The Experts below are selected from a list of 24060 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
P. Charles Goebel - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
A Functional Approach to Riparian Area Delineation Using Geospatial Methods
Journal of Forestry, 2011Co-Authors: Kathryn L. Holmes, P. Charles GoebelAbstract:Riparian Areas are diverse ecotones that provide numerous, valuable ecosystem functions. However, many Riparian delineation methods use a fixed minimum width to create a Riparian buffer or setback that may not adequately protect actual Riparian function. A method for Riparian area delineation across landscapes is presented that incorporates Riparian function and moves beyond the fixed-width buffer approach. Using geospatial data and tools, Riparian Areas were delineated functionally for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in northeastern Ohio and compared to fixed-width buffers in terms of extent and protection of Riparian function. We suggest that functional Riparian area delineation be incorporated into watershed management planning to improve protection and restoration of the valuable ecological functions provided by Riparian Areas across landscapes.
-
Composition and structure of Riparian Areas along a land-use gradient in an agricultural watershed of northeastern Ohio
2011Co-Authors: P. Charles Goebel, David M. Hix, Heather L. WhitmanAbstract:Th e restoration of Riparian Areas along many streams often proceeds with little existing information on the composition and structure of woody Riparian vegetation. We examined the woody Riparian vegetation in three subwatersheds of the Sugar Creek watershed in Ohio, each with diff erent environmental characteristics (e.g., glacial history, physiography, soils, stream features) and surrounding land-use practices (e.g., forest, pasture, row crops, lawns). At the community level, we found that the overstory (stems ≥ 10.0 cm diameter at breast height (d.b.h.)) and the understory (stems 2.5-10.0 cm d.b.h.) species compositions were not signifi cantly diff erent among Riparian Areas with diff erent environmental characteristics or surrounding land-use types (multiple response permutation procedure; P = 0.365 and P = 0.325, respectively). However, canonical correspondence analyses suggest relationships among individual overstory species, physiographic and stream variables, and surrounding land use. For example, northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa (arder) Warder ex Engelm.) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) were most frequently associated with Riparian Areas with surrounding wooded pasture land uses. In terms of structure, we found canopy openness to be signifi cantly diff erent among Riparian Areas adjacent to diff erent land uses (Kruskall-Wallis, P = 0.007); we also found diff erences in understory stem density. Th ese results suggest that environmental factors interacting with surrounding land-use types are associated with woody Riparian vegetation, often resulting in Riparian Areas with simplifi ed canopy structures and reduced complexity that may complicate Riparian restoration eff orts.
-
Temporal Changes in Spring Ground-flora Communities Across Riparian Areas in a North-Central Ohio Old-Growth Forest
2004Co-Authors: Kathryn L. Holmes, Marie E. Semko-duncan, P. Charles GoebelAbstract:—Spring ground-flora composition and structure were sampled along Riparian Areas in Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve, an old-growth oak-maple-beech forest in northcentral Ohio. Seven transects that bisected the stream valley were surveyed during early and late spring. Ground-flora communities differed between early and late spring and on landforms during each survey. Early spring floodplains were dominated by Floerkea proserpinacoides and Ranunculus septentrionalis, while late spring floodplains were dominated by Geum vernum and Leersia virginica. Early spring uplands were dominated by Anemone quinquefolia and Cardamine concatenate, while late spring uplands were dominated by Parthenocissus quinquefolia and Podophyllum peltatum. Principal components analysis showed a complex environmental gradient from stream channel edge into the surrounding uplands strongly related to soil characteristics and landform. The variability observed between early and late spring surveys suggests the need for multiple surveys in both spring and summer in order to gain a complete record of groundflora communities. Riparian Areas are complex ecotones between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems creating unique gradients that influence the structure and composition of plant communities. Riparian Areas fulfill several important functions including regulating nutrient and energy flow between the terrestrial and aquatic systems (Gregory et al. 1991), providing unique habitat with high species richness and diversity (Goebel et al. 2003c), offering corridors for wildlife movement (Hodges and Krementz 1996), and creating aesthetic appeal (Kline et al. 2000). In many locations these unique systems have been destroyed and their functions disrupted. As a result, ecological, as well as economical, problems have arisen including poor water quality, stream bank erosion, and a decline in populations of flora and fauna. Where these problems are especially severe, restoration of the Riparian area is often selected as a solution. Existing methods that describe Riparian restoration are vague and generic (Lee et al. 2000) leaving those who wish to restore Riparian Areas at a loss for specific guidance. In order to generate better information for restorationists, a reference ecosystem on which to base objectives