Results
Site location within the network, i.e. distance to source (DS), was uncorrelated to flow permanence (FP) and upstream connectivity (i.e. the percentage of perennial upstream reaches (%UC)), confirming that perennial and intermittent sites were evenly distributed throughout the river network (Fig S1 & S2). Upstream connectivity was moderately correlated with FP (r = 0.58, Fig. S1). Environmental characteristics were similar among intermittent and perennial sites (PERMANOVA: F = 1.243, p = 0.259; Fig S3) but differed among network locations due to differences in mean wetted width, instream canopy cover, pH, and soil moisture and organic matter contents between headwaters and the mainstem (PERMANOVA: F = 4.192, p = 0.001; Fig. S4).