drying
  • Interactions between connected benthic and hyporheic communities
  • The hyporheic zone and 'seedbank' as refuges for aquatic invertebrates
  • The distribution, spread and impacts of invasive freshwater invertebrates

Prof. Stubbington leads the , an internationally renowned centre of research exploring ecological responses to drought and drying in temporary and perennial streams:

Opportunities to carry out postgraduate research exist within the discipline of freshwater ecology, in particular relating to the effects of drought disturbances and natural intermittence on invertebrate communities in temporary and perennial streams. Further information regarding MPhil/PhD study may be obtained from the NTU Graduate School.

External activity

Freshwater Ecology

Prof. Stubbington was a leading member of the EU-funded COST Action CA15113 Science and Management of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams (IRES) 2016–2020, including membership of the Management Committee and Steering Group, and leadership of Working Group 4: Biomonitoring of IRES.

Prof. Stubbington is  Editor of for the Freshwater Biological Association, is on the Editorial Board for the journal Freshwater Biology, and was an Editor-in-Chief for the journal (2019–23). She is a member of the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Peer Review College and the British Ecological Society Review College, and has acted as chair or expert panel member for organisations including NERC, the Polish National Science Centre and Portugal's Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.

Prof. Stubbington participates in international conferences as a presenter and session co-convener, including events organised by the and the . She is regularly invited to speak at international events, and delivered a plenary at the 3rd Central European Symposium for Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Research (CESAMIR) in Łódź, Poland, in 2018, and at the World Biodiversity Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2020.

She is a member of the following organisations:

  • (FCIEEM)
  • (Fellow)
  • (FRSB)

Prof. Stubbington is Director of Studies for PhD researcher Rob Collier and cosupervisor for PhD researchers Beth Gill and Hallam Mason at NTU. She previously co-supervised PhD researchers Carlos Abrahams, Chloe Hayes and Kieran Gething, who successfully defended their theses at NTU, and Atish Vadher, based at Loughborough University. She also previously supervised NTU-based post-doctoral and post-graduate research projects completed by Giulio Biondi, George Bunting, Jake Dimon, Jamal Kabir, Kate Mathers and Romain Sarremejane.

In collaboration with Environment Agency scientists, Prof. Stubbington has organised and hosted a national meeting about Temporary Rivers and Streams at NTU each year since 2016, attracting support from funders including the , and bringing together participants from across industry and academia.

Bioscience learning and teaching

Prof. Stubbington acted as External Examiner covering Ecology and Environmental Biology provision at the from 2016 to 2020.

She is an active participant in UK bioscience learning and teaching events and has contributed to OUP Bioscience Education Summits, a Higher Education Academy STEM conference, and Royal Society of Biology Heads of UK Bioscience (HUBS) meetings.

Sponsors and collaborators

Current and recent include:

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Drs Thibault Datry and Mathis Messager (EcoFlowS lab, INRAE, Lyon, France)

Dr Dan Allen (Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences)

Dr Núria Bonada (FEHM Lab, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia)

Dr Ryan Burrows (University of Melbourne, Australia)

Dr Michelle Busch (University of Kansas)

Dr Arnaud Foulquier (Grenoble Alpes University)

Prof. Dr Peter Haase and Dr James Sinclair (Senckenberg Research Institute)

Dr Miguel Cañedo-Argüelles (Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research)

Dr Alex Laini (University of Torino, Italy)

Dr María Mar Sánchez-Montoya (University of Madrid)

Dr Alisha Steward and Dr Cath Leigh (Queensland Government, Australia)

National

Prof. Paul J Wood (Loughborough University)

Dr Judy England, Tim Sykes, Lesley Rippon, Dr Glenn Watts, Dr Tom Aspin and Stuart Allen (Environment Agency)

Drs Matthew F. Johnson and Steve Dugdale (University of ŷ)

Craig Macadam (Buglife)

Dr Andy House (Wessex Water)

Chris Westwood (independent)

External research funding has included:

