Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2007

Keywords

Biodiversity, Boreal, Flooding, Fluvial disturbance, Forest, River, Timber floating, Vegetation

Abstract

Fluvial processes such as flooding and sediment deposition play a crucial role in structuring riparian plant communities. In rivers throughout the world, these processes have been altered by channelization and other anthropogenic stresses. Yet despite increasing awareness of the need to restore natural flow regimes for the preservation of riparian biodiversity, few studies have examined the effects of river restoration on riparian ecosystems. In this study, we examined the effects of restoration in the Ume River system, northern Sweden, where tributaries were channelized to facilitate timber floating in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Restoration at these sites involved the use of heavy machinery to replace instream boulders and remove floatway structures that had previously lined stream banks and cut off secondary channels. We compared riparian plant communities along channelized stream reaches with those along reaches that had been restored 3-10 years prior to observation. Species richness and evenness were significantly increased at restored sites, as were floodplain inundation frequencies. These findings demonstrate how river restoration and associated changes in fluvial disturbance regimes can enhance riparian biodiversity. Given that riparian ecosystems tend to support a disproportionate share of regional species pools, these findings have potentially broad implications for biodiversity conservation at regional or landscape scales.

Publication Title

Ecological Applications

Volume

17

Issue

3

First Page

840

Last Page

851

Required Publisher's Statement

Published by: Ecological Society of America

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40061845

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Riparian ecology--Sweden--Ume River; Riparian restoration--Sweden--Ume River; Plant diversity--Sweden--Ume River; Sediment transport--Sweden--Ume River

Geographic Coverage

Ume River (Sweden)

Genre/Form

articles

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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