Biogeomorphic characterization of floodplain forest change in response to reduced flows along the Apalachicola River, Florida

Stallins, J. Anthony; Nesius, Michael; Smith, Matt C.; Watson, Kelly

doi:10.1002/rra.1251

Cited by 40 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…Although not related to bank stability analysis, Stallins et al . () describe and Loheide and Booth () model interactions and feedbacks between soil moisture‐groundwater hydrology, surface water inundation, floodplain form, and vegetation composition and distribution that could equally affect channel lateral dynamics through changes in the species composition of riparian vegetation and the structure of above‐ and below‐ground biomass.…”

Section: Vegetation As a Control On Alluvial River Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Channel incision affected bank hydrology and inundation frequency, leading to a change in bank vegetation from wetland to drier environment species, with an accompanying reduction in root biomass and rooting depth, from which a positive feedback of further channel incision and widening was inferred. Although not related to bank stability analysis, Stallins et al (2010) describe and Loheide and Booth (2011) model interactions and feedbacks between soil moisturegroundwater hydrology, surface water inundation, floodplain form, and vegetation composition and distribution that could equally affect channel lateral dynamics through changes in the species composition of riparian vegetation and the structure of above-and below-ground biomass.…”

Section: Recent Advances: Field Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plants as river system engineers

Gurnell

2013

Earth Surf Processes Landf

585

514

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Plants growing within river corridors both affect and respond to fluvial processes. Their above-ground biomass modifies the flow field and retains sediment, whereas their below-ground biomass affects the hydraulic and mechanical properties of the substrate and consequently the moisture regime and erosion susceptibility of the land surface.This paper reviews research that dates back to the 1950s on the geomorphological influence of vegetation within fluvial systems. During the late twentieth century this research was largely pursued through field observations, but during the early years of the twenty-first century, complementary field, flume and theoretical/modelling investigations have contributed to major advances in understanding the influence of plants on fluvial systems. Flume experiments have demonstrated the fundamental role of vegetation in determining river planform, particularly transitions from multi-to single-thread forms, and have provided insights into flowvegetation-sediment feedbacks and landform building, including processes such as channel blockage and avulsion. At the same time, modellers have incorporated factors such as moisture-dependent plant growth, canopy and root architecture and their influence on flow resistance and sediment/bank reinforcement into morphodynamic models. Meanwhile, field investigations have revealed that vegetation has a far more important and complex influence on fluvial systems than previously realized.It is now apparent that the influence of plants on river systems is significant across space scales from individual plants to entire forested river corridors. Small plant-scale phenomena structure patch-scale geomorphological forms and processes, and interactions between patches are almost certainly crucial to larger-scale and longer-term geomorphological phenomena. The influence of plants also varies continuously through time as above-and below-ground biomass change within the annual growth cycle, over longer-term growth trajectories, and in response to external drivers of change such as climatic, hydrological and fluvial fluctuations and extremes.

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Section: Vegetation As a Control On Alluvial River Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Recent Advances: Field Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plants as river system engineers

Gurnell

2013

Earth Surf Processes Landf

585

514

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“…High flows affect floodplain habitats and ecosystem processes directly through flooding and indirectly by controlling floodplain topography via depositional and erosional processes (Gurnell et al, 2012). The operation of flood control and other large dams has dramatically reduced peak flows, ultimately causing a decline in flood-dependent species (Dister et al, 1990;Auble et al, 2005;Frazier and Page, 2006;Burke et al, 2009;Stallins et al, 2010;Johnson et al, 2012). To help mitigate the loss of floodplain communities due Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene • 2: 000031 • doi: 10.12952/journal.elementa.000031 to flow regulation, many scientists, NGOs, and government agencies have proposed a full suite of potential solutions, including controlled flow releases to approximate natural flow regimes to help restore downstream in-channel and riparian ecological processes (Richter, 2010;Arthington, 2012;Olden et al, 2014;Warner et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying flooding regime in floodplain forests to guide river restoration

Marks

Nislow

2014

Elem. Sci. Anth.

