The strength of interactions between plants and river processes is mediated by plant traits and fluvial conditions, including above‐ground biomass, stem density and flexibility, channel and bed‐material properties, and flow and sediment regimes. In many rivers, concurrent changes in (1) the composition of riparian vegetation communities as a result of exotic species invasion and (2) shifts in hydrology have altered physical and ecological conditions in a manner that has been mediated by feedbacks between vegetation and morphodynamic processes. We review how
Environmental flow releases are an effective tool to meet multiple management objectives, including maintaining river conveyance, restoring naturally functioning riparian plant communities, and controlling invasive species. In this context, predicting plant mortality during floods remains a key area of uncertainty for both river managers and ecologists, particularly with respect to how flood hydraulics and sediment dynamics interact with the plants’ own traits to influence their vulnerability to scour and burial. To understand these processes better, we conducted flume experiments to quantify different plant species’ vulnerability to flooding across a range of plant sizes, patch densities, and sediment condition (equilibrium transport versus sediment deficit), using sand‐bed rivers in the U.S. southwest as our reference system. We ran 10 experimental floods in a 0.6 m wide flume using live seedlings of cottonwood and tamarisk, which have contrasting morphologies. Sediment supply, plant morphology, and patch composition all had significant impacts on plant vulnerability during floods. Floods under sediment deficit conditions, which typically occur downstream of dams, resulted in bed degradation and a 35% greater risk of plant loss compared to equilibrium sediment conditions. Plants in sparse patches dislodged five times more frequently than in dense patches. Tamarisk plants and patches had greater frontal area, larger basal diameter, longer roots, and lower crown position compared to cottonwood across all seedling heights. These traits were associated with a 75% reduction in tamarisk seedlings’ vulnerability to scour compared to cottonwood.
- Award ID(s):
- 1633831
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10462896
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Freshwater Biology
- Volume:
- 64
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 0046-5070
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 474-484
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
more » « less
Abstract Tamarix , which has invaded many southwestern US waterways, andPopulus species, woody pioneer trees that are native to the region, differentially affect hydraulics, sediment transport, and river morphology. We draw on flume, field, and modelling approaches spanning the individual seedling to river‐corridor scales. In a flume study, we found that differences in the crown morphology, stem density, and flexibility ofTamarix compared toPopulus influenced near‐bed flow velocities in a manner that favoured aggradation associated withTamarix . Similarly, at the patch and corridor scales, observations confirmed increased aggradation with increased vegetation density. Furthermore, long‐term channel adjustments were different forTamarix ‐ versusPopulus ‐dominated reaches, with faster and greater geomorphic adjustments forTamarix . Collectively, our studies show how plant‐trait differences betweenTamarix andPopulus , from individual seedlings to larger spatial and temporal scales, influence the co‐adjustment of rivers and riparian plant communities. These findings provide a basis for predicting changes in alluvial riverine systems which we conceptualize as a Green New Balance model that considers how channels may adjust to changes in plant traits and community structure, in addition to alterations in flow and sediment supply. We offer suggestions regarding how the Green New Balance can be used in management and invasive species management. -
more » « less
Abstract Plants influence river channel topography, but our understanding of the interaction among plants, flow, and sediment is limited, especially when sediment supply is variable. Using laboratory experiments in a recirculating flume with live seedlings in a mobile sand bed, we demonstrate how varying the balance between sediment supply and transport capacity shifts the relationship between plants and bar‐surface topography. Each experimental trial contrasted two sediment conditions, in which initially supply was maintained in equilibrium with transport via sediment recirculation, followed by sediment deficit, in which transport capacity exceeded supply, which was set to zero. For both sediment balances, the topographic response was sensitive to plant size, with larger plants inducing greater aggradation relative to a baseline condition. During sediment equilibrium, the positive relationship between plant size and topographic change also depended on species morphology (multi‐stemmed shrubs versus single‐stemmed plants). Plant morphology effects disappeared when the sediment balance shifted to a deficit, but the presence of plants had a greater impact on the magnitude of change compared to the topographic response under sediment equilibrium. Our results suggest that the interactions among sediment supply, plants, and topography may be strongest on rivers with a balance in sediment supply and transport capacity. Because of the large variability in fluvial sediment supply resulting from natural and anthropogenic influences, these interactions will differ spatially (e.g. longitudinally through a watershed) and at different temporal scales, from single flood events to longer time periods. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
-
more » « less
Abstract Understanding the feedbacks between water, sediment, and vegetation in deltas is an important part of understanding deltas as ecomorphodynamic systems. We conducted a set of laboratory experiments using alfalfa (
