Effects of an experimental flood on litter dynamics in the middle Rio Grande riparian ecosystem

被引:29
作者
Molles, MC
Crawford, CS
Ellis, LM
机构
[1] Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
来源
REGULATED RIVERS-RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT | 1995年 / 11卷 / 3-4期
关键词
forest floor litter; manipulative flooding; Rio Grande; riparian ecosystems;
D O I
10.1002/rrr.3450110304
中图分类号
X [环境科学、安全科学];
学科分类号
08 ; 0830 ;
摘要
The objectives of the study were to measure the effects of an experimental flood on : (1) leaf litter production by the riparian forest; (2) leaf decomposition; and (3) the amount of forest floor organic matter. The study area is located at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, approximately 160 km south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Experimental and reference study sites of about 3 . 1 ha were both located in cottonwood (Populus fremontii) riparian forests that had not been flooded for approximately 50 years. The experimental and control study sites were sampled for two years before flooding the experimental site. The experimental flood peaked on about 31 May, the average date of peak flow in the 100 year hydrograph for the USGS gauging station on the Rio Grande at Embudo, New Mexico. Litter fall was lower at the flood site than at the control site, whereas the rate of leaf decomposition was higher at the flood site during the period of inundation. However, the flood did not produce a measurable response in standing stock of forest floor litter. This pool of carbon may require the cumulative effects of several years of flooding to show a measurable response.
引用
收藏
页码:275 / 281
页数:7
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