Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1995

Publication Title

Proceedings of the Wildland Shrub and Arid Land Restoration Symposium

Publisher

US Forest Service

First page number:

246

Last page number:

251

Abstract

The community composition and population structure of the woody riparian vegetation in Great Basin National Park are described. Community analyses were accomplished by sampling 229 plots along an elevational gradient of 8 major stream systems in the Park. TWINSPAN analysis identified 4 primary species groups that were characterized by Populus tremuloides (aspen), Abies concolor (white fir), Rosa woodsii (Woods rose), and Populus angustifolia (narrowleaf cottonwood) as dominants, respectively. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DECORANA) showed that the most important environmental factors associated with the distribution of species were elevation and slope, with flood-related physiographic factors having a secondary effect. Analysis of size-class distributions of the four major riparian tree species in the Park indicated that each dominant shows good recruitment on most watersheds. Overgrazing by domestic livestock and stream diversion are the two primary disturbance factors affecting riparian vegetation in Great Basin National Park.

Keywords

Abies concolor (white fir); Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DECORANA); Grazing; Great Basin National Park; Populus angustifolia (narrowleaf cottonwood); Populus tremuloides (aspen); Riparian ecosystems; Rosa woodsii (Woods rose); Stream diversion; Trees; Watersheds

Disciplines

Desert Ecology | Environmental Health and Protection | Environmental Monitoring | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Language

English

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