Function and dynamics of woody debris in stream reaches in the central Sierra Nevada, California

Berg, Neil; Carlson, Ann; Azuma, David L.

doi:10.1139/cjfas-55-8-1807

Cited by 33 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Field studies are required to better understand the actual transport dynamics of wood in rivers (e.g., Young 1994, Jacobsen et al 1999, van der Nat et al 2003a) and to put our observations from the Queets River into a broader context. Studies of larger rivers will be particularly valuable because wood dynamics in small streams are increasingly well known (e.g., Lienkaemper and Swanson 1987, Murphy and Koski 1989, Berg et al 1998, Martin and Benda 2001, May and Gresswell 2003. The physical basis for log stability in rivers (and flumes) has been clearly articulated in previous studies in the field and in experimental flumes (Abbe 2000, Braudrick and Grant 2001, Abbe and Montgomery 2003, Wallerstein and Thorne 2004.…”

Section: Recommended Improvementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sources and Dynamics of Large Logs in a Temperate Floodplain River

Latterell

Naiman

2007

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Large logs, important agents of biophysical heterogeneity in temperate floodplain rivers, have been virtually eliminated from modified systems. Our purpose was to quantify the sources and dynamics of large logs (> or = 1 m diameter) in the mainstem of a nearly pristine system: the Queets River, Washington, USA. Erosion of forests by the river supplies 0.40 logs x (100 m)(-1) x yr(-1) to the channel. Most (72%) are new logs entering the river for the first time as the river undercuts mature fluvial terraces dominated by large conifers. Retrospective airphoto analyses demonstrate that, over 63 years, the Queets River recruits 95% of new logs from a riparian corridor extending 265 m laterally on both banks, mostly through channel meandering. However, input rates are patchy, with 10% of the valley length supplying 38% of the new logs. As the river moves laterally, remnant logs are left on channel surfaces that later develop riparian forests and reenter the river when those forests erode. Remnant logs lying on the floodplain forest floor surface or buried in alluvium constitute 21% and 7% of the annual inputs from bank erosion, respectively. We estimate that 50% of logs deposited in the channel in a given year, including those underpinning logjams, are transported downriver within five years. Over the next 55 years, bank erosion reclaims an additional 23%, leaving 27% of the logs stable for > 60 years. Simulations indicate that recurrent transport is common, with half of the large conifers being deposited in > or = 3 locations and transported > or = 1.5 km prior to disintegrating. One in ten logs links distant reaches by occupying > or = 7 locations spanning > or = 12.0 km. Instream supplies are therefore a mixture of new and old logs from nearby and upstream forests, sustained by the recapture and transport of stockpiled remnant logs during periods when new inputs are low. We propose that patchy input rates and the periodic rearrangement of large logs are important drivers of temporal variation in river valley habitats, adding to the spatial complexity created by stable logs. These findings underscore the importance of extensive mature forests and connectivity in temperate floodplain rivers.

show abstract

Section: Recommended Improvementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sources and Dynamics of Large Logs in a Temperate Floodplain River

Latterell

Naiman

2007

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The availability and quality of stream habitat is commonly identified as a factor limiting abundance of stream fishes (Poff andHuryn 1998, Rosenfeld 2003). For salmonids, pools are key habitat elements that provide deep water cover (Berg et al 1998) and thermal refuge (Matthews et al 1994), and can minimize energetic costs of feeding (Fausch 1984, Rosenfeld andBoss 2001). In forested streams, pool creation, overhead cover, and habitat complexity are often associated with large wood Sibley 1997, Montgomery et al 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking riparian shade and the legacies of forest management to fish and vertebrate biomass in forested streams

