Influences of life history, environmental gradients, and disturbance on riparian tree regeneration in Western Oregon

Sarr, Daniel A.; Hibbs, David E.; Shatford, Jeffrey P.A.; Momsen, Rick

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.01.002

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…For example, stream width, gradient, and sinuosity were predictors of multiple guilds, suggesting that hydrogeomorphic processes that shape channel form also eliminate or allow the persistence of local life history strategy diversity. This finding corresponds to research that showed wetland and riparian communities comprised of co-existing species were similarly correlated to multiple environmental filters (Lemly andCooper 2011, Hough-Snee et al 2014b) and that riparian forest regeneration strategies are tied to both environmental gradients and biotic interactions (Sarr et al 2011). Functional guilds that respond to such gradients serve as good indicators of particular climatic and disturbance regimes.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Multi‐scale environmental filters and niche partitioning govern the distributions of riparian vegetation guilds

et al. 2015

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Across landscapes, riparian plant communities assemble under varying levels of disturbance, environmental stress, and resource availability, leading to the development of distinct riparian life‐history guilds over evolutionary timescales. Identifying the environmental filters that exert selective pressures on specific riparian vegetation guilds is a critical step in setting baseline expectations for how riparian vegetation may respond to environmental conditions anticipated under future global change scenarios. In this study, we ask: (1) What riparian plant guilds exist across the interior Columbia and upper Missouri River basins? (2) What environmental filters shape riparian guild distributions? (3) How does resource partitioning among guilds influence guild distributions and co‐occurrence? Woody species composition was measured at 703 stream reaches and each species' morphological and functional attributes were extracted from a database in four categories: (1) life form, (2) persistence and growth, (3) reproduction, and (4) resource use. We clustered species into guilds by morphological characteristics and attributes related to environmental tolerances, modeling these guilds' distributions as a function of environmental filters—regional climate, watershed hydrogeomorphic characteristics, and stream channel form—and guild co‐existence. We identified five guilds: (1) a tall, deeply rooted, long‐lived, evergreen tree guild, (2) a xeric, disturbance tolerant shrub guild, (3) a hydrophytic, thicket‐forming shrub guild, (4) a low‐statured, shade‐tolerant, understory shrub guild, and (5) a flood tolerant, mesoriparian shrub guild. Guilds were most strongly discriminated by species' rooting depth, canopy height and potential to resprout and grow following biomass‐removing disturbance (e.g., flooding, fire). Hydro‐climatic variables, including precipitation, watershed area, water table depth, and channel form attributes reflective of hydrologic regime, were predictors of guilds whose life history strategies had affinity or aversion to flooding, drought, and fluvial disturbance. Biotic interactions excluded guilds with divergent life history strategies and/or allowed for the co‐occurrence of guilds that partition resources differently in the same environment. We conclude that the riparian guild framework provides insight into how disturbance and bioclimatic gradients shape riparian functional plant diversity across heterogeneous landscapes. Multiple environmental filters should be considered when the riparian response guild framework is to be used as a decision‐support tool framework across large spatial extents.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Multi‐scale environmental filters and niche partitioning govern the distributions of riparian vegetation guilds

et al. 2015

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“…Our results build on previous 398 research that showed riparian forest regeneration strategies are tied to multiple environmental 399 gradients and biotic interactions (Sarr et al 2011) and that functional guilds that respond to such 400 gradients are informative. The occurrence of each guild was strongly associated with 401 environmental conditions at landscape (e.g., elevation, precipitation and temperature), 402…”

supporting

confidence: 63%

Multi-scale environmental filters and niche partitioning govern the distributions of riparian vegetation guilds