  • Stubbington R (contract). Scoping study into new RIVPACS reference data. Environment Agency. 2024–25. £9,999.
  • Stubbington R, England J (collaborators). Ecological responses of chalk streams to future climate change in a context of multiple pressures – extension. Environment Agency. 2024–25. £72,000.
  • Stubbington R, Rippon L (collaborators). Small Streams Network: Dry-phase plant communities as indicators of nutrient status. Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme via the Environment Agency. 2024–25. £45,000.
  • Stubbington R, England J (collaborators). Refuges: the key to unlocking drought resilience? Environment Agency. 2023–24. £48,895.
  • Stubbington, R, Rippon L (collaborators). Small Streams Network: Methods Development Project. Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme via the Environment Agency. 2023–24. £81,999.
  • Stubbington R, England J (collaborators). Ecological responses of chalk streams to future climate change in a context of multiple pressures. Environment Agency 2022. £80,000.
  • Stubbington R (contract). Ecological responses to drought: thematic essay. Environment Agency. 2022. £4,884.
  • Stubbington R, Sykes T (collaborators). Characterising the aquatic–terrestrial biodiversity of dynamic freshwater ecosystems. Match-fund PhD.  Environment Agency. 2022. £48,080.
  • Stubbington R, Sykes T (collaborators). Characterising the diversity of temporary chalk spring and winterbournes. Environment Agency. 2021. £29,700
  • Stubbington R, Sykes T (collaborators). Recognizing and protecting the aquatic-terrestrial biodiversity of dynamic river ecosystems. Match-fund PhD. Environment Agency–NTU. 2019–22. £40,000.
  • Stubbington R, Sykes T, England J (collaborators). Understanding the Candover Brook Winterbourne Project. Research Assistant. Environment Agency. 2019. £39,000.
  • Stubbington R, England J (collaborators). Invertebrate community responses to flow intermittence and drought in Hertfordshire chalk streams. Research Fellow. Environment Agency. 2019. £24,000.
  • Stubbington R (principal investigator) et al. Natural Capital Synthesis Report. The Natural Capital of Temporary Rivers. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) via the Valuing Nature Programme NE/M005410/1. 2018. £8,000.
  • Bonada N, Stubbington R (co-applicant) et al. MECODISPER: Freshwater metacommunities in intermittent rivers. Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Spain. 2018-2021. E175,000
  • Stubbington R, England J (collaborators). Drought effects on invertebrate communities in chalk rivers. Research Fellow. Environment Agency. 2017, £44,000.
  • Stubbington R, England J (collaborators). Ecological responses to hydrological dynamism in temporary river ecosystems. Matched-funding PhD studentship. 2016. £44,000.
  • Datry T, Stubbington R (co-applicant) et al. COST Action CA15113 Science and Management of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams (SMIRES),   2016-2020. Value unavailable.
  • England J, Stubbington R (co-applicant). Grant for workshop hosting, Aquatic Ecology Group. 2016. <£1000.

Publications

2025

Burgazzi, G., Laini, A., England, J., Guareschi, S., Viaroli, P. and Stubbington, R. Testing the performance of macroinvertebrate-based indices of intermittence in rivers beyond their region of development. River Research and Applications.

Yates, A., Brua, B., Culp, J., … Stubbington, R. et al. Charting a course for freshwater biomonitoring: The grand challenges identified by the global scientific community. Ecological Indicators.

Gething, K., Sarremejane, R., House, A., England, J., Sykes, T. and Stubbington, R. Under pressure: macroinvertebrate community responses to agriculture in temporary streams. Freshwater Biology 70: 70049.

Escobar-Camacho, D., Crabot, J., Stubbington, R.,England, J., Sarremejane, R., … Datry, T. et al. 2025. River drying causes local losses and regional gains in aquatic invertebrate metacommunity diversity: a cross-continental comparison. Global Change Biology 31: e70068.

Haubrock, P. J., Fohrer, N., Hollert, H., Jähnig, S. C., Merz, B., Pahl-Wostl, C., Schüttrumpf, H., Stubbington, R., Tetzlaff, D., Wesche, K., Tockner, K. and Haase, P. 2025. A holistic catchment-scale approach to mitigation of extreme floods and droughts to improve biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews (WIREs): Water 12: e70001.

