Conclusion
In this study, we show how land use, i.e., lignite mining activities and the resulting iron flocculation in lotic systems may decrease benthic invertebrate and fish biomass. In addition, we further were able to demonstrate the potential of mining activities to restructure aquatic food webs, forcing the fish community to an increased reliance on terrestrial insects. Therefore, mining activities represent an environmental perturbation that can alter the flow of energy between aquatic and terrestrial systems. Another human-induced impact that could potentially act in a similar way is the one of the installations of artificial light near a waterbody which could attract more insects to be closer to the water (Perkin et al. 2011), but empirical evidence is missing. We therefore agree with Soininen et al. (2015) and argue to incorporate a holistic and unifying view of ecology on the landscape level when considering the effects of human-induced environmental change on our ecosystems.