Scale relationships and linkages between woody vegetation communities along a large tropical floodplain river, north Australia

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron M. Petty ◽  
Michael M. Douglas
Keyword(s):  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Flood Pulse ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
Stream Channels ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Forest Zone ◽  
Savanna Vegetation ◽  
Riparian Woodlands ◽  
Closed Forest ◽  
Patterns And Processes

Abstract:Riparian vegetation varies according to hydrogeomorphic processes operating across different scales over two didmensions: transversely (across-stream) and longitudinally (parallel to stream). We tested the hypothesis that vegetation patterns reveal the scale and direction of underlying processes. We correlated patterns of dominant woody vegetation with environmental variables at 28 sites located within four geomorphologically distinct regions along the length of the South Alligator River catchment of Kakadu National Park, northern Australia. Across the catchment there existed a strong transverse boundary between upland savanna vegetation and two zones of riparian vegetation: Melaleuca-spp.-dominated closed-forest vegetation along stream channels and mixed open-woodland vegetation adjacent to closed forest. We surmise that there is hierarchic constraint on smaller-scale catchment processes due to fire incursion into the riparian zone and access to water during the dry season. Within the closed-forest zone, vegetation did not vary transversely, but did longitudinally. Riparian woodlands also varied longitudinally, but in the upper reaches varied independently of stream variables. By contrast, in the lower reaches woodland was strongly correlated with stream variables. The observed pattern of weak transverse linkages in headwaters but strong linkages in lower reaches is analogous to models developed for in-stream patterns and processes, particularly the river continuum and flood-pulse concepts.

scholarly journals Spatial pattern of riparian plants along stream order among mountain rivers in China

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 322-330
Author(s):  
Rong Sun ◽  
Xiaojie Luo ◽  
Xiangyu Meng ◽  
Yan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Stream Order ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Riparian Plants ◽  
Tree Species Richness ◽  
Riparian Species ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract The streams in a watershed form a hierarchical network system. From the perspective of the river continuum, this classification system is the result of gradual increase in traffic. This study analyzed the riparian species richness, diversity and environmental factors along a six-order hierarchical mountain river in the Donghe watershed, China. A total of 34 sampling sites were sampled to study the spatial distribution of riparian plants among different stream orders. The results showed: Environmental factors among stream orders had significant differences. Among stream order, species richness showed remarkable differences. The species richness rose firstly and dropped afterwards except for tree species richness; tree species richness decreased while stream order increased. The same is true for shrub quadrat species richness. Shannon-Wiener diversity, Simpson dominance and Pielou uniformity showed significant difference among stream orders; Shannon-Wiener diversity rose firstly then dropped afterwards. For integrated environmental factors and community characteristics, we found the changes of stream orders had a significant impact on riparian habitats and riparian vegetation. Further analysis showed that riparian vegetation experienced different types and degrees of disturbance in different stream orders. This meant that a hierarchical management strategy should be applied to riparian vegetation management.

scholarly journals Capões como Ilhas para Artrópodes no Pantanal

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Aranda
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Flood Pulse ◽  
Soil Arthropods ◽  
Arthropod Community ◽  
Plastic Bags

A configuração do habitat é um dos fatores que pode influenciar a distribuição dos organismos. O pantanal por apresentar mosaico natural de formações se enquadra para testar tais afirmações. O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar se a distância e o tamanho de capões afetam a composição da comunidade de artrópodes testando a hipótese de que quanto maior e mais próximo o capão da mata ciliar, maior sua diversidade. Foram amostradas seis parcelas de 30 cm² em nove capões onde a serrapilheira e o solo foram coletados, acondicionados em sacos plásticos e posteriormente triados. Houve relação entre a composição da comunidade de artrópodes em relação à distância e o tamanho indicando que o pulso de inundação do último ano afetou de forma significativa a comunidade de artrópodes de solo em capões. O acompanhamento dos processos de recolonização dos capões é sugerido. Capons as Island for Arthropods in Pantanal Abstract. The configuration of habitat is one of the factors that influence the distribution of organisms. The Pantanal by presenting mosaic natural formations fit to test such claims. The present study aimed to evaluate the distance and size of riparian capons affect the community composition of arthropods tested the hypothesis that the higher and closer to the capon of riparian vegetation, the greater its diversity. We sampled six plots of 30 cm² in nine capons where the leaf-litter and soil were collected, placed in plastic bags and later sorted. There was a relationship between the composition of arthropod community in relation to distance and size indicating that the flood pulse of the last year significantly affected the community of soil arthropods in geldings. The monitoring of the processes of recolonization of the capons is suggested.