Medicago sativa ) as a proxy for delta vegetation to investigate: (1) the effects of plants on delta growth and channel network formation; and (2) the timescales controlling delta evolution in the presence of plants. Experiments were conducted with fluctuating discharge (i.e. flood and base flow periods) and variable seeding densities. We found that when deltas were small, channels had no memory across flood cycles, as floods could completely fill the incised channel network. When deltas were large, the larger channel volume could remain underfilled to keep channel memory. Plant patches also helped to increase the number of channels and make a more distributive network. Patchiness increased over time to continually aid in bifurcation, but as vegetation cover and patch sizes increased, patches began to merge. Larger patches blocked the flow to enhance topset deposition and channel filling, even for the case of large deltas with a high channel volume. We conclude that both plant patchiness and delta size affect the development of the channel network, and we hypothesize that their influences are manifested through two competing timescales. The first timescale,T v , defines the time when the delta is large enough for channels to have memory (i.e. remain underfilled), and the second,T p , defines the time when vegetation patches merge, amplifying deposition and blocking channels. When run time is between these two timescales, the delta can develop a persistent distributary network of channels aided by bifurcation around plant patches, but onceT p is reached, the channel network can again be destroyed by vegetation. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. -
Hui, Dafeng (Ed.)Abstract Aims Determining the ecological consequences of interactions between slow changes in long-term climate means and amplified variability in climate is an important research frontier in plant ecology. We combined the recent approach of climate sensitivity functions with a revised hydrological ‘bucket model’ to improve predictions on how plant species will respond to changes in the mean and variance of groundwater resources. Methods We leveraged spatiotemporal variation in long-term datasets of riparian vegetation cover and groundwater levels to build the first groundwater sensitivity functions for common plant species of dryland riparian corridors. Our results demonstrate the value of this approach to identifying which plant species will thrive (or fail) in an increasingly variable climate layered with declining groundwater stores. Important Findings Riparian plant species differed in sensitivity to both the mean and variance in groundwater levels. Rio Grande cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. wislizenii) cover was predicted to decline with greater inter-annual groundwater variance, while coyote willow (Salix exigua) and other native wetland species were predicted to benefit from greater year-to-year variance. No non-native species were sensitive to groundwater variance, but patterns for Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) predict declines under deeper mean groundwater tables. Warm air temperatures modulated groundwater sensitivity for cottonwood, which was more sensitive to variability in groundwater in years/sites with warmer maximum temperatures than in cool sites/periods. Cottonwood cover declined most with greater intra-annual coefficients of variation (CV) in groundwater, but was not significantly correlated with inter-annual CV, perhaps due to the short time series (16 years) relative to cottonwood lifespan. In contrast, non-native tamarisk (Tamarix chinensis) cover increased with both intra- and inter-annual CV in groundwater. Altogether, our results predict that changes in groundwater variability and mean will affect riparian plant communities through the differential sensitivities of individual plant species to mean versus variance in groundwater stores.more » « less
-
Determining the ecological consequences of interactions between slow changes in long-term climate means and amplified variability in climate is an important research frontier in plant ecology. We combined the recent approach of climate sensitivity functions with a revised hydrological ‘bucket model’ to improve predictions on how plant species will respond to future changes in both the mean and variance of groundwater resources. We leveraged spatiotemporal variation in a long-term dataset of riparian vegetation cover to build the first groundwater sensitivity functions (GSFs) for common plant species of dryland riparian corridors. Our results demonstrate the value of this approach to identifying which plant species will thrive (or fail) in an increasingly variable climate layered on top of declining groundwater stores. Riparian plant species differed in sensitivity to both the mean and variance in groundwater levels. Rio Grande cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. wislizenii) cover was predicted to decline with greater interannual groundwater variance, while coyote willow (Salix exigua) and other native wetland species were predicted to benefit from greater year-to-year variance. No non-native species were sensitive to groundwater variance, but patterns for Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) predict declines under deeper mean groundwater tables. Warm air temperatures modulated groundwater sensitivity for cottonwood, which was more sensitive to variability in groundwater in years/sites with warmer maximum temperatures than in cool sites/periods. Cottonwood cover declined most with greater intra-annual coefficients of variation (CV) in groundwater, but was not significantly correlated with inter-annual CV, perhaps due to the relatively short time series (16 y) relative to cottonwood lifespan. In contrast, non-native tamarisk (Tamarix chinensis) cover increased with both intra- and inter-annual CV in groundwater. Altogether, our results predict that changes in groundwater variability and mean will affect riparian plant communities through the differential sensitivities of individual plant species to mean versus variance in groundwater stores.more » « less