Stubbington, R., Longstaffe, O., Sarremejane, R., Bates, P., Gething, K. J., Jones, J. I., Kelly-Quinn, M., Laini, A., Murray-Bligh, J., Rippon, L. and Rouen, A. 2025. A kick in the headwaters: evaluating a macroinvertebrate sampling method for ecological condition monitoring in small streams. River Research and Applications 41: 808–819 

2024

Sinclair, J. S., Stubbington, R., Schäfer, R. B., Barešová, L., Bonada, N., Csabai, Z., Jones, J. I., Larrañaga, A., Murphy, J. F., Pařil, P., Polášek, M., Rasmussen, J. J., Straka, M., Várbíró, G., Verdonschot, R. C. M., Welti, E. A. R. and Haase, P. 2024. Ecological but not biological traits of European riverine invertebrates respond consistently to anthropogenic impacts. Global Ecology and Biogeography 33: e13931.  

Busch, M., Boersma, K., Cook, S., Hristova, R., Jones, N., Loflen, C., Mazor, R., Price, A., Stubbington, R. and Zimmer, M. 2024 Macroinvertebrate, algal, and diatom assemblages respond differently to both drying and wetting transitions in nonperennial streams. Freshwater Biology 69: 1568–1582.

Price, A., Zimmer, M., Bergstrom, A. J., Burgin, A. J., Seybold, E. C., Krabbenhoft, C. A., Zipper, S., Busch, M. H., Dodds, W. K., Walters, A. W., Rogosch, J. S., Stubbington, R., Walker, R. H., Stegen, J. C., Messager, M. L., Olden, J. D., Godsey, S., Shanafield, M., Lytle, D. … Ward, A.2024. Biogeochemical and community ecology responses to the wetting of non-perennial streams. Nature Water 2: 815–826. 

Sarremejane, R., England, J., Dunbar, M., Brown, R., Naura, M. and Stubbington, R. In press. Human impacts mediate freshwater invertebrate community responses to and recovery from drought. Journal of Applied Ecology 61: 2616–2627. 

Foulquier, A., Datry, T., Corti, R., von Schiller, D., Tockner, K., Stubbington, R., Gessner, M. O., Boyer, F., Ohlmann, M., Thuiller, W., Rioux, D., Miquel, C., Albariño, R., Allen, D. C., Altermatt, F., Acre, M. I., Arnon, S., Banas, D., Banegas Medina, A., … Zoppini, A. Accepted. Unravelling global patterns and drivers of river biodiversity during dry phases. Nature Communications: 7233.

Stubbington, R., England, J., Sarremejane, R., Watts, G. and Wood, P. J. 2024. Drying rivers in a wet country: the effects of drought on biodiversity in UK river ecosystems. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews (WIREs): Water 11: e1745.

Welti, E. A. R., Bowler, D. E., Altermatt, F., Álvarez-Cabria, M., Amatulli, G., Angeler, D. G., Archambaud, G., Jorrín, I. A., Aspin, T., Azpiroz, I., Baker, N. J., Bañares, I., Barquín Ortiz, J., Bodin, C. L., Bonacina, L., Bonada, N., Bottarin, R., Cañedo-Argüelles, M., … Stubbington, R., … Haase, P. 2024. Time series of freshwater macroinvertebrate abundances and site characteristics of European streams and rivers. Scientific Data 11: 601.

Kabir, J., Biondi, G., Gething, K., Aspin, T. Sykes, T. and Stubbington, R. 2024. Spring forth diversity: specialist species enhance the conservation value of headwater springs and streams at the landscape scale. River Research and Applications 40: 863–874. 

Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C., Bruno, D., Bolpagni, R., Colls, M., Marcé, R., Stubbington, R. and von Schiller, D. 2024. Linking freshwater biodiversity to the functioning of ecosystems. Freshwater Biology 4: 477–495.

Sinclair, J. S., Welti, E. A., Altermatt, F., Álvarez-Cabria, M., Aroviita, J., Baker, N. J. … Stubbington, R. … Haase, P. 2024. Multi-decadal improvements in the ecological quality of European rivers are not consistently reflected in biodiversity metrics. Nature Ecology and Evolution 8: 430–441.