Hydrologic and Riparian Influences on the Import and Storage of Coarse Particulate Organic Matter in a Prairie Stream

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 655-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin E. Gurtz ◽  
G. Richard Marzolf ◽  
Keith T. Killingbeck ◽  
David L. Smith ◽  
J. Vaun McArthur
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Particulate Organic Matter ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
River Continuum Concept ◽  
Hydrologic Regime ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Coarse Particulate Organic Matter ◽  
Continuum Concept ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Prairie Stream

The hydrologic regime and zonation of riparian vegetation influenced the quantity and quality of coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM; >1 mm) stored in the channel and upper bank of a prairie stream. In a 5.4-km intermittent reach of the South Branch of Kings Creek on Konza Prairie, Kansas, total annual import was lowest in headwater reaches and increased downstream. Total storage of benthic CPOM in the dry channel and on the bank before the flow period was highest in the fourth- and fifth-order gallery forest zone (999 g ash-free dry mass∙m−2) and less in upstream reaches (320–341 g∙m−2). These longitudinal patterns of CPOM annual import and storage (before the flow period) were opposite those predicted by the river continuum concept for streams draining forested regions. Following flow, headwater channels had more CPOM (291 g∙m−2) than downstream reaches. On the bank, storage was always highest in downstream reaches. Composition of CPOM both in the channel and on the bank varied with changes in riparian vegetation; grass tissues dominated in headwater channels, while wood and leaves of trees and shrubs were more abundant downstream. During the flow period, storage of CPOM increased only in headwater channels, where retention was high despite the lack of woody debris. In this intermittent prairie stream, benthic CPOM may not contribute consistently to the terrestrial/aquatic linkages that are suggested in the river continuum concept because of (1) a paucity of large CPOM sources (e.g. trees, shrubs) in the upper reaches and (2) a hydrologic regime that reduces the amount, as well as the predictability, of stored CPOM. The biota of prairie streams must have opportunistic food gathering and reproductive strategies to take advantage of variable food resources in a flow environment that is itself very unpredictable.

Enriching the landscape: social history and the management of transition ecology in the forest–savanna mosaic of the Republic of Guinea

Africa ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Fairhead ◽  
Melissa Leach
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Forest Zone ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
Republic Of Guinea ◽  
Equilibrium Dynamics ◽  
Savanna Vegetation ◽  
Moist Forest ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Political Economic

AbstractThe mosaic of forest and savanna vegetation found along the northern margin of West Africa's moist forest zone has generally been understood in policy circles as a degraded and degrading forest landscape, following savannisation by its farming populations. Some ecologists have suggested that the vegetation mosaic may, however, be more stable, determined by soil differences, and others still that forest may be encroaching on savanna as a result of long-term climatic rehumidification. This article presents historical evidence from Kissidougou which shows that, contrary to scientific and policy orthodoxy there, forest areas have been increasing at the expense of savanna in recent times. The article outlines the local agro-ecological practices which have been enriching the landscape, and examines how the observed course of vegetation change this century can be accounted for in the articulation of these practices with political, economic, demographic and climatic changes. A retheorisation of ecology in the forest–savanna mosaic is offered which, in drawing on non-equilibrium dynamics, offers a better framework for understanding people's impact on forest–savanna ecology.

