scholarly journals Resilience of riparian vegetation composition and diversity following cessation of livestock grazing in northeastern Oregon, USA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Boone Kauffman ◽  
Greg Coleman ◽  
Nick Otting ◽  
Robert L Beschta ◽  
Danna Lytjen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Poa Pratensis ◽  
Habitat Diversity ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Riparian Ecosystems ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Sediment Retention ◽  
Positive Feedbacks ◽  
Stream Morphology ◽  
Climate Change Effects

Riparian ecosystem restoration has been accomplished through exclusion of livestock using  corridor fencing along hundreds of kilometers of streams in the western USA, for the benefit of riparian-obligate wildlife and endangered fishes.  Yet few studies have evaluated shifts in the vegetation composition and diversity following the cessation of livestock impacts.  We sampled riparian vegetation composition along 11-paired grazed and ungrazed (exclosed) stream reaches in northeastern Oregon, USA.  Exclosure ages ranged from 2 to >30 years and grazing treatments varied from light grazing every one out of three years to heavy season-long grazing.  Species richness and diversity was higher in the ungrazed  reaches (p =0.002). The abundance of native sedges ( Carex spp.) and broad-leaved forbs were also significantly (p < 0.05) greater in ungrazed areas. In contrast, exotic species adapted to grazing such as Poa pratensis and Trifolium repens were more abundant in grazed stream reaches.  The prevalence of hydrophytic species significantly increased (p ≤ 0.01) in ungrazed reaches, (based on wetland species  indicator scores), indicating that wetland-dominated communities within the ungrazed stream reaches were replacing ones adapted to drier environments.   The increased abundance of facultative and wetland-obligate species in ungrazed reaches compared to grazed reaches suggests that livestock grazing exacerbates those climate change effects also leading to warmer and drier conditions. Further, riparian-obligate shrub cover along the streambank was higher in 7 of 8 exclosures that were older than 5 years. As a restoration approach the inherent resilience of  riparian ecosystems exhibited in ungrazed riparian zones suggest positive feedbacks to other beneficial ecosystem processes such as increased species and habitat diversity, increased carbon sequestration, enhanced allochthonous inputs and greater sediment retention, that would affect the aquatic and terrestrial biota, water quality, and stream morphology.

Influence of wildfire severity on geomorphic features and riparian vegetation of forested streams of the Sierra Nevada, California, USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 611
Author(s):  
Breeanne K. Jackson ◽  
S. Mažeika P. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Riparian Ecosystems ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Sediment Size ◽  
Rim Fire ◽  
Geomorphic Features ◽  
Biodiversity And Ecosystem Function ◽  
Riparian Plant

Fires are a common feature of many landscapes, with numerous and complex ecological consequences. In stream ecosystems, fire can strongly influence fluvial geomorphic characteristics and riparian vegetation, which are structural components of stream–riparian ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, the effects of fire severity on stream–riparian ecosystems in California’s Sierra Nevada region (USA) are not well described, yet critical for effectively informing fire management and policy. At 12 stream reaches paired by fire severity (one high-severity burned, one low-severity burned), no significant differences were found in riparian plant community cover and composition or stream geomorphic characteristics 2–15 years following wildfire. In addition, minimal changes in riparian vegetation and stream geomorphic properties were observed in the first summer following the extensive and severe Rim Fire. However, an upstream-to-downstream influence of multiple fire occurrences was observed over the previous 81 years within each catchment on stream geomorphic metrics, including sediment size, embeddedness and channel geometry, at our study reaches. The inconsistent effects of wildfire on stream–riparian vegetation and geomorphic characteristics over space and time may be related to time since fire and precipitation.

Disturbance by grazing and the presence of rodents facilitates the dominance of the unpalatable grass Achnatherum inebrians in alpine meadows of northern China

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 301
Author(s):  
Xiang Yao ◽  
Qing Chai ◽  
Taixiang Chen ◽  
Zhenjiang Chen ◽  
Xuekai Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Poa Pratensis ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Alpine Ecosystems ◽  
Alpine Meadows ◽  
Qinghai Province ◽  
Achnatherum Inebrians ◽  
Disturbed Soil ◽  
Elymus Nutans ◽  
Study Sites

Unpalatable plants reportedly serve as a biodiversity refuge. However, few studies have been conducted to evaluate how unpalatable plants impact vegetation composition in alpine ecosystems. In the present study we investigated alpine meadows at four sites in four different prefectures on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of Qinghai Province, China. The study sites included meadows grazed by livestock (AO) and others in the vicinity colonised by the unpalatable grass, Achnatherum inebrians (AI), which the livestock avoided. The results showed: (1) palatable graminoid species were significantly different in the two groups: AO plots were dominated by Kobresia spp. (sedges), whereas AI plots were dominated by Poa pratensis and Elymus nutans (grasses); (2) graminoid diversity was significantly higher in AI than in AO plots; (3) grasses had significantly more seeds in AI than in AO plots. We suggest a three-step process for the invasion of A. inebrians into overgrazed alpine meadows in Northern China. First, soil is disturbed by rodents. Second, disturbed soil is invaded by A. inebrians. Third, the A. inebrians community is colonised by palatable grasses such as Elymus, Poa, Leymus and Stipa spp.

scholarly journals Habitat diversity and benthic functional trophic groups at Serra do Cipó, Southeast Brazil

