Riparian Seedling Establishment Defined by Sediment Mobilization and Water Availability In a Gravel Bed River
Abstract
Stream hydrograph and morphology are the main drivers of riparian white alder distribution. White alder seeds are preferentially deposited on stream bars where stream morphology and flow result in eddies. This thesis predicts the establishment success of riparian seedlings as a function of root growth during the “establishment period” delineated by the seed deposition date, and date of sediment mobilization. Seeds must be deposited during the final spring recession so they are not remobilized by the flow. Following germination, roots must not necessarily maintain a connection with the water table, but must grow deeper than the depth of scour during the following fall/winter. The length of the establishment period depends on the date of the last stream recession, and the date stream flow increases to mobilize sediment. This analysis shows few years where seedling establishment can occur because winter flows are rarely low enough to avoid stream scouring.
Description
Keywords
Ecology, Hydrology
Citation
Jablkowski, P. (2016). Riparian Seedling Establishment Defined by Sediment Mobilization and Water Availability In a Gravel Bed River (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27666