Assessing Riparian Vegetation Condition and Function in Disturbed Sites of the Arid Northwestern Mexico

Cornejo-Denman, Lara; Romo-León, José Raúl; Castellanos, Alejandro E.; Caravantes, Rolando Enrique Díaz; Vázquez, José Luis Moreno; Mendez-Estrella, Romeo

doi:10.3390/land7010013

Cited by 17 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Even hydrological information on watersheds, basin size, level of fragmentation, flood vulnerability, runoff discharge points, stream order and stream networks within the watershed can also be evaluated remotely [44,67]. Studies have also assessed the loss of riparian vegetation around freshwater systems (e.g., normalized difference vegetation index) as a measure of anthropogenic impact and rapid urbanization [20,59]. Different data types including high resolution (MODIS and SPOT imagery) or lower resolution (Landsat OLI, ETM), and more recently high-resolution Google Earth images, have been harnessed to gain insight into different types of land-cover and land-use classes [18,60,73].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Watershed land use, surface water vulnerability and public health risks of two urban rivers, Ado-Ekiti, South-West Nigeria

et al. 2020

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The disruption of watersheds due to indiscriminate land use and urban development increases the vulnerability of adjacent surface water to contaminants of anthropogenic origin. This study assessed the relationship between disrupted watershed, drinking water quality and health risks of two urban rivers: Ureje and Awedele, Ado-Ekiti (Nigeria). Monthly samples of surface water (n = 60, per river) collected across seasons for 6 months (January-June, 2017) were analyzed for twenty-nine drinking water parameters including metals, nutrients (phosphates and nitrates) and pathogens using standard methods. The difference in the mean concentration of parameters between rivers was determined using t test, while the association between change in seasons and water quality parameters of both rivers was highlighted using principal component analysis (PCA). The risk was assessed based on on-site inspection studies and water sample analysis using WHO semiquantitative risk matrix approach. Inferences on surface water vulnerability were made from percentage built-up areas, riparian cover and stream order within each watershed. Mean concentrations of Pb, Cd, Fe, Mn, nitrates and coliform presence in samples from Awedele river (0.02 ± 0.00; 0.005 ± 0.001; 5.44 ± 1.33; 0.81 ± 0.03; 58.03 ± 0.10 mg/L; 1.2 × 10 6 MPN/100 ml, respectively) and Cd, Fe, Mn, nitrates and coliform in samples from Ureje river (0.004 ± 0.0001; 4.96 ± 0.12; 0.54 ± 0.01; 62.08 ± 0.02 mg/L; 1.6 × 10 3 MPN/100 ml, respectively) were above the permissible limits of WHO drinking guidelines. Risk assessment revealed urban runoff and unsanitary practices within the watershed as possible hazardous events which may compromise water quality of both rivers, while the PCA associated greater likelihood of surface water deterioration with areas of a higher percentage built-up area and lesser riparian density and width. We infer that disrupted watersheds and greater riparian depletion due to urbanization increased chances of metals and pathogens incidence that negatively impacts water. A twofold strategy of policy protection of watersheds and public health education on sourcing polluted surface water is recommended.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Watershed land use, surface water vulnerability and public health risks of two urban rivers, Ado-Ekiti, South-West Nigeria

et al. 2020

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“…This approach is relevant because most of the perennial cover is composed of pecan tree orchards, which have been introduced to the region in recent decades [77] and have different water requirements than annual crops. Based on our results, perennial agriculture currently covers a larger extent than annual agriculture; if perennial cover increases in the following years, this might further increase the pressure on native vegetation due to water use [29,73]. Additionally, this could have other implications in the agricultural sector, indicating a shift from a subsistence to a commercial type of activity [78,79].…”

Section: Riparian Vegetation and Agriculturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although agricultural cover represents a small percentage of the total study area, its presence has a profound effect on the distribution and composition of the riparian habitat [24,29,[73][74][75]. This is mostly because agricultural needs are easier to cover near the river, where fertile soils and access to water are guaranteed.…”