2001 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. CALLISTO ◽  
P. MORENO ◽  
F. A. R. BARBOSA
Keyword(s):  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Aquatic Macrophytes ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Habitat Diversity ◽  
Trophic Groups ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Lotic Ecosystems ◽  
Serra Do Cipó ◽  
Trophic Resources ◽  
Doce River

The assessment of the diversity of habitats and the characterisation of the functional trophic groups of benthic macroinvertebrate communities of some rivers of Serra do Cipó (MG) were the main objectives of this study. The available trophic resources and the types of substrata were characterised along with the structure and composition of their using functional trophic groups. Serra do Cipó is a watershed divisor of the São Francisco and Doce River basins, including a series of streams and rivers, of good water quality and well preserved ecological characteristics. Samples were collected in Cipó, Peixe and Preto do Itambé rivers, besides the Indaiá and Capão da Mata streams at 26 sampling stations, during the rainy (February) and dry (October) seasons of 1998, using "Kicking nets" of 0.125 mm mesh size. The group of collectors (Baetidae, Leptophlebiidae and Leptohyphidae) was the most abundant, followed by collector-predators (Hydrophilidae, Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae-Tanypodinae), and detritivorous-herbivores (Oligochaeta). The riparian vegetation, together with the aquatic macrophytes, are the substrata containing the highest richness of functional trophic groups and the higher habitat diversity. The results suggest that the use of functional trophic groups, together with habitat evaluation, are efficient tools in the evaluation of the diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates, particularly in altitudinal lotic ecosystems.

scholarly journals Manitoba’s endangered alvars: an initial description of their extent and status

2019 ◽  
Vol 132 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah Neufeld ◽  
Cary Hamel ◽  
Chris Friesen
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Information System ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
Land Ownership ◽  
Soil Characteristics ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Initial Description ◽  
Vegetation Composition And Structure

Alvars are rare in Canada and uncommon globally. This study represents the first formal attempt to describe and delineate the extent of alvars in Manitoba. A systematic examination of the Interlake region’s edaphic and biological characteristics, using a geographic information system, resulted in the identification of 67 sites warranting further field study. Of these sites, 61 were surveyed and information was collected on vegetation composition and structure, soil characteristics, land ownership, and land use. Alvar was confirmed at 28 sites, extending over approximately 3930 ha in five geographically distinct clusters. Four putative types of alvar communities are described: grassland, shrubland, savannah, and wetland. Livestock grazing is the dominant land use and occurs across more than three-quarters of Manitoba alvar. Approximately 12% coincide with mining claims or quarry leases. Two-thirds occur on publicly owned land.

Dynamique pluriannuelle des hyphomycètes aquatiques de l'Osse, rivière réalimentée du sud-ouest de la France

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Mothe-Jean-Louis
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Community ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Aquatic Hyphomycetes ◽  
Nutrient Cycle ◽  
Vegetation Phenology ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Flood Intensity ◽  
Community Stucture ◽  
Ph Variations

The Osse River is a plain river (southwest of France) fed by the Neste Canal flowing from the Pyrénées. From 1988 to 1993, 46 samples taken from the foam in the river have shown a great temporal variability in densities of aquatic hyphomycete conidia, especially during winter. In 1992, the winter maximum density, related to the latest leaf breakdown, was 1522 conidia/mm3, and the winter minimum, in 1989, 2 conidia/mm3. This variability was much lower during spring. The water temperature varied between 3.0 and 23.5 °C. Several species of hyphomycetes appeared as extremely sensitive to temperature variations, whereas no significant correlation with pH variations was found. The effects of floods on the fungal community varied according to the flood intensity and timing and to the composition of the riparian vegetation. The role of the species composition and the phenology of the riparian vegetation on the fungal community stucture and dynamics was discussed in relation to leaf litter decomposition. This paper emphasizes the need to take into account the flood intensity for the study of hyphomycetes dynamics and the significant role of hydrodynamics in freshwater nutrient cycle. Key words: aquatic hyphomycetes, temperature, pH, vegetation phenology, vegetation composition, decomposition, hydrodynamic.

scholarly journals Checklist of Riparian Vegetation Potentially as Phytoremediators in the Upper Gajah Wong River, Yogyakarta

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 119-124
Author(s):  
Muhammad Yusuf ◽  
Wisnu Kurniawan ◽  
Listianto Listianto ◽  
Mustofa Afrianto ◽  
Ziar zia Urachman
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Riparian Ecosystems ◽  
River Level ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Plant Sampling ◽  
The Village

This study aims to determine the types of plants in the upper reaches of the Gajah Wong river which have the potential as phytoremediation agents and provide information about the function of riparian ecosystems. Plant sampling was carried out in December 2016 in three villages namely Sardonoharjo, Hargobinangun and Widomartani. The method used in this research is the transect and plot method. Transect measuring 200 meters according to the shape of the river and paired with a plot of 10 meters long, so that in each location there are 5 plots on the left and right of the river. Inventaritation of vegetation at the river level conducted in three villages upstream of Gajah Wong river found 84 types of plants consisting of 28 types of floor plants (herbs), 23 types of bush plants, 13 types of shrubs, and 21 species of trees. Whereas for phytoremidiator agents 30 plants were found that were able to reduce pollutants based on previous research. The village that has the highest diversity is Wedomartani and Sadonoharjo villages with 41 plant species. Whereas for Hargobinangun village where the place is higher, only 37 species of plants are found.

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