Geomorphology and the Distributional Ecology of Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii) in a Desert Riparian Canyon
DBH data were taken from Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii) in a desert riparian canyon in west -central Arizona. Recruitment was found to depend on geomorphologic features and flood "refugia" rather than on the absence of grazing. Populus fremontii is specifically a "strandline,&...
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| Language: | en_US |
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University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ)
1988
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10150/609103 http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/609103 |
| Summary: | DBH data were taken from Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii) in a desert riparian canyon in west -central Arizona. Recruitment was found to depend on geomorphologic features and flood "refugia" rather than on the absence of grazing. Populus fremontii is specifically a "strandline," streamside species, particularly of braided aggradations and their associated secondary channels, a microhabitat that ultimately depends on upstream and upslope erosion. The concept of flood -subclimax succession explains virtually nothing of the ecology of obligate riparian trees. Riparian classification based upon geomorphology and hydrology are apt to have significant meaning for biogeography and management. |
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