2023

Laini, A., Stubbington, R., Beermann, A. J., Burgazzi, G., Datry, T., Viaroli, P., Wilkes, M., Zizka, V. M. A., Saccò, M. and Leese, F. 2023. Dissecting biodiversity: assessing the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic structure of an insect metacommunity in a river network using morphological and metabarcoding data. The European Zoological Journal 90: 320–332. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750263.2023.2197924

Datry, T., Boulton, A. J., Crabot, J., Cid, N., Fritz, K., Stubbington, R. and Tockner, K. 2023. Non-perennial segments in river networks. Nature Reviews Earth and Environment 4: 815–830. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00495-w

Datry, T., Truchy, A., Olden, J., Busch, M., Stubbington, R. Dodds, W.K., Zipper, S. ... Allen, D. 2022. Causes, responses, and implications of anthropogenic versus natural flow intermittence in river networks. BioScience 73: 9–22.

Gething, K.J., Hayes, C., Webb, J.R., Sykes, T., England, J. and Stubbington, R. 2022. Living on the edge: predicting invertebrate richness and rarity in disturbance-prone aquatic–terrestrial ecosystems. Ecological Solutions and Evidence 3: e12196.

Haase, P., Bowler, D. E., Baker, N. J., Bonada, N., Domisch, S., Garcia Marquez, J. R., Heino J., Hering, D., Jähnig, S. C., Schmidt-Kloiber, A., Stubbington, R. et al. 2023. The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt. Nature 620: 582–588. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06400-1

Messager, M. L., Olden, J. D., Tonkin, J., Stubbington, R., Rogosch, J. S., Busch, ... Datry, T. 2023. A metasystem approach to designing environmental flows. BioScience 73: 643–662.

Soto, I., Cuthbert, R.N., Ahmed, D.A., Kouba, A., Domisch, S., Marquez, J.R., Beidas, ... Stubbington, R. ...  Haubrock, P.J. 2022. Tracking a killer shrimp: Dikerogammarus villosus invasion dynamics across Europe. Diversity and Distributions 29: 157–172.

Soto, I., Cuthbert, R.N., Ricciardi, A., Ahmed, D.A., Altermatt, F., Schäfer, R.B., ... Stubbington, R. ... Datry, T., 2023. The faunal Ponto-Caspianization of central and western European waterways. Biological Invasions 25: 2613–2629.

2022

Stubbington, R., Dimon, J., England, J. and Watts, G. 2022. Chalk streams of the future: the effects of climate change on biodiversity in England’s iconic river ecosystems. NTU Innovative Knowledge Exchange Pilot-funded report for the Environment Agency.

Haubrock, P.J., Ahmed, D.A., Cuthbert, R.N., Stubbington, R., Domisch, S., Marquez, J.R., Beidas, A., ... Soto, I. 2022. Invasion impacts and dynamics of a European‐wide introduced species. Global Change Biology 28: 4620–4632.

DelVecchia, A.G., Shanafield, M., Zimmer, M.A., Busch, M.H., Krabbenhoft, C.A., Stubbington, R., Kaiser, K.E., ... Kampf, S.K. 2022. Reconceptualizing the hyporheic zone for nonperennial rivers and streams. Freshwater Science 41: 2.

Webb, J.R., Gething, K.J., Kratz, C.C., England, J., Drewitt, A.L. and Stubbington, R. 2022. A standardized multi‐method survey to enhance characterization of riparian invertebrate communities. Water and Environment Journal 36: 425–432. 

Stubbington, R., Gething, K.J. and Sykes, T. 2022. Chalk streams: why ‘England’s rainforests’ are so rare and precious. The Conversation.

Miliša, M., Stubbington, R., Datry, T., Cid, N., Bonada, N., Šumanović, M. and Milošević, D. 2022. Macroinvertebrate flow-intermittence sensitivities: a key to resolving the intermittent watershed ecological state assessment. Science of the Total Environment 804: 150022  

Stubbington, R., Sarremejane, R., Laini, A., Cid, N., Csabai, Z., England, J., ... Datry, T. 2022. Disentangling community responses to natural stressor and human impact gradients in river ecosystems across Europe. Journal of Applied Ecology 59: 537–548. 

2021

Blackman, R.C., Altermatt, F., Foulquier, A., Lefébure, T., Gauthier, M., Leese, F., Stubbington, R. and Datry, T. 2021. Unlocking our understanding of intermittent and ephemeral rivers with genomic tools. Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment 19: 574–583.

