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Abstract
A hierarchical perspective of relationships between valley floor landforms, riparian plant communities, and aquatic ecosystems has been developed, based on studies of two fifth-order basins in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Retention of dissolved nitrogen and leaves were approximately 2-3 times greater in unconstrained reaches than in constrained reaches. Both valley floor landforms and riparian plant communities influenced the abundance of primary producers. Abundances of cutthroat and rainbow trout in unconstrained reaches were approximately twice those observed in constrained valley floors. Valley floors are one of the most physically dynamic components of the landscape, incorporating major agents of terrestrial disturbance and fluvial disturbance. These corridors are major routes for the flux of water, sediments, nutrients, and species. Because of their unique properties, valley floors play an important role in landscape ecology.
Parent Publication
Citation
Gregory, Stanley V.; Lamberti, Gary A.; Moore, Kelly M. S. 1989. Influence of Valley Floor Landforms on Stream Ecosystems. In: Abell, Dana L., Technical Coordinator. 1989. Proceedings of the California Riparian Systems Conference: protection, management, and restoration for the 1990s; 1988 September 22-24; Davis, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-110. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 3-8
