The foundation for applying science to river and riparian restoration contexts lies in a basic understanding of the factors that drive riparian vegetation dynamics. Much of our research is focused on clarifying relationships between streamflow, fluvial geomorphology, and riparian vegetation, including various feedbacks.
In some cases this work involves studying river reaches or segments that are relatively unaltered by anthropogenic activities; in many cases it involves study of river segments that have been altered by human activities, most notably river damming. Our research often includes field studies, but also experiments (e.g., in greenhouses) to help control for specific factors hypothesized to influence riparian plants. This work is often done in collaboration with scientists whose primary emphasis lies in the physical sciences (e.g., fluvial geomorphology, hydrology).
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Riparian Ecology
Below are publications associated with this project.
Distribution of invasive and native riparian woody plants across the western USA in relation to climate, river flow, floodplain geometry and patterns of introduction
Abandoned floodplain plant communities along a regulated dryland river
Processes of arroyo filling in northern New Mexico, USA
Legacies of flood reduction on a dryland river
Stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and dendrogeomorphic analyses of rapid floodplain formation along the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park, Texas
Assessing the extent and diversity of riparian ecosystems in Sonora, Mexico
Effects of a natural dam-break flood on geomorphology and vegetation on the Elwha River, Washington, U.S.A.
Altered stream-flow regimes and invasive plant species: The Tamarix case
Dating floodplain sediments using tree-ring response to burial
Riparian vegetation response to altered disturbance and stress regimes
Woody riparian vegetation response to different alluvial water table regimes
Responses of riparian cottonwoods to alluvial water table declines
- Overview
The foundation for applying science to river and riparian restoration contexts lies in a basic understanding of the factors that drive riparian vegetation dynamics. Much of our research is focused on clarifying relationships between streamflow, fluvial geomorphology, and riparian vegetation, including various feedbacks.
In some cases this work involves studying river reaches or segments that are relatively unaltered by anthropogenic activities; in many cases it involves study of river segments that have been altered by human activities, most notably river damming. Our research often includes field studies, but also experiments (e.g., in greenhouses) to help control for specific factors hypothesized to influence riparian plants. This work is often done in collaboration with scientists whose primary emphasis lies in the physical sciences (e.g., fluvial geomorphology, hydrology).
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Riparian Ecology
Riparian ecologists at the Fort Collins Science Center study interactions among flow, channel change, and vegetation along rivers across the western United States and worldwide. Our work focuses on issues relevant to the management of water and public lands, including dam operation, climate change, invasive species, and ecological restoration. Investigations take place on a range of scales. For... - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 13Distribution of invasive and native riparian woody plants across the western USA in relation to climate, river flow, floodplain geometry and patterns of introduction
Management of riparian plant invasions across the landscape requires understanding the combined influence of climate, hydrology, geologic constraints and patterns of introduction. We measured abundance of nine riparian woody taxa at 456 stream gages across the western USA. We constructed conditional inference recursive binary partitioning models to discriminate the influence of eleven environmentaAuthorsRyan McShane, Daniel Auerbach, Jonathan M. Friedman, Gregor T. Auble, Patrick B. Shafroth, Michael Merigliano, Michael L. Scott, N. Leroy PoffAbandoned floodplain plant communities along a regulated dryland river
Rivers and their floodplains worldwide have changed dramatically over the last century because of regulation by dams, flow diversions and channel stabilization. Floodplains no longer inundated by river flows following dam-induced flood reduction comprise large areas of bottomland habitat, but the effects of abandonment on plant communities are not well understood. Using a hydraulic flow model, geoAuthorsL. V. Reynolds, Patrick B. Shafroth, P. K. HouseProcesses of arroyo filling in northern New Mexico, USA
We documented arroyo evolution at the tree, trench, and arroyo scales along the lower Rio Puerco and Chaco Wash in northern New Mexico, USA. We excavated 29 buried living woody plants and used burial signatures in their annual rings to date stratigraphy in four trenches across the arroyos. Then, we reconstructed the history of arroyo evolution by combining trench data with arroyo-scale informationAuthorsJonathan M. Friedman, Kirk R. Vincent, Eleanor R. Griffin, Michael L. Scott, Patrick B. Shafroth, Gregor T. AubleLegacies of flood reduction on a dryland river