Section: Riparian Vegetation and Agriculturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Landscape Dynamics in an Iconic Watershed of Northwestern Mexico: Vegetation Condition Insights Using Landsat and PlanetScope Data

et al. 2020

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Natural vegetation in arid and semi-arid environments of Northwestern Mexico has been subject to transformation due to extensive and intensive human occupation related mostly to primary activities. Keystone habitats such as riparian ecosystems are extremely sensitive to land use changes that occur in their surrounding landscape. In this study, we developed remote sensing-based land cover classifications and post-classification fragmentation analysis, by using data from Landsat’s moderate resolution sensors Thematic Mapper and Operational Land Imager (TM and OLI) to assess land use changes and the shift in landscape configuration in a riparian corridor of a dynamic watershed in central Sonora during the last 30 years. In addition, we derived a high spatial resolution classification (using PlanetScope-PS2 imagery) to assess the “recent state” of the riparian corridor. According to our results, riparian vegetation has increased by 40%, although only 9% of this coverage corresponds to obligate riparian species. Scrub area shows a declining trend, with a loss of more than 17,000 ha due to the expansion of mesquite and buffelgrass-dominated areas. The use of moderate resolution Landsat data was essential to register changes in vegetation cover through time, however, higher resolution PlanetScope data were fundamental for the detection of limited aerial extent classes such as obligate riparian vegetation. The unregulated development of anthropogenic activities is suggested to be the main driver of land cover change processes for arid ecosystems in this region. These results highlight the urgent need for alternative management and restoration projects in an area where there is almost a total lack of protection regulations or conservation efforts.

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“…The water regime of rivers strongly affects the riparian vegetation, in terms of the transport of propagules, the frequency and intensity of flooding and water availability [8]. Disturbances to riparian zones increase their vulnerability to invasion by invasive alien plant species [9][10][11]. These plants mainly colonize riparian zones where the original vegetation has been removed [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive Alien Vines Affect Leaf Traits of Riparian Woody Vegetation

Grašič

Piberčnik

Zelnik

et al. 2019

Water

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The vines Echinocystis lobata and Parthenocissus quinquefolia are spreading over the natural vegetation in riparian zones, which may significantly affect riparian vegetation properties and the quality of litter for aquatic organisms. We examined leaf morphological, biochemical and optical traits of these invasive alien species, each paired with its host, the willows Salix caprea and S. fragilis, respectively. The vines altered the host radiation environment and the amount of photosynthetic pigments. Both vines had significantly higher specific leaf area and lower leaf tissue density compared to the willows, even though the leaves of P. quinquefolia were significantly thicker. Leaf optical properties varied significantly between vines and willows in some spectral regions. Compared to the willows, the vines reflected less light as UV, and more as green, and transmitted more light as green, yellow and red. The overgrowth of the willows with vines affected the reflectance of the willow leaves. Redundancy analysis of the relationships between leaf biochemical traits and reflectance spectra showed that chlorophyll a, anthocyanins, and UVB- and UVA-absorbing substances explained 45% of the reflectance spectra variability, while analysis with morphological traits revealed that specific leaf area, leaf thickness and upper cuticle thickness explained 43%. For leaf transmittance, UVB- and UVA-absorbing substances, carotenoids and anthocyanins explained 53% of the transmittance spectra variability, while analysis with morphological traits revealed that specific leaf area explained 51%. These data show that invasive alien vines can be discerned from each other and their hosts by their spectral signatures. In addition, the differences in the leaf functional traits between the vines and their hosts indicate significant differences in the quality of the plant litter entering the river.

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Assessing Riparian Vegetation Condition and Function in Disturbed Sites of the Arid Northwestern Mexico

Cited by 17 publications

References 37 publications

Watershed land use, surface water vulnerability and public health risks of two urban rivers, Ado-Ekiti, South-West Nigeria

Watershed land use, surface water vulnerability and public health risks of two urban rivers, Ado-Ekiti, South-West Nigeria

Landscape Dynamics in an Iconic Watershed of Northwestern Mexico: Vegetation Condition Insights Using Landsat and PlanetScope Data

Invasive Alien Vines Affect Leaf Traits of Riparian Woody Vegetation

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