Kaylor

Warren

2017

Ecosphere

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Determining the factors that limit abundance and biomass of fish is fundamental to effective fisheries management. In streams, pool availability, cover, and habitat complexity often limit fish-particularly salmonids-and many restoration efforts are directed toward addressing physical habitat factors. However, the availability of prey, and the factors that influence prey abundance, can also influence the abundance, biomass, and growth of fish and other consumers. Both habitat and prey availability can be influenced by characteristics of the riparian forest in headwaters. In this study, we evaluate how variables associated with stream habitat, primary production, and macroinvertebrate biomass account for variability in the biomass of cutthroat trout and total vertebrates (fish and salamanders) across a series of paired stream reaches with contrasting forest structure. Each of nine stream pairs consisted of an old-growth reach and a reach bordered by 40-to 60-yr-old second-growth riparian forest. We evaluated relationships between response and explanatory variables for each forest structure type using correlation analysis, regression analysis, and AICc model comparison analyses. We also conducted correlation and regression analyses on within-stream reach pair differences across the nine study streams. Canopy openness, nitrate concentration, periphyton chlorophyll a accrual, total invertebrate biomass, predatory invertebrate biomass, cutthroat trout biomass, and total vertebrate biomass were all positively correlated with each other, while temperature was negatively correlated with biotic variables. Within reach pairs, canopy openness emerged as the strongest correlate with top predators, with differences in canopy openness explaining 84% of the variation in vertebrate biomass differences in the paired analysis. Other habitat metrics were poorly correlated with invertebrate, fish, and salamander biomass for all analyses. Overall, these results suggest that for the stream reaches surveyed here, resource availability-as regulated through bottom-up, autotrophic pathways-is a dominant control on fish and other consumers. This highlights the importance of food resource limitation for fish and top predators in headwater streams, and illustrates how differences in canopy structure can affect bottom-up drivers of stream food webs.

show abstract

“…Wood pieces deposited in streams provide a wide variety of ecosystem functions. Foremost, wood enhances habitat conditions for key species in stream food webs, including invertebrates and fish (Angermeier and Karr, 1984;Berg et al, 1998;Johnson et al, 2003;Eggert and Wallace, 2007). Wood also increases hydraulic heterogeneity and transient storage, promotes hyporheic recharge, encourages pool formation and channel meandering, and retains leaves and other organic matter (Beechie and Sibley, 1997;Mutz and Rohde, 2003;Mao et al, 2008;Stofleth et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental controls of wood entrapment in upper Midwestern streams

Merten

Finlay

Johnson

et al. 2010

Hydrological Processes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Wood deposited in streams provides a wide variety of ecosystem functions, including enhancing habitat for key species in stream food webs, increasing geomorphic and hydraulic heterogeneity and retaining organic matter. Given the strong role that wood plays in streams, factors that influence wood inputs, retention and transport are critical to stream ecology. Wood entrapment, the process of wood coming to rest after being swept downstream at least 10 m, is poorly understood, yet important for predicting stream function and success of restoration efforts. Data on entrapment were collected for a wide range of natural wood pieces (n D 344), stream geomorphology and hydraulic conditions in nine streams along the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. Locations of pieces were determined in summer 2007 and again following an overbank stormflow event in fall 2007. The ratio of piece length to effective stream width (length ratio) and the weight of the piece were important in a multiple logistic regression model that explained 25% of the variance in wood entrapment. Entrapment remains difficult to predict in natural streams, and often may simply occur wherever wood pieces are located when high water recedes. However, this study can inform stream modifications to discourage entrapment at road crossings or other infrastructure by applying the model formula to estimate the effective width required to pass particular wood pieces. Conversely, these results could also be used to determine conditions (e.g. pre-existing large, stable pieces) that encourage entrapment where wood is valued for ecological functions.

show abstract

Function and dynamics of woody debris in stream reaches in the central Sierra Nevada, California

Cited by 33 publications

References 0 publications

Sources and Dynamics of Large Logs in a Temperate Floodplain River

Sources and Dynamics of Large Logs in a Temperate Floodplain River

Linking riparian shade and the legacies of forest management to fish and vertebrate biomass in forested streams

Environmental controls of wood entrapment in upper Midwestern streams

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About