| 1. |
- Dietrich, Anna, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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The Use of Phytometers for Evaluating Restoration Effects on Riparian Soil Fertility
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Environmental Quality. - : American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.. - 0047-2425 .- 1537-2537. ; 43:6, s. 1916-1925
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ecological restoration of streams in Sweden has become increasingly important to counteract effects of past timber floating. In this study, we focused on the effect on riparian soil properties after returning coarse sediment (cobbles and boulders) to the channel and reconnecting riparian with instream habitats. Restoration increases habitat availability for riparian plants, but its effects on soil quality are unknown. We also analyzed whether the restoration effect differs with variation in climate and stream size. We used standardized plant species to measure the performance of a grass (Phleum pratense L.) and a forb (Centaurea cyanus L.) in soils sampled in the riparian zones of channelized and restored streams and rivers. Furthermore, we analyzed the mass fractions of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) along with the proportions of the stable isotopes C-13 and N-15 in the soil, as well as its grain size composition. We found a positive effect of restoration on biomass of phytometers grown in riparian soils from small streams, indicating that restoration enhanced the soil properties favoring plant performance. We suggest that changed flooding with more frequent but less severe floods and slower flows, enhancing retention, could explain the observed patterns. This positive effect suggests that it may be advantageous to initiate restoration efforts in small streams, which make up the highest proportion of the stream network in a catchment. Restoration responses in headwater streams may then be transmitted downstream to facilitate recovery of restored larger rivers. If the larger rivers were restored first, a slower reaction would be expected.
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| 2. |
- Hasselquist, Eliza Maher, et al.
(författare)
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Time for recovery of riparian plants in restored northern Swedish streams : A chronosequence study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Ecological Applications. - : Wiley. - 1051-0761 .- 1939-5582. ; 25:5, s. 1373-1389
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A lack of ecological responses in stream restoration projects has been prevalent throughout recent literature with many studies reporting insufficient time for recovery. We assessed the relative importance of time, site variables, and landscape setting for understanding how plant species richness and understory productivity recover over time in riparian zones of northern Swedish streams. We used a space-for-time substitution consisting of 13 stream reaches restored 5-25 years ago, as well as five unrestored channelized reference reaches. We inventoried the riparian zone for all vascular plant species along 60-m study reaches and quantified cover and biomass in plots. We found that while species richness increased with time, understory biomass decreased. Forbs made up the majority of the species added, while the biomass of graminoids decreased the most over time, suggesting that the reduced dominance of graminoids favored less productive forbs. Species richness and density patterns could be attributed to dispersal limitation, with anemochorous species being more associated with time after restoration than hydrochorous, zoochorous, or vegetatively reproducing species. Using multiple linear regression, we found that time along with riparian slope and riparian buffer width (e.g., distance to logging activities) explained the most variability in species richness, but that variability in total understory biomass was explained primarily by time. The plant community composition of restored reaches differed from that of channelized references, but the difference did not increase over time. Rather, different time categories had different successional trajectories that seemed to converge on a unique climax community for that time period. Given our results, timelines for achieving species richness objectives should be extended to 25 years or longer if recovery is defined as a saturation of the accumulation of species over time. Other recommendations include making riparian slopes as gentle as possible given the landscape context and expanding riparian buffer width for restoration to have as much impact as possible.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Lind, Lovisa, 1985-
(författare)
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Breaking the ice : effects of ice formation and winter floods on vegetation along streams
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Streams in cold regions are characterized by unique hydrological processes that control flow regime and water levels. One of the most important processes is the formation, growth and melting of different types of ice in and around the stream channel during winter. River ice controls major hydrologic events such as winter floods with magnitudes and frequencies often greater than those created by open-water conditions. While river management in northern countries has already recognized high risk of ice damages, the focus of the risk assessment has been mostly aimed towards the local economy; the ecological role of river ice has been less acknowledged. Along rivers in boreal Sweden, riparian vegetation has developed specific zonation with height and age of the plants increasing the further away they are from the stream channel. On lower levels the vegetation is often comprised of short-lived plants, such as annuals and biennials whereas more permanent woody vegetation is found at higher levels. This zonation has most often been explained by