Classification of riparian wetlands

Ombrotrophic mixed Rheotrophic mixed Phreatotrophic

flats wetland overbank & co-flooding slope wetland

Asymmetric bi-directional Asymmetrical

small streams larger rivers small streams

Source/Chemistry

Typical System size

Riparian HGM class

Flow direction

Crenal wetlands Floodplains Crenal wetlands

Lateral/Valley structureRiparian zoneHyporheic zoneChannel zone

Alluvial vs erosional bench

Baker & Barnes 1998

ThalwegBankfullLeveeFloodprone

Floodplain Structure

Channel evolutionHydrographyValley geomorphology

Silver Maple>30%,Ash, Elm, Basswood

Ash, Silver Maple,Elm, SycamoreBlack Maple, Cottonwood

Silver Maple, Bitternut Hickory, Burr Oak, Ash, Elm

Ash, BasswoodSugar Maple, CottonwoodHop Hornbeam

Grn. Ash & Basswood > 60%White Cedar > 60%Canada Balsam

Cedar, Ash ElmHemlock, Cottonwood, Paper Birch

Dominants [order] & Indicators

Riparian Forest types in Lower Michigan

[adapted from Baker and Wiley 2004]

.96

silverm

.98

blackm

.99

sugarm 1.00

redash

1.00

nwcedr

sl

bl

su

as

wc

.15site

wetness

ave temp unit power

ss

p/pet gw sat

-.26

.22-.32

.09

.07

-.40

flood freq

-.40-.02

-.40

-.06

.32

floodpotential

ff

.42

lag area

-.60

.52

.08

.02

-.23

.18

.40flood

power

ed

.26-.66

unit shear

.82

-.43

.05

-.48

-.16

-.09

.40

x-sectslope

.51

.78

.16

-.05-.70

-.05

-.37

.56 -.37

.33-.41.21

.88

-.42 -.15

-.37 .53

.25

.19.53

-.50

.54

.61 -.22-.40

-.66

.41.36

-.62

MES BSM

SMS

MAS&GAB

CAF&CFB

5

5

5

5

55

55

5

5

555

55

555

55

55555

5 5555

5

5 55

55

5

5 5

55

5

5

555

55

555

5

555

5555

55

5

5

5

5555

555

5

5

5

55

5

5 5

5

5

55

5

5

555

5

55

5

5

5

5

5

Fig. 5SILVERBLACKSUGARGREENCEDAR

A B

Geomorphic function of floodplains

Sediment storage and valley aggradation

Ecological function of floodplains

Sediment offloading & storage

Hydraulic refuge

Nutrient processing/ enhanced productivity/ life-history adaptations

Basis for enhanced autochthonous and secondary production• the Flood-pulse concept• match-mismatch hypothesis

(1) The moving littoral in the ATTZ of a floodplain system in the central Amazon, withEstimates of annual production (P) and biomass (B). Estimates are as dry weight per hectare. The H2S zone has no O2

Junk, Bayley and Sparks: The Flood-Pulse concept

(2) Stage/Temperature couplingRelationship to enviromental predictability

Winemiller 2003

Types of stage/temperature coupling relevance to match-mismatch hypothesis for river fishes

Ecological consequences of floodplain fragmentation?

Sediment offloading & storageNutrient processingHydraulic refuge

Interaction of systemic and local cause/effects

Manage: (1) to to handle or direct with a degree of skill…(2) to alter by manipulation [Websters New Collegiate Dictionary]

•Management is unavoidable: doing nothing is an option

•Always two relevant aspects of a river: local and systemic

•River systems tend to local equilibriadeviations from equilibrium suggest ecosystem healthcaveats: equilibria are dynamic

multiple stable states

3 Principals of River Management

The concept of stream “Health”

Strengths:useful non-technical metaphorcaptures system complexityobjectifies process-response dynamics

Weaknesses:confuses homeostasis and dynamic equilibriumemphasizes single rather than multiple stable statesobjectifies subjective values

Technical issues:Biotic Integrity, IBI (s), regional references, and system expectations