Floodplain forest succession reveals fluvial processes: A hydrogeomorphic model for temperate riparian woodlands

Egger, Gregory; Politti, Emilio; Lautsch, Erwin; Benjankar, Rohan; Gill, Karen M.; Rood, Stewart B.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.06.018

Cited by 62 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…, Petts and Gurnell , Graf , Egger et al. ). These effects of dams provide insights into the fluvial and ecological processes that sustain habitat mosaics in riparian ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Effects of dams and geomorphic context on riparian forests of the Elwha River, Washington

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Understanding how dams affect the shifting habitat mosaic of river bottomlands is key for protecting the many ecological functions and related goods and services that riparian forests provide and for informing approaches to riparian ecosystem restoration. We examined the downstream effects of two large dams on patterns of forest composition, structure, and dynamics within different geomorphic contexts and compared them to upstream reference conditions along the Elwha River, Washington, USA. Patterns of riparian vegetation in river segments downstream of the dams were driven largely by channel and bottomland geomorphic responses to a dramatically reduced sediment supply. The river segment upstream of both dams was the most geomorphically dynamic, whereas the segment between the dams was the least dynamic due to substantial channel armoring, and the segment downstream of both dams was intermediate due to some local sediment supply. These geomorphic differences were linked to altered characteristics of the shifting habitat mosaic, including older forest age structure and fewer young Populus balsamifera subsp. trichocarpa stands in the relatively static segment between the dams compared to more extensive early-successional forests (dominated by Alnus rubra and Salix spp.) and pioneer seedling recruitment upstream of the dams. Species composition of later-successional forest communities varied among river segments as well, with greater Pseudotsuga menziesii and Tsuga heterophylla abundance upstream of both dams, Acer spp. abundance between the dams, and P. balsamifera subsp. trichocarpa and Thuja plicata abundance below both dams. Riparian forest responses to the recent removal of the two dams on the Elwha River will depend largely on channel and geomorphic adjustments to the release, transport, and deposition of the large volume of sediment formerly stored in the reservoirs, together with changes in large wood dynamics.

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“…, Petts and Gurnell , Graf , Egger et al. ). These effects of dams provide insights into the fluvial and ecological processes that sustain habitat mosaics in riparian ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Effects of dams and geomorphic context on riparian forests of the Elwha River, Washington

et al. 2016

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“…Succession phases mapped at the braided (top, R1) and meander (bottom, R2) reaches along the lower Kootenai River (modified from Egger et al, ). This figure is available in colour online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/rra…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Subsequently, TIWI of morphodynamic disturbance (MDi) and flood inundation duration (FDi) are calculated from shear stress and flood duration maps as weighted averages over a given interval (Egger et al, ). These indices of morphodynamic (MDi) and flood duration (FDi) are spatially explicit and are defined as follows:

normalM normalD normali = \frac{true \sum ({}, \frac{τ_{1}}{1} + \frac{τ_{2}}{2} + \frac{τ_{3}}{3} + . . . + \frac{τ_{((), T - 1)}}{[T - 1]} + \frac{τ_{T}}{T})}{true \sum ({}, \frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{3} + . . . + \frac{1}{[T - 1]} + \frac{1}{T})}

MDi is calculated by summing the ratio of shear stress τ (N/m 2 ) divided by the corresponding year ordinal number (top axis in Figure ), and this sum is then divided by the reciprocal values of the year ordinal numbers.…”

Section: Tiwi: Time and Intensity Weighted Indicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time and Intensity Weighted Indices of Fluvial Processes: a Case Study from the Kootenai River, USA

Egger

Politti

Lautsch

et al. 2016

River Research & Apps

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Within riparian landscapes, river flows and stages determine habitat gradients from less to more dynamic, and these support different plant species and their life history stages that are adapted to specific positions along these gradients. The gradients are characterized by physical processes that vary in magnitude and duration, and these shape the riparian vegetation communities. Consequently, natural riparian ecosystems are very dynamic, and the river disturbance regime is essential for sustaining ecosystem health. However, although the importance of disturbance is well accepted, disturbance regimes are poorly understood. This study was undertaken to develop indices capable of characterizing riparian habitats by considering flood magnitude and the elapsed time after flood disturbance, that is, the history that influenced the present vegetation composition. The indices were tested along two reaches of the Kootenai River in Idaho, USA, with braided versus meandering channel forms. The case study spanned a 31‐year period and emphasized two major disturbance components, the morphodynamic influence of velocity and shear stress and the flood or inundation duration. Computed indices were tested for consistency and then used to characterize different riparian vegetation development and succession phases. The statistical analysis revealed high correspondence among the calculated indices and differences across the different successional stages and between the two reaches. This demonstrated the utility of the time and intensity weighted indices to analyse the fluvial patterns that support different riparian vegetation communities, and this could be applicable for riparian management, mitigation, conservation and restoration. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…GIS data has been used to simulate trajectories of vegetation and fauna in space and time for a landscape ecological decision support system (LEDESS). Alternatively, with current hydrodynamical and hydromorphological characteristics as a "starting point," one can use the "intrinsic ecological potential" of vegetation and fauna to explore what development paths are possible and thereby define rehabilitation goals (Pedroli et al 2002;Egger et al 2015). Nijboer et al (2004) recommended not to rely only on a single method for defining reference conditions.…”

Section: What Is Process-based Restoration?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration in Integrated River Basin Management

Muhar

Sendzimir

Jungwirth

et al. 2018

Riverine Ecosystem Management

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Floodplain forest succession reveals fluvial processes: A hydrogeomorphic model for temperate riparian woodlands

Cited by 62 publications

References 45 publications

Effects of dams and geomorphic context on riparian forests of the Elwha River, Washington

Effects of dams and geomorphic context on riparian forests of the Elwha River, Washington

Time and Intensity Weighted Indices of Fluvial Processes: a Case Study from the Kootenai River, USA

Restoration in Integrated River Basin Management

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