ISSN:
1442-1984
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract The present study seeks to identify the expansion process of the shrub Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. (Elaeagnaceae) on a gravel bar in the Naka River, Shikoku, Japan, in relation to the hydrogeomorphologic regime of the habitat. The establishment pattern was determined by a series of aerial photographs, and the establishment years were confirmed by examining tree rings taken from five different areas within the population. The topographic change of the river cross-section was analyzed and it was found that the establishment occurred exactly when and where the riverbed began to stabilize. The three cohorts of 15-, 10- and 4-year-olds were recognized, the younger individuals being downstream. The episodic age pattern was significantly synchronized with large floods occurring during the autumn fruit-ripening season. These spatial and temporal occurrence patterns indicated the probability of hydrochory, which ultimately enhanced the dissemination of endozoochorous E. umbellata seeds into the newly created habitat on the downstream part of the gravel bar. Another cause of quick dominance was its vigorous sprouting ability, which enabled the established E. umbellata to withstand damage and sediment burial by strong floods. The erosion of the deepest part of the riverbed increased the relative elevation of the vegetated stand, which ultimately decreased the frequency and magnitude of disturbance during flood inundation after the 1980s. Consequently the hydrogeomorphic regime of the floods played an important role in habitat creation, seed dispersal, and in the survival of the established individuals, and it determined the population formation and expansion of E. umbellata on the riparian gravel bar.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1442-1984.2002.00071.x
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