and goals of a restoration is needed (Pickett and Parker 1994; Aronson et al. 1995). Reference ecosystems provide information on structure, composition, and underlying dynamics that drive sustainable ecosystem functions. In Ohio, many of the Riparian Areas have undergone some form of disturbance from agriculture, logging, or urbanization. Therefore, locating undisturbed ecosystems to study for reference conditions is difficult. While scarce, isolated tracts of old-growth forest exist that reflect minimal anthropogenic disturbance. Many of these old-growth forests have small streams or rivers running through them with intact native Riparian Areas that may be studied as reference ecosystems. The limited number of Riparian reference Areas that have been identified and studied in Ohio focus mainly on overstory composition, while largely ignoring ground-flora composition and structure (Goebel et al. 2003b, McCarthy 2003). Studies that address ground-flora tend to focus on one survey, usually in mid-summer when spring ephemerals have disappeared. As flora is variable throughout a growing season, it is important to have a complete floristic record of a reference ecosystem (McCarthy 2003). The objectives of this study were (1) to compare and contrast composition and structure of early and late spring ground-flora in Riparian Areas of an old-growth forest and (2) characterize a spring groundflora reference condition for Riparian restoration in north central Ohio. Graduate Research Associate (KLH), Research Associate (MSD), and Assistant Professor (PCG), School of Natural Resources, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), The Ohio State University, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691. KLH is corresponding author: phone (330) 263-3787 or email at holmes.203@osu.edu.
-
PLANT DIVERSITY CONTRIBUTIONS OF Riparian Areas IN WATERSHEDS OF THE NORTHERN LAKE STATES, USA
Ecological Applications, 2003Co-Authors: P. Charles Goebel, Brian J. Palik, Kurt S. PregitzerAbstract:In most forested watersheds, Riparian Areas constitute a small proportion of the total land area, yet their contributions to overall plant diversity can be significant. However, little information is available on which portion of Riparian Areas (defined as functional ecotones comprising all fluvial landforms, including floodplains, terraces, and connecting hillslopes) contribute the most to plant species richness and at what scale these contributions are most evident. In order to better understand the contributions Riparian Areas provide to plant species richness in forested watersheds, we examined herbaceous ground-flora richness and similarity from 56 reaches in eight different valley types (defined as unique combinations of stream order, surficial geology, and stream-valley constraint) across the northern Lake States, USA. We analyzed these data at two scales: (1) at the individual reach scale; and (2) at the watershed scale by pooling individual reaches by valley type. At the reach scale and regardless of valley type, there is not significant (
-
Ground-flora communities of headwater Riparian Areas in an old-growth central hardwood forest
2003Co-Authors: P. Charles Goebel, David M. Hix, Clayton E. Dygert, Kathryn L. HolmesAbstract:The composition and structure of ground-flora vegetation was examined across headwater Riparian Areas of Johnson Woods, an old-growth forest located in northcentral Ohio. While the distribution patterns of these species groups is variable, classification and gradient analyses indicate that ground-flora vegetation is related strongly to landform and distance from the bankfull channel, suggesting that species are ordered along a complex environment from the stream edge, across the floodplains, and into the adjacent uplands. No significant differences in species richness were observed between the floodplain and upland landforms. However, there are differences in functional lifeform guilds between landforms. Specifically, graminoids, annual forbs, and perennial forbs dominate the floodplains, while woody seedling and vines dominate the adjacent uplands.
Kathleen A Dwire - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Potential effects of climate change on Riparian Areas, wetlands, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the Blue Mountains, Oregon, USA
Climate Services, 2018Co-Authors: Kathleen A Dwire, Sabine Mellmann-brown, Joseph T. GurrieriAbstract:Abstract Riparian Areas, wetlands, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems, which are found at all elevations throughout the Blue Mountains, comprise a small portion of the landscape but have high conservation value because they provide habitat for diverse flora and fauna. The effects of climate change on these special habitats may be especially profound, due to altered snowpack and hydrologic regimes predicted to occur in the near future. The functionality of many Riparian Areas is currently compromised by water diversions and livestock grazing, which reduces their resilience to additional stresses that a warmer climate may bring. Areas associated with springs and small streams will probably experience near-term changes, and some Riparian Areas and wetlands may decrease in size over time. A warmer climate and reduced soil moisture could lead to a transition from Riparian hardwood species to more drought tolerant conifers and shrubs. Increased frequency and spatial extent of wildfire spreading from upland forests could also affect Riparian species composition. The specific effects of climate change will vary, depending on local hydrology (especially groundwater), topography, streamside microclimates, and current conditions and land use.
