Hydropeaking intensity alters riparian seed bank composition and self-restoration potential
Nordström, E.; Rosbakh, S.; Hoppenreijs, J. H. T.
Show abstract
Flow regulation for hydropower production affects stream ecosystems through decreased connectivity and changed timing and magnitude of flows. Hydropeaking, a form of regulation in which infrequent large peak flows are replaced with frequent small peaks, increases riparian erosion and causes water and drought stress for riparian vegetation. Hydropeaking is likely to affect soil seed bank (SSB) formation and composition, while SSBs are important sources of self-restoration should a systems flow regulation be relaxed. We tested how hydropeaking intensity affects the size and composition of SSBs, including the functionally important group of large graminoids, and by calculating Ellenberg values for Moisture, Light and Soil disturbance. SSB samples were taken at 15 riparian zones across central and northern Sweden. Each site was regulated, but sites differed in their hydropeaking intensities. SSBs were subjected to a seedling emergence experiment, from which over 700 seedlings from 53 taxa emerged. We found that hydropeaking intensity affects the composition of soil seed banks on multiple levels. Seedling density was negatively correlated with hydropeaking intensity at the sites where samples were taken. SSB richness varied (two to eighteen species per site) and was not affected by hydropeaking intensity. The proportion of large graminoids in the seed bank showed a near-significant decrease with increasing hydropeaking intensity, and community-weighted means for Moisture, Light and Soil disturbance increased (non-significantly) with increasing intensity. Our results suggest that riparian SSBs, should flow regulation be relaxed or ceased, are not sufficient for self-restoration of functional riparian vegetation. Seeds of large graminoids and species that are tolerant to drought in the germination stage are less present in riparian SSBs of heavily-regulated streams. Supply of seeds of these groups, or even planting, may need to be considered when changes in flow management are implemented. HighlightsO_LIHydropeaking negatively affects riparian soil seed banks (SSBs) in Sweden C_LIO_LISSB size slightly decreases with hydropeaking intensity, but richness does not change C_LIO_LIThe proportion of large graminoid seeds in SSBs decreases with hydropeaking intensity C_LIO_LIRiparian SSBs from less-impacted sites have most potential for self-restoration C_LI
Matching journals
The top 3 journals account for 50% of the predicted probability mass.
Similar papers in this journal
- Vegetation characteristics control sediment and nutrient retention on but not underneath vegetation in floodplain meadows 94%
- Resilience of riparian vegetation composition and diversity following cessation of livestock grazing in northeastern Oregon, USA 93%
- Detrital Food Web Drives Aquatic Ecosystem Productivity in a Seasonally Inundated Managed Floodplain 92%
Similar papers in this journal
- Relationship between salmon egg subsidy and the distribution of an avian predator 91%
- Flood-irrigated agriculture mediates climate-induced wetland scarcity for summering sandhill cranes in western North America 90%
- Predictor species: Improving assessments of rare species occurrence by modelling environmental co-responses 90%
Similar papers in this journal
- Simulating drying and human impacts on river networks to evaluate biological quality indices performance through the lens of metacommunity theory 92%
- Fit by design: Developing substrate-specific seed mixtures for functional dike grasslands 92%
- Sounds of the underground reflect soil biodiversity dynamics across a grassy woodland restoration chronosequence 89%
Similar papers in this journal
- Phylogenetic diversity efficiently and accurately prioritizes the conservation of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities 92%
- Forecasting the effects of water regulation on the population viability of a threatened amphibian 92%
- Researcher effects on the biological structure and edaphic conditions of field sites and implications for management. 91%
Similar papers in this journal
- Water storage and irrigation practices associated with cannabis production drive seasonal patterns of water extraction and use in Northern California watersheds 90%
- Opportunities and challenges in using remote sensing for identifying grassland restoration sites and invasive tree species management in a global biodiversity hotspot 90%
- Using Watershed Characteristics for Improving Fecal Source Identification 90%
"Similar papers" are the closest papers from that journal in the model's embedding space. They show what the match is built on, but the ranking comes mostly from a classifier over the whole training set, not from these examples alone.