Theodoropoulos, C., Karaouzas, I. and Stubbington, R. 2021. Biotic indices of hydrological variability as tools to inform dynamic ecological status assessments in river ecosystems. Journal of Environmental Management 295: 113124.

Sarremejane, R., Stubbington, R., England, J. Sefton, C., Parry, S., Eastman, M. and Ruhi, A. 2021. Drought effects on invertebrate metapopulation dynamics and quasi-extinction risk in an intermittent river network. Global Change Biology 27: 4024–4039. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/gcb.15720

Vander Vorste, R., Stubbington, R., Acuña, V., Bogan, M. T., Bonada, N., Cid, N., ... Ruhi, A. 2021. Climatic aridity increases temporal community nestedness of invertebrates in naturally drying rivers. Ecography 44: 860–869. 

Peralta-Maraver, I., Stubbington, R., Arnon, S., Kratina, P., Krause, S., de Mello Cionek, V., ... Milner, V. S. 2021. The riverine bioreactor: an integrative perspective on biological decomposition of organic matter across riverine habitats. Science of The Total Environment 772: 145494.

Pardo, I., Stubbington, R., Tiegs, S. and Robertson, A. 2021. Research advances from SEFS11: The 11th Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences (Editorial to the Special Issue in Fundamental and Applied Limnology). Fundamental and Applied Limnology 194: 151–154.

Bunting, G., England, J., Gething, K., Sykes, T., Webb, J. and Stubbington, R. 2021. Aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate community responses to drying in chalk streams. Water and Environment Journal 35: 299–241.

Westwood, C.G., England, J., Hayes, C., Johns, T. and Stubbington, R. 2021. The Plant Flow Index: a new method to assess the hydroecological status of intermittent rivers. Ecological Indicators 120: 106964.

2020

Sarremejane, R., Cid, N., Stubbington, R., Datry, T., Alp, M., Cañedo-Argüelles, M., ... Bonada, N. 2020. DISPERSE, A trait database to assess the dispersal potential of European aquatic macroinvertebrates. Scientific Data 7: 386.

Sarremejane, R., England, J., Sefton, C.E.M., Parry, S., Eastman, M. and Stubbington, R. 2020. Local and regional drivers influence how aquatic community diversity, resistance and resilience vary in response to drying. Oikos 129: 1877–1890.

Burgazzi, G., Laini, A., Ovaskainen, O., Saccò, M., Stubbington, R. and Viaroli, P. 2020. Communities in high definition: spatial and environmental factors shape the small-scale distribution of aquatic invertebrates. Freshwater Biology 65: 2053–2065.

Stubbington, R., Acreman M., Acuña, V., Boon, P.J., Boulton, A. J., England, J., ... Wood, P. J. 2020. Ecosystem services of dry temporary streams differ among regions with contrasting climates and economies. People and Nature, 2: 660–667. 

Blackman, R.C., Bruder, A., Burdon, F.J., Convey, P., Funk, W.C., Jähnig, S.C., ... Stubbington, R. 2020. A meeting framework for inclusive and sustainable science. Nature Ecology & Evolution 4: 668–671. 

Cid, N., Bonada, N., Heino, J., Cañedo-Argüelles, M., Crabot, J., Sarremejane, R., Soininen, J., Stubbington, R. and Datry, T. 2020. A metacommunity approach to improve biological assessments in highly dynamic freshwater ecosystems. Bioscience 70: 427–438. Editor’s Choice.

Westwood, C.G., England, J., Johns, T. and Stubbington, R. 2020. A revised classification of southern English groundwater-fed headwaters based on their flora. Water and Environment Journal 34: 573–585. 

Acuña, V., Jorda-Capdevila, D., Vezza, P., De Girolamo, A.M., McClain, M.E., Stubbington, R., ... Datry, T. 2020. Accounting for flow intermittency in environmental flows design. Journal of Applied Ecology 57: 742–753.

2019

Von Schiller, D., Datry, T., Corti, R., Foulquier, A., Tockner, K., Marcé, R., ... Zoppini, A. 2019. Sediment respiration pulses in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 33: 1251–1263. 