the resilience of different growth forms to the inundation regimes, such as the spring flood in northern systems. Within this framework, I investigated which factors drive the ice formation and how ice and ice-induced floods affect riparian and in-stream vegetation. A 3-year survey was conducted of ice formation and vegetation along 25 stream reaches and a set of experiments were used to evaluate ice as a disturbance agent. Reaches far away from lake outlets which had a low input of groundwater and a high velocity and stream power were most prone to form anchor ice, but many other factors also influenced ice formation. Streams with anchor ice experienced more frequent flooding of the riparian vegetation during winter. Our findings suggests that ice and winter floods favour diversity and create habitat heterogeneity for riparian species. On a community level, woody plants such as evergreen dwarf shrubs are eliminated when flooded during winter, opening up patches for other species to colonize, creating a dynamic riparian understory community. Significant changes in river ice conditions could develop with projected changes in climate which would have important geomorphologic, ecological and socio-economic impacts. One implication of climate change could be less ice disturbance and consequently a riparian vegetation in cold regions that slowly changes from forb to dwarf-shrub dominated with a subsequent decrease in species richness. Changes in species diversity and abundance of groups of species related to changes in ice formation could potentially cascade into riparian and in-stream processes such as nutrient cycling, litter decomposition and organism dispersal.
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| 5. |
- Lind, Lovisa, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of ice and floods on vegetation in streams in cold regions : implications for climate change
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 4:21, s. 4173-4184
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Riparian zones support some of the most dynamic and species-rich plant communities in cold regions. A common conception among plant ecologists is that flooding during the season when plants are dormant generally has little effect on the survival and production of riparian vegetation. We show that winter floods may also be of fundamental importance for the composition of riverine vegetation. We investigated the effects of ice formation on riparian and in-stream vegetation in northern Sweden using a combination of experiments and observations in 25 reaches, spanning a gradient from ice-free to ice-rich reaches. The ice-rich reaches were characterized by high production of frazil and anchor ice. In a couple of experiments, we exposed riparian vegetation to experimentally induced winter flooding, which reduced the dominant dwarf-shrub cover and led to colonization of a species-rich forb-dominated vegetation. In another experiment, natural winter floods caused by anchor-ice formation removed plant mimics both in the in-stream and in the riparian zone, further supporting the result that anchor ice maintains dynamic plant communities. With a warmer winter climate, ice-induced winter floods may first increase in frequency because of more frequent shifts between freezing and thawing during winter, but further warming and shortening of the winter might make them less common than today. If ice-induced winter floods become reduced in number because of a warming climate, an important disturbance agent for riparian and in-stream vegetation will be removed, leading to reduced species richness in streams and rivers in cold regions. Given that such regions are expected to have more plant species in the future because of immigration from the south, the distribution of species richness among habitats can be expected to show novel patterns.
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| 6. |
- Lind, Lovisa, et al.
(författare)
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Hydrological and thermal controls of ice formation in 25 boreal stream reaches
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Hydrology. - : Elsevier. - 0022-1694 .- 1879-2707. ; 540, s. 797-811
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Northern Hemisphere has a high density of fluvial freshwater ecosystems, many of which become ice-covered during winter. The development and extent of ice have both ecological and socio-economic implications. For example, ice can cause freezing of riparian vegetation and fish eggs as well as influence hydropower production; however, when, where and why ice develops in small streams is not well known. We used observations from 25 stream reaches to study the factors controlling ice development during two consecutive winters, addressing where in the catchment surface or anchor-ice is most likely to develop, how stream morphology influences ice formation, and how climate influences ice processes. Reaches far downstream from lake outlets, or without any upstream lakes, were most prone to develop anchor-ice, but other factors also influenced ice formation. Anchor-ice was most common where water temperature and groundwater inputs were low and stream power high. Given cold air temperature and water supercooling, the in-stream substrate as well as the current velocity were also important for the development of anchor-ice. Climate and substrate seemed to be important factors for the development of surface ice. This study shows that ice processes are substantial during the hydrological year and may therefore have large implications for the ecology and engineering around boreal streams.. The study also demonstrates that ice formation in the studied streams was complex, involving many variables and physical processes. We constructed a conceptual model describing the likelihood for various ice types to develop, based on the large dataset. As such, this model will be useful for practitioners and scientists working in small watercourses in the Northern Hemisphere.
