The Role of Riparian Vegetation in Protecting and Improving Chemical Water Quality in Streams¹

Abstract

Dosskey, Michael G., Philippe Vidon, Noel P. Gurwick, Craig J. Allan, Tim P. Duval, and Richard Lowrance, 2010. The Role of Riparian Vegetation in Protecting and Improving Chemical Water Quality in Streams. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(2):261‐277. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00419.x Abstract: We review the research literature and summarize the major processes by which riparian vegetation influences chemical water quality in streams, as well as how these processes vary among vegetation types, and discuss how these processes respond to removal and restoration of riparian vegetation and thereby determine the timing and level of response in stream water quality. Our emphasis is on the role that riparian vegetation plays in protecting streams from nonpoint source pollutants and in improving the quality of degraded stream water. Riparian vegetation influences stream water chemistry through diverse processes including direct chemical uptake and indirect influences such as by supply of organic matter to soils and channels, modification of water movement, and stabilization of soil. Some processes are more strongly expressed under certain site conditions, such as denitrification where groundwater is shallow, and by certain kinds of vegetation, such as channel stabilization by large wood and nutrient uptake by faster‐growing species. Whether stream chemistry can be managed effectively through deliberate selection and management of vegetation type, however, remains uncertain because few studies have been conducted on broad suites of processes that may include compensating or reinforcing interactions. Scant research has focused directly on the response of stream water chemistry to the loss of riparian vegetation or its restoration. Our analysis suggests that the level and time frame of a response to restoration depends strongly on the degree and time frame of vegetation loss. Legacy effects of past vegetation can continue to influence water quality for many years or decades and control the potential level and timing of water quality improvement after vegetation is restored. Through the collective action of many processes, vegetation exerts substantial influence over the well‐documented effect that riparian zones have on stream water quality. However, the degree to which stream water quality can be managed through the management of riparian vegetation remains to be clarified. An understanding of the underlying processes is important for effectively using vegetation condition as an indicator of water quality protection and for accurately gauging prospects for water quality improvement through restoration of permanent vegetation.

Spatio-temporal aspects of the environmental factors affecting water quality in boreal rivers

“…Processes operating in the riparian zone have significant impact on water quality in receiving water systems (e.g. Smart et al 2001;Dosskey et al 2010). Therefore, if the riparian zone is determining river water quality, knowledge about this is important.…”

Comparing Carex Species of Mid-Forest Spring Ecosystems in Terms of Ability to Accumulate Macro- And Microelements

“…Flora and fauna of spring areas is characterized by a rich diversity [Decamps et al 2004, Dosskey et al 2010, Pielech et al 2015. Specific physical and chemical properties affecting the surface of underground waters form the species arrangement of the flora found there.…”

Hybrid poplar yields in Québec: Implications for a sustainable forest zoning management system

“…With such a status, cost-efficient weed control tools such as herbicides will be permitted as they are in short-rotation coppice systems. In temperate ecosystems, riparian forests are keystone watershed elements for both biodiversity and water quality protection (Gregory et al 1991, Naiman et al 2005, Dosskey et al 2010. Afforestation projects in riparian zones would help in recovering some ecological functions and ecosystem services associated with natural riparian forests (Table 2), without causing important increases in N 2 O emissions at the regional level because of increased denitrification (Lal et al 2011).…”