Hough-Snee

Laub

Merritt

et al. 2014

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Across landscapes, riparian plant communities assemble under varying levels of disturbance, environmental stress, and resource availability, leading to the development of distinct riparian life-history guilds. Identifying the environmental filters that exert selective pressures and favor specific vegetation guilds within riverscapes is a critical step in setting baseline expectations for how riparia may respond to the environmental conditions anticipated under future global change scenarios. In this study, we ask (1) what functional riparian plant guilds exist across two major North American river basins? (2) What environmental filters shape riparian guild distributions? (3) Does resource partitioning between guilds influence guild distributions and co-occurrence? We identified riparian plant guilds, examining relationships between regional climate and watershed hydrogeomorphic characteristics, stream channel form, and co-occurring riparian guilds. Woody species composition was measured at 703 streams and each species’ traits were extracted from a database in five functional areas: life form, persistence and growth, reproduction, and resource use. We clustered species into guilds by morphological characteristics and attributes related to environmental tolerances, modeling guild distributions as a product of environmental filters (stressors and resources) and guild co-existence. We identified five guilds, i) a tall, deeply rooted, long-lived, evergreen tree guild, ii) a xeric disturbance tolerant shrub guild, iii) a hydrophytic, thicket-forming shrub guild, iv) a low-statured, shade-tolerant, understory shrub guild and v) a flood tolerant, mesoriparian shrub guild. Guilds were most strongly discriminated by one another species’ rooting depth, canopy height and potential to resprout and grow following biomass-removing disturbance. Hydro-climatic variables including precipitation, watershed area, water table depth, and channel form attributes reflective of hydrologic regime were predictors of guilds whose life history strategies had affinity or aversion to flooding, drought, and fluvial disturbance. Biotic interactions excluded guilds with divergent life history strategies and/or allowed for the co-occurrence of guilds that partition resources differently in the same environment. We conclude that riparian guilding provides a useful framework for assessing how disturbance and bioclimatic gradients shape riparian functional plant diversity. Multiple processes should be considered when the riparian response guilds framework is to be used as a land-use decision-support tool framework

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“…temperature and precipitation) and disturbance (e.g. logging, grazing, and landslides) gradients that heavily influence forest composition, structure, and regeneration from headwaters to valley bottoms (Swanson et al, 1990;Sarr et al, 2011;Hough-Snee et al, 2014b). These gradients effectively limit the types and amounts of woody vegetation that can be grown and eventually recruited to streams (Wohl and Cadol, 2011;Hough-Snee et al, 2014a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogeomorphic and Biotic Drivers of Instream Wood Differ Across Sub-basins of the Columbia River Basin, USA

et al. 2015

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Instream wood promotes habitat heterogeneity through its influence on flow hydraulics and channel geomorphology. Within the Columbia River Basin, USA, wood is vital for the creation and maintenance of habitat for threatened salmonids. However, our understanding of the relative roles of the climatic, geomorphic, and ecological processes that source wood to streams is limited, making it difficult to identify baseline predictions of instream wood and create targets for stream restoration. Here, we investigate how instream wood frequency and volume differ between seven sub‐basins of the interior Columbia River Basin and what processes shape these differences within these sub‐basins. We collected data on wood volume and frequency, discharge and stream power, and riparian and watershed forest structure for use in modelling wood volume and frequency. Using random forest models, we found that mean annual precipitation, riparian tree cover, and the individual watershed were the most important predictors of wood volume and frequency. Within sub‐basins, we used linear models, finding that some basins had unique predictors of wood. Discharge, watershed area, or precipitation often combined with forest cover, riparian conifer, and/or large tree cover in models of instream large wood volume and frequency. In many sub‐basins, models showed at least one hydrologic variable, indicative of transport competence and one ecological variable, indicative of the reach or upstream watershed's capability to grow measurable instream wood. We conclude that basin‐specific models yield important insights into the hydrologic and ecological processes that influence wood loads, creating tractable hypotheses for building predictive models of instream wood. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Influences of life history, environmental gradients, and disturbance on riparian tree regeneration in Western Oregon

Cited by 18 publications

References 40 publications

Multi‐scale environmental filters and niche partitioning govern the distributions of riparian vegetation guilds

Multi‐scale environmental filters and niche partitioning govern the distributions of riparian vegetation guilds

Multi-scale environmental filters and niche partitioning govern the distributions of riparian vegetation guilds

Hydrogeomorphic and Biotic Drivers of Instream Wood Differ Across Sub-basins of the Columbia River Basin, USA

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