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| 7. |
- Lind, Lovisa, et al.
(författare)
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Hydrological and thermal controls of ice formation in 25 boreal stream reaches
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The Northern Hemisphere has a high density of fluvial freshwater ecosystems, many of which become ice-covered during winter. The formation and extent of ice have both ecological and socio-economic implications. For example, ice can cause freezing of riparian vegetation and fish eggs as well as influence hydropower production; however, when, where and why ice develops in small streams is poorly described. Data from 25 stream reaches were used to study the factors controlling ice formation during two consecutive winters. We addressed where in the catchment surface or anchor ice is most likely to develop, how stream morphology influences ice formation, and how climate influences ice processes. Reaches far away from lake outlets were most prone to form anchor ice, but many other factors also influenced ice formation. We found that anchor-ice was most common where water temperature and groundwater input were low and stream power high. The in-stream substrate was also important for the formation of anchor ice as well as the current velocity, which created turbulence and super-cooled conditions if high enough. We demonstrated that ice formation in the studied streams was complex, involving many variables, thus we constructed a conceptual model describing the likelihood of various ice types to develop, based on our large dataset. To our knowledge, this model is the first to describe the complexity of ice formation in steep boreal streams. As such it will be useful for practitioners and scientists working in small rivers in the Northern Hemisphere.
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| 8. |
- Lind, Lovisa, et al.
(författare)
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The role of ice dynamics in shaping vegetation in flowing waters
- 2014
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Ingår i: Biological Reviews. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1464-7931 .- 1469-185X. ; 89:4, s. 791-804
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ice dynamics is an important factor affecting vegetation in high-altitude and high-latitude streams and rivers. During the last few decades, knowledge about ice in streams and rivers has increased significantly and a respectable body of literature is now available. Here we review the literature on how ice dynamics influence riparian and aquatic vegetation. Traditionally, plant ecologists have focused their studies on the summer period, largely ignoring the fact that processes during winter also impact vegetation dynamics. For example, the freeze-up period in early winter may result in extensive formation of underwater ice that can restructure the channel, obstruct flow, and cause flooding and thus formation of more ice. In midwinter, slow-flowing reaches develop a surface-ice cover that accumulates snow, protecting habitats under the ice from formation of underwater ice but also reducing underwater light, thus suppressing photosynthesis. Towards the end of winter, ice breaks up and moves downstream. During this transport, ice floes can jam up and cause floods and major erosion. The magnitudes of the floods and their erosive power mainly depend on the size of the watercourse, also resulting in different degrees of disturbance to the vegetation. Vegetation responds both physically and physiologically to ice dynamics. Physical action involves the erosive force of moving ice and damage caused by ground frost, whereas physiological effects - mostly cell damage - happen as a result of plants freezing into the ice. On a community level, large magnitudes of ice dynamics seem to favour species richness, but can be detrimental for individual plants. Human impacts, such as flow regulation, channelisation, agriculturalisation and water pollution have modified ice dynamics; further changes are expected as a result of current and predicted future climate change. Human impacts and climate change can both favour and disfavour riverine vegetation dynamics. Restoration of streams and rivers may mitigate some effects of anticipated climate change on ice and vegetation dynamics by, for example, slowing down flows and increasing water depth, thus reducing the potential for massive formation of underwater ice.
