4.3 Study limitations
Our estimates of hyporheic respiration allometry are based on a largely
mechanistic model which incorporates numerous assumptions. We also note
that our approach simplifies some important, yet complex, watershed
characteristics that influence hyporheic respiration. First, our
cumulative respiration rates are time-averaged, and likely smooth over
hot moments of respiration within different portions of the basin, or
potentially across the entire basin. Additionally, we did not explicitly
incorporate stream intermittency, which can dramatically alter how
nutrients and associated biogeochemical processes like respiration
change not only across space but through time (Newcomer et al. 2018;
Coulson et al. 2022). Together, integration of spatial and temporal
information, and explicitly investigating the role of variable
inundation on disconnecting and reconnecting portions of the watershed
will lead to a more realistic representation of watershed
biogeochemistry, and more accurate predictions of allometric scaling of
hyporheic respiration across spatial and temporal scales under shifting
climate regimes.