Effects of Recent Flooding on Riparian Plant Establishment in Grand Canyon

摘要

Censusing populations of four riparian perennial woody plant species (tamarisk, desert broom, coyote willow, and arrowweed) following the flood of 1983 in Grand Canyon has revealed that replacement of individuals lost in that flood is occurring at relatively few sites. This means that there has been an overall loss of plants due to this flood or that large scale replacement of individuals lost is a much longer process. Based on experiments and observations, the authors suggest that continued flooding since 1983 is the single most important factor accounting for lack of replacement.