Wood Dynamics in Coastal Plain Blackwater Streams

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur C. Benke ◽  
J. Bruce Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Main Channel ◽  
Sixth Order ◽  
Stream Channels ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forests ◽  
Ogeechee River

We quantified woody debris in the river swamps of the sixth order Ogeechee River and several smaller tributaries in the Coastal Plain of the southeastern USA, compared swamp wood with woody debris in the channel, and studied wood movement in the swamp and main channel over 20 mo. Woody debris in the Ogeechee River swamps was relatively low (0.362–0.880 kg ash-free dry mass (AFDM)/m2) in comparison to several mixed temperate deciduous forests. Similarly, wood in the tributary swamps was low (mean = 0.82 kg AFDM/m2), and there were no trends along the river continuum. Wood in the channels of both the Ogeechee (6.46 kg AFDM/m2) and a fourth order tributary (2.24 kg AFDM/m2) were significantly higher than found in their adjacent floodplains. Woody debris appeared to increase in stream channels from smaller tributaries to the sixth order river, opposite of that observed in other river systems. Tagging of logs showed that only 17% of wood in the Ogeechee channel had moved after 3 major floods, much less than in the swamps (21–84%). The abundance and stability of woody debris in the main channel allows it to be a major habitat type and source of food for both riverine invertebrates and fishes. The fate of most swamp wood appears to be decomposition and fragmentation, rather than import to the river channel.

scholarly journals INVESTIGATION OF DEFORMATION PROCESSES IN CHANNELS OF REGULATED STREAMS

2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raimundas Baublys
Keyword(s):  
Current Situation ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
Natural Phenomena ◽  
Stream Channels ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Deformation Processes ◽  
Longitudinal Profiles

The paper analyses deformation processes occurring in channels of regulated streams and discusses the reasons of their occurrence. As the study results have shown, the most frequent deformations of regulated streams include the erosion of slopes, accumulation of sediment in the channel, and the overgrowth of the channel with grass, bushes and woody vegetation. Deformations occurring due to the effect of different natural phenomena determined the changes of stream channels in cross‐sectional and longitudinal profiles. Most streams under investigation have not been controlled, i e they are overgrown with thick and high grass vegetation. The paper presents analysis of current situation and discusses different possibilities of the naturalization of regulated streams.

scholarly journals Influence of environmental parameters on fish assemblage of a neotropical river with a flood pulse regime, Central Brazil

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Lima de Melo ◽  
Francisco Leonardo Tejerina-Garro ◽  
Cesar Enrique de Melo
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Flood Pulse ◽  
Fish Assemblage Structure ◽  
Portable Equipment ◽  
Central Brazil ◽  
Araguaia River

This study aims to determine which of twelve environmental parameters (five physicochemical and seven hydromorphological) influence on the fish assemblage structure of the lower Mortes River basin located in the Bananal floodplain of the Araguaia River basin, Central Brazil. Sampling was conducted in six stretches of 1000 m each during the high and low waters. Fish were captured using gill nets and environmental parameters were measured by portable equipment or determined visually. The co-inertia analysis indicated that two physicochemical (dissolved oxygen and water transparency), and four hydromorphological (channel width and depth, riparian vegetation cover and type of the riverside substrate) parameters structure the fish assemblages, both driven by the regional hydrological patterns (flood pulse). These results are explained by fish-environmental parameters relationship characteristic of the aquatic Neotropical systems.

Human-disturbed landscapes: effects on composition and integrity of riparian woody vegetation in the Tagus River basin, Portugal

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCISCA C. AGUIAR ◽  
MARIA TERESA FERREIRA
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Riparian Ecosystems ◽  
Average Width ◽  
The Impact

Human activities within fluvial corridors and surrounding landscapes have persistently stressed riparian ecosystems, particularly in Iberian Mediterranean-type streams. The impact of human disturbance relative to natural environmental factors in shaping riparian vegetation is still poorly understood. Both regional variables (such as altitude and precipitation), and site-specific characteristics (such as substrate and riverbank modifications) were analysed as potential determinants of riparian vegetation patterning to determine the relative influences of the diverse land-use types and environmental factors on the composition (including floristic species richness and percentage cover of trees, shrubs and woody climbers) and integrity (width of riparian woods and patterns of longitudinal continuity) of riparian woods in eight river basins of the Tagus fluvial system (Portugal). There was patchy establishment of riparian woods, with generally low average width and low species richness, as well as significant inter-basin differences and upstream-downstream variations in riparian features. Species distribution was clearly determined by environmental factors, such as human disturbance on the riverbanks and geological background, and the environmental variables and the land use in the river valley partially explained the integrity of riparian woody vegetation. The results highlight the predictive capability of reach-level features; it appears that, linked with the geomorphological and climate context, small-scale human disturbances on riparian corridors play a major role in explaining the remaining biological variability.

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