Long-term changes in willow spatial distribution on the elk winter range of Rocky Mountain National Park (USA)
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Authors: H. R. Peinetti, M. A. Kalkhan, and M. B. Coughenour
Date: 2002
Journal: Landscape Ecology
Volume: 17
Number: 4
Pages: 341-354
Summary of Methods: Long-term (>50 years) temporal changes in riparian vegetation and total stream area, on two perennial streams in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado were examined using aerial photography and field surveys from 1937/1946 and 1996 to make suggestions about the factors that could constrain vegetation change. Willow cover, shrub cover, total stream area and number of meanders were measured.
Article Summary / Main Points: In both valleys, riparian shrub cover decreased approximately 20 percent and tall willow cover decreased by 55 percent during 1937/46 and 1996, due to a decrease in total stream area and number of meanders. In flooded areas and river reduction areas, willow populations were suppressed. Simplification of river spatial pattern and large flood disturbance was associated with decline in willows. The decline in meanders is likely related to an increase in elk numbers, the decline in beaver populations or climate change, but most likely a combination of these effects.
Vegetation Types: Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: 48A Southern Rocky Mountains 48B Southern Rocky Mountain Parks
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Browsing Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Documented Case History
Keywords: beaver impoundments, colorado, elk browsing, hydrology, riparian areas, rocky mountains, vegetation transitions, willow
Annotation: The results from this study are applicable to riparian areas across the landscape. They illustrate how long-term willow vegetation changes in riparian areas are effected by browsing, climate change and human activities. This research shows that riparian ecosystems persistence depends on biotic interactions between willow, beaver and elk. Additionally, Peinetti et al. (2001, Oecologia 127:334-342) studied the effects of elk herbivory on willow distributions and above ground biomass on elk winter ranges in Rocky Mountain National Park, also available on the RSIS website.
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