Stubbington, R., Sarremejane, R. and Datry, T. 2019. Alpha and beta diversity of connected benthic–subsurface invertebrate communities respond to drying in dynamic river ecosystems. Ecography 42: 2060–2073. 

Sarremejane, R., Stubbington, R., Dunbar, M. J., Westwood, C.G. and England, J. 2019. Biological indices to characterize community responses to drying in streams with contrasting flow permanence regimes. Ecological Indicators 107: 105620. 

Stubbington, R., Milner, V.S. and Wood, P.J. 2019. Flow intermittence in dendritic networks: progress towards a global understanding of ecological diversity in aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 193: 1–19. 

England, J., Chadd, R., Dunbar, M.J., Sarremejane, R., Stubbington, R., Westwood, C.G. and Leeming, D. 2019.An invertebrate-based index to characterize ecological responses to flow intermittence in rivers. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 193: 93–117.

Straka, M., Polášek, M., Syrovátkab, V., Stubbington, R., Zahrádkova, S., Němejcováa, D., ... Pařil, P. 2019. Recognition of stream drying based on benthic macroinvertebrates: a new tool in Central Europe. Ecological Indicators 106: 105486. 

Tolonen, K., Picazo, F., Vilmi, A., Datry, T., Stubbington, R., Pařil, P. Perez Rocha, M. and Heino, J. 2019. Parallels and contrasts between intermittently freezing and drying streams: From individual adaptations to biodiversity variation. Freshwater Biology 64:1679–1691. 

Mathers, K., Stubbington, R., Leeming, D., Westwood, C.G and England J. 2019. Structural and functional responses of macroinvertebrate assemblages to long-term flow variability and drying at perennial and non-perennial sites. Ecohydrology 12: e2112. 

Leigh, C., Boersma, K.S., Galatowitsch, M.L., Milner, V.S. and Stubbington, R. 2019. Are all rivers equal? Perceptions of temporary and perennial rivers. People and Nature 1: 181–190.

Pařil, P., Řezníčková, P., Zahrádková, S., Leigh, C. and Stubbington, R. 2019. Short-term streambed drying events alter amphipod population structure in a central European stream. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 193: 51–64.

Shumilova, O., Zak, D., Datry, T., von Schiller, D., Corti, R., Foulquier, A., ... Zarfl, C. 2019. Simulating rewetting events in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams: a global analysis of leached nutrients and organic matter. Global Change Biology 25: 1591–1611.  

Stubbington, R., Barthès, A., Bouchez, A., England, J., Paillex, A., Sánchez-Montoya, M., ... Datry, T. 2019. Biotic groups as indicators of dry-phase ecological quality assessments in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams. Ecological Indicators 97: 165–174.

2018 and earlier

Marshall, J.C., Acuña, V., Allen, D.C., Bonada, N., Boulton, A.J., Carlson, S.M., ... Vander Vorste, R. 2018. Protecting US temporary waterways. Science 36: 856–857. 

Datry, T., Foulquier, A., Corti, R., von Schiller, D., Tockner, K., Mendoza-Lera, C., ... Zoppini, A. 2018. A global analysis of terrestrial plant litter dynamics in non-perennial waterways. Nature Geoscience 11: 497–503.

Stubbington, R., England, J., Acreman, M., Wood, P. J., Westwood, C., Boon, P., ... Jorda-Capdevila, D. 2018. The Natural Capital of Temporary Rivers: Characterising the value of dynamic aquatic-terrestrial habitats. Natural Capital Synthesis Report VNP12. Available via: 

Vadher, A.N., Millett, J., Stubbington, R. and Wood, P.J. 2018. The duration of channel drying affects survival of Gammarus pulex (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) within subsurface sediments: an experimental flume study. Hydrobiologia 820: 165–173. 

Vadher, A.N., Millett, J., Stubbington, R. and Wood, P.J. 2018 Drying duration and stream characteristics influence macroinvertebrate survivorship within the sediments of a temporary channel and exposed gravel bars of a connected perennial stream. Hydrobiologia 2018: 121–132.  