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| 9. |
- Lind, Lovisa, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Vegetation patterns in small boreal streams relate to ice and winter floods
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Ecology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0022-0477 .- 1365-2745. ; 103:2, s. 431-440
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In-stream and riparian vegetation are species rich, productive and dynamic. Their patterns insmall boreal streams are largely driven by seasonal flow regimes. Traditionally, flow-related processes during the growing season, particularly the spring flood, have been seen as the most important, whereas vegetation has been viewed as being dormant and ‘less affected’ during winter.Riparian and in-stream vegetation were inventoried during the summers 2011–2013 in eight reaches of northern Swedish streams. Along each reach, the ice formation was surveyed during winter by visual inspections and with permanently placed cameras. We then evaluated the potential effects of ice regimes and winter flooding on riparian and in-stream vegetation during 3 years by relating the abundance of winter floods caused by anchor ice to the cover, composition and biomass of vegetation.We found that the numbers of winter floods were higher along reaches with anchor-ice formation than in reaches without. We also found that species diversity of riparian vegetation was higher inthe reaches with anchor ice. This resulted from a lower cover of riparian dwarf shrubs and a higher cover of graminoids and forbs along reaches with anchor ice. We also found a lower cover of instream algae but a higher cover of bryophytes in anchor-ice reaches. These patterns were consistent throughout the study period although there were interannual differences in temperature, water levels and ice cover.During our study period, we encountered an average of 20 shifts per winter between freezing and thawing, while there was an average of 10 shifts per winter during 1960–1990. This indicates a warming climate in high latitudes. Higher temperatures and more shifts between freezing and thawing may initially increase ice dynamics. However, with further increases in mean temperature, ice production should eventually decrease.Synthesis. Ice and winter floods caused by anchor ice appear to be important disturbance agents that allow less competitive species to establish along small boreal streams. If ice dynamics is reduced, the composition and production of riparian and in-stream vegetation may be changed, with possible consequences for the entire stream ecosystem.
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| 10. |
- Maher Hasselquist, Eliza, et al.
(författare)
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Time for recovery of riparian plants in restored northern Swedish streams : a chronosequence study
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Ecological Applications. - : Ecological Society of America. - 1051-0761 .- 1939-5582. ; 25:5, s. 1373-1389
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A lack of ecological responses in stream restoration projects has been prevalent throughout recent literature with many studies reporting insufficient time for recovery. We assessed the relative importance of time, site variables, and landscape setting for understanding how plant species richness and understory productivity recover over time in riparian zones of northern Swedish streams. We used a space-for-time substitution consisting of 13 stream reaches restored 5-25 years ago, as well as five unrestored channelized reference reaches. We inventoried the riparian zone for all vascular plant species along 60-m study reaches and quantified cover and biomass in plots. We found that while species richness increased with time, understory biomass decreased. Forbs made up the majority of the species added, while the biomass of graminoids decreased the most over time, suggesting that the reduced dominance of graminoids favored less productive forbs. Species richness and density patterns could be attributed to dispersal limitation, with anemochorous species being more associated with time after restoration than hydrochorous, zoochorous, or vegetatively reproducing species. Using multiple linear regression, we found that time along with riparian slope and riparian buffer width (e.g., distance to logging activities) explained the most variability in species richness, but that variability in total understory biomass was explained primarily by time. The plant community composition of restored reaches differed from that of channelized references, but the difference did not increase over time. Rather, different time categories had different successional trajectories that seemed to converge on a unique climax community for that time period. Given our results, timelines for achieving species richness objectives should be extended to 25 years or longer if recovery is defined as a saturation of the accumulation of species over time. Other recommendations include making riparian slopes as gentle as possible given the landscape context and expanding riparian buffer width for restoration to have as much impact as possible.
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