-
Burning questions for managers: Fuels management practices in Riparian Areas
2012Co-Authors: Kristen E. Meyer, Kathleen A Dwire, Patricia A. Champ, Sandra E. Ryan, Gregg M. Riegel, Timothy A. BurtonAbstract:Vegetation treatment projects for fuel reduction in Riparian Areas can pose distinct challenges to resource managers. Riparian Areas are protected by administrative regulations, many of which are largely custodial and restrict active management. Like uplands, however, Riparian Areas have been affected by fire suppression, land use, and multiple types of disturbance. Also, many streamside Areas are part of the expanding wildland-urban interface (WUI) or wildland-urban intermix that may be at high risk of wildfire.
-
Fuel Reduction Management Practices in Riparian Areas of the Western USA
Environmental Management, 2010Co-Authors: K R Stone, S P Wollrab, Charles C. Rhoades, Kathleen A Dwire, David S. Pilliod, M K YoungAbstract:Two decades of uncharacteristically severe wildfires have caused government and private land managers to actively reduce hazardous fuels to lessen wildfire severity in western forests, including Riparian Areas. Because Riparian fuel treatments are a fairly new management strategy, we set out to document their frequency and extent on federal lands in the western U.S. Seventy-four USDA Forest Service Fire Management Officers (FMOs) in 11 states were interviewed to collect information on the number and characteristics of Riparian fuel reduction treatments in their management district. Just under half of the FMOs surveyed (43%) indicated that they were conducting fuel reduction treatments in Riparian Areas. The primary management objective listed for these projects was either fuel reduction (81%) or ecological restoration and habitat improvement (41%), though multiple management goals were common (56%). Most projects were of small extent (93% < 300 acres), occurred in the wildland-urban interface (75%), and were conducted in ways to minimize negative impacts on species and habitats. The results of this survey suggest that managers are proceeding cautiously with treatments. To facilitate project planning and implementation, managers recommended early coordination with resource specialists, such as hydrologists and fish and wildlife biologists. Well-designed monitoring of the consequences of Riparian fuel treatments on fuel loads, fire risk, and ecological effects is needed to provide a scientifically-defensible basis for the continued and growing implementation of these treatments.
-
Fire and Riparian ecosystems in landscapes of the western USA
Forest Ecology and Management, 2003Co-Authors: Kathleen A Dwire, J. Boone KauffmanAbstract:Despite the numerous values of Riparian Areas and the recognition of fire as a critical natural disturbance, few studies have investigated the behavior, properties, and influence of natural fire in Riparian Areas of the western USA. Riparian Areas frequently differ from adjacent uplands in vegetative composition and structure, geomorphology, hydrology, microclimate, and fuel characteristics. These features may contribute to different fire environments, fire regimes, and fire properties (frequency, severity, behavior, and extent) in Riparian Areas relative to uplands. In certain forested Riparian Areas, fire frequency has generally been lower, and fire severity has been more moderate than in adjacent uplands, but in other Areas, fires have appeared to burn Riparian Areas with comparable frequency. Impacts of land use and management may strongly influence fire properties and regimes in Riparian Areas. Fire suppression, livestock grazing, logging, damming and flow regulation, agricultural diversions, channel modifications, and introduction of invasive species have led to shifts in plant species composition, structure and distribution of fuel loads, and changes in microclimate and areal extent of Riparian Areas. Cumulative impacts of human alterations are likely to exert the most pronounced influence on fire behavior during periods of drought and under conditions of extreme fire weather. Riparian plant species possess adaptations to fluvial disturbances that facilitate survival and reestablishment following fires, thus contributing to the rapid recovery of many streamside habitats. Given the critical resource values of Riparian zones, additional data are needed to understand interactions between fire and Riparian ecosystems, and how Riparian zones affect spatial and temporal patterns of fires at the landscape scale. An improved understanding of fire ecology and effects in Riparian Areas is needed to prescribe ecologically sound rehabilitation projects following fire.
