Assessing the Effects of Periodic Flooding on the Population Structure and Recruitment Rates of Riparian Tree Forests

Water

Jean-Sstien Berthelot¹  Diane Saint-Laurent²  Verhnar Gervais-Beaulac¹ 

[1] Environmental Science, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5H7, Canada; E-Mails:;Géographie et Laboratoire de recherche en géomorphologie fluviale et sols, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5H7, Canada

关键词: dendrochronology;    flood zones;    riparian trees;    recruitment rates;    tree stand structure;   

DOI  :  10.3390/w6092614

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Riparian forest stands are subjected to a variety of hydrological stresses as a result of annual fluctuations in water levels during the growing season. Spring floods create additional water-related stress as a result of a major inflow of water that floods riverside land. This exploratory study assesses the impacts of successive floods on tree dynamics and regeneration in an active sedimentation area, while determining the age of the stands using the recruitment rates, tree structure and tree rings based on dendrochronological analysis. Environmental data were also recorded for each vegetation quadrat. In total, 2633 tree stems were tallied throughout the quadrats (200 m²), and tree specimens were analyzed based on the various flood zones. A total of 720 specimens were counted (100 m² strip) to measure natural regeneration. Higher recruitment rates are noted for the no-flood zones and lower rates in active floodplains. During the period of the establishment of tree species, the survival rates are comparable between the flood zones and the no-flood zones. Tree diameter distribution reveals a strong predominance of young trees in flooded areas. Different factors appear to come into play in the dynamics of riparian forest stands, including the disruptions associated with successive flooding.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.