20.500.12556/RUL-186081 Linking multi-scale stressors to fish and benthic invertebrates in non-wadable rivers implications for river management Understanding how multiple stressors operating across spatial scales shape riverine biota is essential for advancing sustainable ecosystem management. This study evaluated the relative importance of hydromorphological alterations and land-use changes for benthic invertebrate (n = 77) and fish assemblages (n = 92) in large Slovenian rivers. Multivariate analyses were employed to disentangle unique and shared effects of stressors at reach, segment, and catchment scales while accounting for natural variability. The results revealed a hierarchical structuring of stressors, with regional factors shaping local conditions. Fish assemblages were predominantly associated with local-scale stressors, particularly at the segment scale, whereas benthic invertebrates were more strongly associated with shared stressor effects across multiple spatial scales. Stressors explained substantially more variability in fish (43.5%) than in benthic invertebrates (19.9%). Catchment-scale land use showed higher explanatory power than local riparian land use. Typological variables moderately improved model performance, emphasizing the contribution of natural environmental gradients. Our findings suggest that large river management may benefit from a multi-scale perspective that prioritizes segment-scale habitat conditions for fish and coordinated catchment-to-local strategies for benthic invertebrates, with potential benefits for ecosystem resilience and long-term sustainability. hydromorphology land-use change aquatic communities variance partitioning habitat integrity ecological status biomonitoring river restoration scale-dependent responses ecological assessment hidromorfologija sprememba rabe zemljišč vodne združbe porazdelitev variance celovitost habitata ekološko stanje biomonitoring obnova rek true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-08-26 14:39:13 2026-08-27 08:34:58 2026-08-28 04:41:08 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 23 str. iss. 17, art. 8613 Vol. 18 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 632 2071-1050 10.3390/su18178613 289002243 2026_Knehtl_Urbanic_sustainability-18-08613.pdf 2026_Knehtl_Urbanic_sustainability-18-08613.pdf 1 C4AC5FF93811C798F9EE694AC499EE03 94ae5c7ce30e5dd953684a4a329d7bb495145fece75c28eee8570bbc8b3858b7 d582aadd-a14a-11f1-9b0d-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=245149 https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/17/8613 0 bdf0f98c-a14a-11f1-9b0d-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=245148 Biotehniška fakulteta 0 0 0