Stubbington, R., Chadd, R., Cid, N., Csabai, Z., Miliša, M., Morais, M., ... Datry, T. 2018. Biomonitoring of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams in Europe: current practice and priorities to enhance ecological status assessments. Science of the Total Environment 618: 1096–1113.

Datry, T., Singer, G., Sauquet, E., Jorda-Capdevila, D., von Schiller, D., Stubbington, R., ... Zoppini, A. 2017. Science and Management of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams (SMIRES). Research Ideas and Outcomes 3: e21774.

Vadher, A.N., Leigh, C., Millett, J., Stubbington, R. and Wood, P. J. 2017. Vertical movements through subsurface stream sediments by benthic macroinvertebrates during experimental drying are influenced by sediment characteristics and species traits. Freshwater Biology 62: 1730–1740.  

Stubbington, R., England, J., Sefton, C.E.M. and Wood, P.J. 2017. Temporary streams in temperate zones: recognizing, monitoring and restoring transitional aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews (WIREs): Water 4: e1223. 

Stubbington, R., Hogan, J.P. and Wood, P.J. 2017. Characterization of the density and body size of a Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda) population in subsurface sediments reflects the sampling technique used. Hydrobiologia 788: 293–303.  

Stubbington, R., Dole-Olivier, M.J., Galassi, D., Hogan, J.P. and Wood, P.J. 2016. Characterization of macroinvertebrate communities in the hyporheic zone of river ecosystems reflects the pump-sampling technique used.  PLoS One 11: e0164372.

Stubbington, R., Wood, P.J., Gunn, J., Little, S. and Worrall, T.P. 2016. Macroinvertebrate seedbank composition in relation to antecedent duration of drying and multiple wet-dry cycles in a temporary stream. Freshwater Biology 61: 1293–1307.

Death, R.G., Death, F., Stubbington, R., Joy, M. and van den Belt, M. 2015. How good are Bayesian belief networks for environmental management? A test with multiple stressors in a New Zealand river. Freshwater Biology 60: 2297–2309. 

Vadher, A.N., Stubbington, R. and Wood, P.J. 2015. Fine sediment reduces vertical migrations of Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in response to surface water loss. Hydrobiologia 753: 61–71.

Stubbington, R., Boulton, A.J., Little, S. and Wood, P.J. 2015. Changes in invertebrate assemblage composition in benthic and hyporheic zones during a severe supraseasonal drought. Freshwater Science 34: 344–354. 

Stubbington, R. and Datry, T. 2013. The macroinvertebrate seedbank promotes community persistence in temporary rivers across climate zones. Freshwater Biology 58: 1202–1220.

Stubbington, R., Wood, P.J., Reid, I. and Gunn, J. 2011. Benthic and hyporheic invertebrate community responses to seasonal flow recession in a karst stream. Ecohydrology 4: 500–511. 

Stubbington, R., Greenwood, A.M., Wood, P.J., Armitage, P.D., Gunn, J. and Robertson, A.L. 2009. The response of perennial and temporary headwater stream invertebrate communities to hydrological extremes. Hydrobiologia 630: 299–312. 

Stubbington, R., Wood, P.J. and Boulton, A.J. 2009. Low flow controls on benthic and hyporheic macroinvertebrate assemblages during supra-seasonal drought. Hydrological Processes 23: 2252–2263. 

Stubbington, R., Terrell-Nield, C. and Harding, P. 2008. The first occurrence of the Ponto-Caspian invader, Hemimysis anomala GO Sars, 1907 (Mysidacea) in the UK. Crustaceana 81: 43–55.

Stubbington, R., Dunscombe, M.P. and Gledhill, T. 2008. Occurrence of Antrobathynella stammeri (Jakobi, 1954) (Crustacea: Syncarida: Bathynellidae) in the hyporheic zones of two English karst rivers. Cave and Karst Science 35: 59–62.

Holdich, D., Gallagher, S., Rippon, L., Harding, P. and Stubbington, R. 2006. The invasive Ponto-Caspian mysid, Hemimysis anomala, reaches the UK. Aquatic Invasions 1: 4–6.

Press expertise

  • Freshwater ecology and river ecosystems
  • How freshwater invertebrate communities respond to environmental change
  • Climate change and drought impacts on river ecosystems