Soil-Vegetation Correlations on the Riparian Zones of the Gila and San Francisco Rivers in New Mexico

摘要

The report documents the relationship between soils and vegetation in the riparian zone of the Gila and San Francisco Rivers in Southwestern New Mexico. Relationships were determined using the weighted average procedure developed by T.R. Wentworth and G.P. Johnson, North Carolina State University, for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1986. Four soils, in order of proximity to the stream, were examined in the study: swale, sandbar, lower terrace, and upper terrace. There was a positive correlation between hydric soils and wetland plants. Herbaceous ground cover was a less sensitive indicator of hydric soils than woody shrubs and trees. Soil moisture regimes were not well-defined, thus results should be considered tentative.