Riparian Landscapes

Malanson, George P.

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511565434

Cited by 527 publications

(324 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

262

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Riparian zones are central landscape features supporting several functions and services: stream bank stabilisation, reduction of sediment and nutrient contamination, aquatic and terrestrial habitat improvement, and recreational and educational opportunities (Malanson, 1993). As ecotones located at the intersection of land and water, riparian zones are exceptionally rich in biodiversity (Naiman and Décamps, 1990;Naiman et al, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

LiDAR derived ecological integrity indicators for riparian zones: Application to the Houille river in Southern Belgium/Northern France

Michez¹,

Piégay²,

Toromanoff³

et al. 2013

Ecological Indicators

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tRiparian zones are central landscape features providing several ecosystem services and are exceptionally rich in biodiversity. Despite their relatively low area coverage, riparian zones consequently represent a major concern for land and water resource managers confirmed within several European directives. These directives involve effective multi-scale monitoring to assess their conditions and their ability to carry out their functions. The objective of this research was to develop automated tools to provide from a single aerial LiDAR dataset new mapping tools and keystone riparian zone attributes assessing the ecological integrity of the riparian zone at a network scale (24 km).Different metrics were extracted from the original LiDAR point cloud, notably the Digital Terrain Model and Canopy Height Model rasters, allowing the extraction of riparian zones attributes such as the wetted channel (0.89 m; mean residual) and floodplain extents (6.02 m; mean residual). Different riparian forest characteristics were directly extracted from these layers (patch extent, overhanging character, longitudinal continuity, relative water level, mean and relative standard deviation of tree height). Within the riparian forest, the coniferous stands were distinguished from deciduous and isolated trees, with high accuracy (87.3%, Kappa index).Going further the mapping of the indicators, our study proposed an original approach to study the riparian zone attributes within different buffer width, from local scale (50 m long channel axis reach) to a network scale (ca. 2 km long reaches), using a disaggregation/re-agraggation process. This novel approach, combined to graphical presentations of the results allow natural resource managers to visualise the variation of upstream-downstream attributes and to identify priority action areas.In the case study, results showed a general decrease of the riparian forests when the river crosses built-up areas. They also highlighted the lower flooding frequency of riparian forest patches in habitats areas.Those results showed that LiDAR data can be used to extract indicators of ecological integrity of riparian zones in temperate climate zone. They will enable the assessment of the ecological integrity of riparian zones to be undertaken at the regional scale (13,000 km, completely covered by an aerial LIDAR survey in 2014).

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

LiDAR derived ecological integrity indicators for riparian zones: Application to the Houille river in Southern Belgium/Northern France

Michez¹,

Piégay²,

Toromanoff³

et al. 2013

Ecological Indicators

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Riparian forests (RF) growing along streams, rivers and lakes have special functions in the landscape as the interface between the terrestrial and the aquatic ecosystem (Malanson 1993). The forest types along water bodies cover the whole continuum from those on dry sandy soils to wet peat dominated soil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Services Provided from Riparian Forests in the Nordic Countries

Gundersen

Laurén

Finér

et al. 2010

AMBIO

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Riparian forests (RF) growing along streams, rivers and lakes comprise more than 2% of the forest area in the Nordic countries (considering a 10 m wide zone from the water body). They have special ecological functions in the landscape. They receive water and nutrients from the upslope areas, are important habitats for biodiversity, have large soil carbon stores, but may emit more greenhouse gases (GHG) than the uplands. In this article, we present a review of the environmental services related to water protection, terrestrial biodiversity, carbon storage and greenhouse gas dynamics provided by RF in the Nordic countries. We discuss the benefits and trade-offs when leaving the RF as a buffer against the impacts from upland forest management, in particular the impacts of clear cutting. Forest buffers are effective in protecting water quality and aquatic life, and have positive effects on terrestrial biodiversity, particularly when broader than 40 m, whereas the effect on the greenhouse gas exchange is unclear.

show abstract

“…The integrity of riparian landscapes is maintained by disturbances (Gurnell 1995;Poff et al 1997). Because of its ecotonal nature and position in the landscape, riparian vegetation experiences disturbances associated with both aquatic systems (e.g., channel widening and alluviation) and uplands (e.g., fire and windthrow) (Malanson 1993;Johnson 2000). Of these disturbance types, those caused by flooding are most commonly researched (e.g., Barnes 1997;Bendix 1997;Pollock et al 1998;Cowell and Dyer 2002) and generally considered to be the most important in riparian landscapes settings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flood disturbance and riparian species diversity on the Colorado River Delta

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. We investigated the influence of channel migration and expansion on riparian plant species diversity along the lower Colorado River near the United States-Mexico border. Using repeat aerial photography in a GIS we identified and classed areas of low, moderate, and high disturbance frequency caused by channel expansion and migration. Replicate vegetation plots (12 m Â 12 m) were sampled in each of the three disturbance classes. One-way ANOVA was used to test for differences in species richness, species diversity (using the Shannon-Weiner Index) and overall percent ground cover of plants between the three disturbance classes. Regardless of disturbance class, plots were dominated by trees or shrubs, especially the non-native Tamarix ramosissima, as well as Pluchea sericea, Baccharis salicifolia and Salix goodingii. Clearly woody species constitute the great bulk of overall species richness, percent ground cover, and species diversity (H 0 ) in each disturbance group. No overall statistically significant differences were revealed among the disturbance groups for values of species richness, percent ground cover, or the Shannon-Wiener Index, though paired contrasts of means revealed that total percent ground cover on low disturbance plots was significantly higher than on moderately disturbed plots. Spatial and temporal variability in riparian diversity in the study area appears to hinge on factors other than disturbance frequency such as salt or drought stress. Alternately, our results could be interpreted as suggesting that in the presence of intensive flow regulation, disturbance plays a secondary role to ecological stresses, similar to that demonstrated by others. Intentional flood pulses are advocated as a restorative management strategy for improving plant productivity, management of exotic species (particularly T. ramosissima), and restoration of overall biodiversity.

show abstract

Riparian Landscapes

Cited by 527 publications

References 0 publications

LiDAR derived ecological integrity indicators for riparian zones: Application to the Houille river in Southern Belgium/Northern France

LiDAR derived ecological integrity indicators for riparian zones: Application to the Houille river in Southern Belgium/Northern France

Environmental Services Provided from Riparian Forests in the Nordic Countries

Flood disturbance and riparian species diversity on the Colorado River Delta

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About