David F Bradford - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
biodiversity management approaches for stream Riparian Areas perspectives for pacific northwest headwater forests microclimates and amphibians
Forest Ecology and Management, 2007Co-Authors: Deanna H. Olson, Paul D Anderson, Christopher A Frissell, Hartwell H Welsh, David F BradfordAbstract:Abstract Stream–Riparian Areas represent a nexus of biodiversity, with disproportionate numbers of species tied to and interacting within this key habitat. New research in Pacific Northwest headwater forests, especially the characterization of microclimates and amphibian distributions, is expanding our perspective of Riparian zones, and suggests the need for alternative designs to manage stream–Riparian zones and their adjacent uplands. High biodiversity in Riparian Areas can be attributed to cool moist conditions, high productivity and complex habitat. All 47 northwestern amphibian species have stream–Riparian associations, with a third being obligate forms to general stream–Riparian Areas, and a quarter with life histories reliant on headwater landscapes in particular. Recent recognition that stream-breeding amphibians can disperse hundreds of meters into uplands implies that connectivity among neighboring drainages may be important to their population structures and dynamics. Microclimate studies substantiate a “stream effect” of cool moist conditions permeating upslope into warmer, drier forests. We review forest management approaches relative to headwater Riparian Areas in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and we propose scenarios designed to retain all habitats used by amphibians with complex life histories. These include a mix of Riparian and upslope management approaches to address the breeding, foraging, overwintering, and dispersal functions of these animals. We speculate that the stream microclimate effect can partly counterbalance edge effects imposed by upslope forest disturbances, hence appropriately sized and managed Riparian buffers can protect suitable microclimates at streams and within Riparian forests. We propose one approach that focuses habitat conservation in headwater Areas – where present management allows extensive logging – on sensitive target species, such as tailed frogs and torrent salamanders that often occur patchily. Assuming both high patchiness and some concordance among the distribution of sensitive species, protecting Areas with higher abundances of these animals could justify less protection of currently unoccupied or low-density habitats, where more intensive forest management for timber production could occur. Also, we outline an approach that protects juxtaposed headwater patches, retaining connectivity among sub-drainages using a 6th-field watershed spatial scale for assuring well-distributed protected Areas across forested landscapes. However, research is needed to test this approach and to determine whether it is sufficient to buffer downstream water quality and habitat from impacts of headwater management. Offering too-sparse protection everywhere is likely insufficient to conserve headwater habitats and biodiversity, while our alternative targeted protection of selected headwaters does not bind the entire forest landscape into a biodiversity reserve.
-
Biodiversity management approaches for stream–Riparian Areas: Perspectives for Pacific Northwest headwater forests, microclimates, and amphibians
Forest Ecology and Management, 2007Co-Authors: Deanna H. Olson, Paul D Anderson, Christopher A Frissell, Hartwell H Welsh, David F BradfordAbstract:Abstract Stream–Riparian Areas represent a nexus of biodiversity, with disproportionate numbers of species tied to and interacting within this key habitat. New research in Pacific Northwest headwater forests, especially the characterization of microclimates and amphibian distributions, is expanding our perspective of Riparian zones, and suggests the need for alternative designs to manage stream–Riparian zones and their adjacent uplands. High biodiversity in Riparian Areas can be attributed to cool moist conditions, high productivity and complex habitat. All 47 northwestern amphibian species have stream–Riparian associations, with a third being obligate forms to general stream–Riparian Areas, and a quarter with life histories reliant on headwater landscapes in particular. Recent recognition that stream-breeding amphibians can disperse hundreds of meters into uplands implies that connectivity among neighboring drainages may be important to their population structures and dynamics. Microclimate studies substantiate a “stream effect” of cool moist conditions permeating upslope into warmer, drier forests. We review forest management approaches relative to headwater Riparian Areas in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and we propose scenarios designed to retain all habitats used by amphibians with complex life histories. These include a mix of Riparian and upslope management approaches to address the breeding, foraging, overwintering, and dispersal functions of these animals. We speculate that the stream microclimate effect can partly counterbalance edge effects imposed by upslope forest disturbances, hence appropriately sized and managed Riparian buffers can protect suitable microclimates at streams and within Riparian forests. We propose one approach that focuses habitat conservation in headwater Areas – where present management allows extensive logging – on sensitive target species, such as tailed frogs and torrent salamanders that often occur patchily. Assuming both high patchiness and some concordance among the distribution of sensitive species, protecting Areas with higher abundances of these animals could justify less protection of currently unoccupied or low-density habitats, where more intensive forest management for timber production could occur. Also, we outline an approach that protects juxtaposed headwater patches, retaining connectivity among sub-drainages using a 6th-field watershed spatial scale for assuring well-distributed protected Areas across forested landscapes. However, research is needed to test this approach and to determine whether it is sufficient to buffer downstream water quality and habitat from impacts of headwater management. Offering too-sparse protection everywhere is likely insufficient to conserve headwater habitats and biodiversity, while our alternative targeted protection of selected headwaters does not bind the entire forest landscape into a biodiversity reserve.
