Cottonwoods (Populus spp.) are adapted to riparian or floodplain zones throughout the Northern Hemisphere; they are also used as parents for fast-growing hybrid poplars. We review recent ecophysiological studies of the native cottonwoods Populus angustifolia James, P. balsamifera L., P. deltoides Marsh., P. fremontii S. Watson and P. trichocarpa T. & G. in North America, and P. nigra L. in Europe. Variation exists within and across species and hybrids; however, all riparian cottonwoods are dependent on shallow alluvial groundwater that is linked to stream water, particularly in semi-arid regions. This conclusion is based on studies of their natural occurrence, decline following river damming and dewatering (water removal), water relations, isotopic composition of xylem water, and by the establishment of cottonwoods along formerly barren natural channels after flow augmentation in response to the conveyance of irrigation water. When alluvial groundwater is depleted as a result of river dewatering or groundwater pumping, riparian cottonwoods exhibit drought-stress responses including stomatal closure and reduced transpiration and photosynthesis, altered 13C composition, reduced predawn and midday water potentials, and xylem cavitation. These physiological responses are accompanied by morphological responses including reduced shoot growth, altered root growth, branch sacrifice and crown die-back. In severe cases, mortality occurs. For example, severe dewatering of channels of the braided Big Lost River in Idaho led to mortality of the narrowleaf cottonwood, P. angustifolia, and adjacent sandbar willows, Salix exigua Nutt., within 5 years, whereas riparian woodlands thrived along flowing channels nearby. The conservation and restoration of cottonwoods will rely on the provision of river flow regimes that satisfy these ecophysiological requirements for survival, growth and reproduction.

Floodplains are unique ecosystems because of their linear form, the sometimes extreme dynamism of their geomorphology and because they process large fluxes of energy and materials from upstream areas. This article focuses on the importance of hydrological inputs to floodplains through 1) their influence on the arrangement of landforms and vegetation communities and 2) the connections between flooding regimes and the regeneration and turnover time of floodplain vegetation. Many researchers have demonstrated close links between the arrangement of vegeta tion communities and sedimentary landform types, elevation, soil characteristics, tolerance to flooding and availability of soil moisture. It is suggested that plants on floodplains are found along a combined gradient of available moisture and oxygen which can be viewed simultaneously as a flooding frequency gradient and a complex soil moisture gradient. Discussion of experi mental work on floodplains demonstrates the importance of these gradients to a range of flood plain species in different environments. The relationships between these environmental gradients and the apparent high level of overlap between planform patterns of landforms and vegetation communities on floodplains are related to lag times in different parts of vegetation communities. Flood regimes greatly influence the availability of areas suitable for vegetation regeneration from year to year and the age structure of floodplain communities over decadal time frames. Biotic factors also influence biogeomorphological relationships on floodplains and range from sediment- trapping by vegetation to the impacts of beaver and grazing animals on floodplain hydrology and vegetation. Restoration of floodplains is high on the agenda in many countries and it is argued that, for sustainable results, restoration of hydrological pathways is essential. Planned flood releases below dams in several African countries have had varied success rates but the develop ment of models for managing flows to achieve different restoration targets is the start of an integrated approach to restoring complex floodplain ecosystems.

River damming has dramatic environmental impacts and while changes due to reservoir flooding are immediate, downstream impacts are more spatially extensive. Downstream environments are influenced by the pattern of flow regulation, which also provides an opportunity for mitigation. We discuss impacts downstream from dams and recent case studies where collaborative efforts with dam operators have led to the recovery of more natural flow regimes. These restoration programs, in Nevada, USA, and Alberta, Canada, focused on the recovery of flow patterns during high flow years, because these are critical for riparian vegetation and sufficient water is available for both economic commitments and environmental needs. The restoration flows were developed using the “Recruitment Box Model”, which recommends high spring flows and then gradual flow decline for seedling survival. These flow regimes enabled extensive recruitment of cottonwoods and willows along previously impoverished reaches, and resulted in improvements to river and floodplain environments. Such restoration successes demonstrate how instream flow management can act as a broadly applicable tool for the restoration of floodplain forests.

Brasington, James, Richards, K.S., Hughes, F.R.M., (2002) 'Geomorphic dynamics of floodplains: ecological implications and a potential modelling strategy', Freshwater Biology 47 pp.559-579 RAE20081. The dynamics of channel migration and floodplain renewal constitute an important control of the ecological diversity of river corridors. Restoration initiatives should therefore assess whether these dynamics must be reinstated in order to address the cause rather than the symptoms of floodplain biodiversity decline. 2. Restoration of reach-scale dynamism in rivers where this is a natural behavioural process will restore smaller-scale geomorphological and sedimentological processes that encourage vegetation regeneration, but may require catchment-scale management of material flows. 3. Channel dynamics depend on the style of river?floodplain interaction, and this may be summarised in qualitative, classificatory, sedimentological models of floodplain architecture that have been somewhat neglected in the ecological literature. 4. One approach to the assessment of floodplain biodiversity and its restoration would be through the development of simulation models based on specified channel styles, and involving simplified hydrodynamics and successional changes. Such models, currently the subject of research as a spin-off from modelling studies of landscape evolution, would permit evaluation of the consequences for ecological diversity of implementing various management options that may affect the dynamics of channel migration.Peer reviewe

Sites that are important for biodiversity conservation can also provide significant benefits (i.e. ecosystem services) to people. Decision-makers need to know how change to a site, whether development or restoration, would affect the delivery of services and the distribution of any benefits among stakeholders. However, there are relatively few empirical studies that present this information. One reason is the lack of appropriate methods and tools for ecosystem service assessment that do not require substantial resources or specialist technical knowledge, or rely heavily upon existing data. Here we address this gap by describing the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA). It could guide local non-specialists through a selection of relatively accessible methods for identifying which ecosystem services may be important at a site, and for evaluating the magnitude of benefits that people obtain from them currently, compared with those expected under alternative land-uses. The toolkit recommends use of existing data where appropriate and places emphasis on enabling users to collect new field data at relatively low cost and effort. By using TESSA, the users could also gain valuable information about the alternative land-uses; and data collected in the field could be incorporated into regular monitoring programmes.