Stream channel and vegetation changes in sections of McKnight Creek, New Mexico
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Authors: A. L. Medina, and S. C. Martin
Date: 1988
Journal: Great Basin Naturalist
Volume: 48
Number: 3
Pages: 373-381
Summary of Methods: Changes in channel morphology and riparian vegetation after 9 years of no grazing and light grazing were evaluated along McKnight Creek on the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. In May of 1977, seven study plots were established along straight reaches and adjacent to the channel above, below and within a livestock exclosure established in 1975. Measurements of channel morphology vegetation, and stream discharge were taken in May of 1977, 1979, 1982, and 1985.
Article Summary / Main Points: Channel depth and width increased during the 9-year observation period. Changes in channel morphology were visually similar inside and outside the exclosure with similar trends occurring in width and depth measurements in all plots during the 9 year study. Tree canopy decreased in both protected and unprotected plots, but changes in tree density, shrub density, and herbaceous cover were small over 9-year period. The lightly grazed plots did not respond differently from protected plots to channel and vegetation changes after 5 years of rest. The reason may be grazing intensity was probably too light to show an effect and 9 yrs might have been too short a period to detect major changes in vegetation. Wildlife use in the headwaters and subsequent storm events also influenced stream processes.
Vegetation Types: Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: 38 Mogollon Transition 39 Arizona and New Mexico Mountains
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Grazing Riparian vegetation
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: grazing, channel morphology, vegetation cover, riparian ecosystems, gila national forest
Annotation: The findings of this study may be applicable across many riparian areas. However, the limitation of this study is that it examines several sites along a single creek drainage in New Mexico. Sites within a single riparian exclosure were compared to adjacent grazed sites, thus this study was not replicated across streams or landscapes. Because the study was not replicated, it is not known how grazing exclosures affect riparian vegetation in other areas. However, these results illustrate that erosion and vegetation changes cannot always be attributed to livestock grazing.
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