S. M. Nelson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Bird and butterfly communities associated with two types of urban Riparian Areas
Urban Ecosystems, 2001Co-Authors: G. S. Nelson, S. M. NelsonAbstract:We examined the distribution of birds and butterflies at two types of urban Riparian Areas in the metropolitan area of Denver, Colorado, USA. The sites consisted of relatively natural Areas containing native woody vegetation, and those that had been highly modified with trees and shrubs removed and planted with lawn grass. Species richness of both butterflies and birds differed significantly between the two types of sites. Species richness, however, was not significantly correlated between birds and butterflies. Bird abundance was similar between site types but consisted of two assemblages. Brewer's blackbirds, common grackles, bank swallows, and mourning doves were abundant at wooded sites while American robins, European starlings, house sparrows, house finches, and mallards were more abundant at lawned Riparian sites. Butterfly abundance was less at lawned sites. This contrast in bird and butterfly response to habitats suggests they respond to different habitats in distinct ways. Both taxon groups, however, were important discriminators between habitat types. Overall, butterfly and bird species richness was 44% less at highly modified Riparian sites.
Diane R Menuz - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
the nativity and distribution of the cryptic invader phalaris arundinacea reed canarygrass in Riparian Areas of the columbia and missouri river basins
Wetlands, 2019Co-Authors: Karin M Kettenring, Diane R Menuz, Karen E MockAbstract:Cryptic invaders are inherently difficult to study due to morphological similarity with native lineages of the same species or genus. Wetland and Riparian systems are particularly prone to plant invasions, and have been impacted by a number of widespread cryptic invaders such as Phalaris arundinacea (reed canarygrass). Here we combine molecular genetic analyses with species distribution modeling to assess the nativity of Phalaris and determine potential drivers of non-native Phalaris invasion in Riparian Areas across a large region of the semiarid northwestern USA. Based on our genetic analyses, we found that throughout our study region Phalaris is largely non-native, and no modern-day samples from our study region were of native North American origin. At least half of the four species distribution models suggested that non-native Phalaris invasion across the region was associated with warmer temperatures, more growing days, wetter summers, drier winters, higher nitrogen levels, shallower stream slopes, and at sites closer to roads and without a history of grazing. These findings can be used to determine the best locations for targeted monitoring. Furthermore, there is the potential for increased Phalaris invasion with climate change-induced temperature increases.
-
the importance of roads nutrients and climate for invasive plant establishment in Riparian Areas in the northwestern united states
Biological Invasions, 2013Co-Authors: Diane R Menuz, Karin M KettenringAbstract:Natural and anthropogenic site characteristics play a role in determining the current distribution of invasive plant species. An understanding of these characteristics can be used to prioritize Areas for monitoring and control efforts and to determine appropriate management actions to lower site invasion risk. We used species distribution models to look for attributes associated with invasion and to determine the extent to which these attributes varied across a suite of species. We modeled the presence-absence of 11 invasive plant species along Riparian Areas in the northwestern United States using the model Random Forests. We found that climate variables were most important for predicting species distributions across the large study area and factors related to nutrients, land cover, and disturbance had moderate importance. We also found that there was a general pattern related to invasion for almost all species. Invasion was more likely to occur at hotter, drier sites near roads in unforested Areas. In addition, high nutrient levels and proximity to streams with lower baseflow values also generally increased the likelihood that at least one invasive species would be present. Examining patterns across a broad range of regions can help suggest general mechanisms of invasion as well as provide region-specific management recommendations.