The Bill Williams (Arizona) is a regulated dryland river that is being managed, in part, for biodiversity via flow management. To inform management, we contrasted riparian plant communities between the Bill Williams and an upstream free‐flowing tributary (Santa Maria). Goals of a first study (1996–1997) were to identify environmental controls on herbaceous species richness and compare richness amoAuthorsJ.C. Stromberg, P.B. Shafroth, A.F. HazeltonStratigraphic, sedimentologic, and dendrogeomorphic analyses of rapid floodplain formation along the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park, Texas
The channel of the lower Rio Grande in the Big Bend region rapidly narrows during years of low mean and peak flow. We conducted stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and dendrogeomorphic analyses within two long floodplain trenches to precisely reconstruct the timing and processes of recent floodplain formation. We show that the channel of the Rio Grande narrowed through the oblique and vertical accretioAuthorsDavid Dean, Linda J. Scott, Patrick B. Shafroth, John C. SchmidtAssessing the extent and diversity of riparian ecosystems in Sonora, Mexico
Conservation of forested riparian ecosystems is of international concern. Relatively little is known of the structure, composition, diversity, and extent of riparian ecosystems in Mexico. We used high- and low-resolution satellite imagery from 2000 to 2006, and ground-based sampling in 2006, to assess the spatial pattern, extent, and woody plant composition of riparian forests across a range of spAuthorsM.L. Scott, P.L. Nagler, E.P. Glenn, C. Valdes-Casillas, J.A. Erker, E.W. Reynolds, P.B. Shafroth, E. Gomez-Limon, C.L. JonesEffects of a natural dam-break flood on geomorphology and vegetation on the Elwha River, Washington, U.S.A.
Ephemeral dams caused by landslides have been observed around the world, yet little is known about the effects of their failure on landforms and vegetation. In 1967, a landslide-dam-break flood in a pristine reach of the Elwha River valley filled the former channel and diverted the river. The reach is a reference site for restoration following the planned removal of dams on the river. We identifieAuthorsS.A. Acker, T.J. Beechie, P.B. ShafrothAltered stream-flow regimes and invasive plant species: The Tamarix case
Aim: To test the hypothesis that anthropogenic alteration of stream-flow regimes is a key driver of compositional shifts from native to introduced riparian plant species. Location: The arid south-western United States; 24 river reaches in the Gila and Lower Colorado drainage basins of Arizona. Methods: We compared the abundance of three dominant woody riparian taxa (native Populus fremontii and SaAuthorsJ.C. Stromberg, S.J. Lite, R. Marler, C. Paradzick, P.B. Shafroth, D. Shorrock, J. M. White, M.S. WhiteDating floodplain sediments using tree-ring response to burial
Floodplain sediments can be dated precisely based on the change in anatomy of tree rings upon burial. When a stem of tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima) or sandbar willow (Salix exigua) is buried, subsequent annual rings in the buried section resemble the rings of roots: rings become narrower, vessels within the rings become larger, and transitions between rings become less distinct. We combined observAuthorsJ. M. Friedman, K.R. Vincent, P.B. ShafrothRiparian vegetation response to altered disturbance and stress regimes
Management of terrestrial carbon fluxes is being proposed as a means of increasing the amount of carbon sequestered in the terrestrial biosphere. This approach is generally viewed only as an interim strategy for the coming decades while other longer-term strategies are developed and implemented — the most important being the direct reduction of carbon emissions. We are concerned that the potentialAuthorsP.B. Shafroth, J.C. Stromberg, D.T. PattenWoody riparian vegetation response to different alluvial water table regimes
Woody riparian vegetation in western North American riparian ecosystems is commonly dependent on alluvial groundwater. Various natural and anthropogenic mechanisms can cause groundwater declines that stress riparian vegetation, but little quantitative information exists on the nature of plant response to different magnitudes, rates, and durations of groundwater decline. We observed groundwater dynAuthorsP.B. Shafroth, J.C. Stromberg, D.T. PattenResponses of riparian cottonwoods to alluvial water table declines
Human demands for surface and shallow alluvial groundwater have contributed to the loss, fragmentation, and simplification of riparian ecosystems. Populus species typically dominate riparian ecosystems throughout arid and semiarid regions of North American and efforts to minimize loss of riparian Populus requires an integrated understanding of the role of surface and groundwater dynamics in the esAuthorsM.L. Scott, P.B. Shafroth, G.T. Auble