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Determining the flooding regime needed to support distinctive floodplain forests is essential for effective river conservation under the ubiquitous human alteration of river flows characteristic of the Anthropocene Era. At over 100 sites throughout the Connecticut River basin, the largest river system in New England, we characterized species composition, valley and channel morphology, and hydrologic regime to define conditions promoting distinct floodplain forest assemblages. Species assemblages were dominated by floodplain-associated trees on surfaces experiencing flood durations between 4.5 and 91 days/year, which were generally well below the stage of the two-year recurrence interval flood, a widely-used benchmark for floodplain restoration. These tree species rarely occurred on surfaces that flooded less than 1 day/year. By contrast abundance of most woody invasive species decreased with flooding. Such flood-prone surfaces were jointly determined by characteristics of the hydrograph (high discharges of long duration) and topography (low gradient and reduced valley constraint), resulting in increased availability of floodplain habitat with increasing watershed area and/or decreasing stream gradient. Downstream mainstem reaches provided the most floodplain habitat, largely associated with low-energy features such as back swamps and point bars, and were dominated by silver maple (Acer saccharinum). However, we were able to identify a number of suitable sites in the upper part of the basin and in large tributaries, often associated with in-channel islands and bars and frequently dominated by sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) and flood disturbance-dependent species. Our results imply that restoring flows by modifying dam operations to benefit floodplain forests on existing surfaces need not conflict with flood protection in some regional settings. These results underscore the need to understand how flow, geomorphology, and species traits interact to produce characteristic patterns of floodplain vegetation, and that these interactions should form the basis of effective river restoration and conservation.

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“…In the Tagliamento River, falling water levels below intermediate discharge directly and negatively influenced the braiding index and shoreline length (van der Nat et al , ). Increasing stabilization of the floodplain by vegetation succession, as described earlier, can lead to channel narrowing and give the main channel more power to incise and become disconnected from side channels (Katz et al , ; Stallins et al , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Landscape transformation of an Alpine floodplain influenced by humans: historical analyses from aerial images

Doering

Blaurock

Robinson

2012

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:Natural floodplains are spatially heterogeneous and dynamic ecosystems but at the same time, a highly endangered landscape feature due to climate change and human impacts such as water storage, flood control and hydropower production. Flow is considered a master variable that shapes channel morphology and the heterogeneity, distribution, and turnover of floodplain habitats. Despite their highly dynamic nature, the relative abundance of different habitat elements (islands, gravel bars) in natural floodplains seems to remain relatively constant over ecological periods and is referred to as the shifting mosaic steady state concept. In this conceptual context, we analysed spatiotemporal changes in relative habitat abundance and channel complexity of an alpine floodplain from its near natural state in 1940 before water abstraction and levee construction until 2007 using historical aerial images. Within the first decades of impairment, the relative abundance of floodplain habitats that depend on flood and flow pulses such as parafluvial channels and islands shifted toward a greater abundance of terrestrial forest and grassland habitats. After 1986, the duration and frequencies of high-precipitation events (>60 mm 24 h -1 ) triggering major, channel-reworking floods increased substantially and caused a restructuring of the floodplain and decrease in the abundance of more terrestrial habitat types. These results are contrary to expectations of the shifting mosaic steady state concept yet suggest its potential application as an indicator of landscape transformation and human impacts on floodplain ecosystems. Last, the results raise the applied question as to whether an increased frequency of high flow events induced by climate change can contribute to floodplain restoration.

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Biogeomorphic characterization of floodplain forest change in response to reduced flows along the Apalachicola River, Florida

Cited by 40 publications

References 64 publications

Plants as river system engineers

Plants as river system engineers

Quantifying flooding regime in floodplain forests to guide river restoration

Landscape transformation of an Alpine floodplain influenced by humans: historical analyses from aerial images

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