Savannas are heterogeneous systems characterized by the coexistence of grasses and woody trees. Riparian zones are dynamic parts of savanna landscapes with structurally diverse woody vegetation. Growing recognition of the importance of the structural component of biodiversity has highlighted the need to understand the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of woody structural diversity. Mos...

History of species arrival can influence plant community assembly. In this issue of the Journal of Vegetation Science, Sarneel et al. show that the strength of such historical contingency, or priority effects, varies with soil moisture in riparian plants. We discuss this study within a theoretical framework describing how and when priority effects occur via destabilizing and equalizing mechanisms.

As global climate change affects recharge and runoff processes, stream flow regimes are being altered. In the American Southwest, increasing aridity is predicted to cause declines in stream base flows and water tables. Another potential outcome of climate change is increased flood intensity. Changes in these stream flow conditions may independently affect vegetation or may have synergistic effe...

We examined the distribution of ground-flora species (herbaceous and woody species <1 m tall) across riparian areas of northeastern Wisconsin in an effort to understand how hierarchical landscape properties, such as the physiographic system (ground moraine and outwash plain), valley system (constrained and unconstrained), and valley floor landforms influence distribution patterns of ground-flor...

In northeastern Austria, marshlands have been turned into the most productive arable land of the country. As a result, most headwater streams show structurally degraded channels, lacking riparian buff er zones, which are heavily loaded with nutrients from the surrounding crop fi elds. Th e present study examines whether longitudinally restricted riparian forest buff ers can enhance the in-strea...

Healthy riparian ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions exhibit shifting patterns of vegetation in response to periodic flooding. Their conditions also depend upon the amount of grazing and other human uses. Taking advantage of these system properties, we developed and tested an approach that utilizes historical Landsat data to track changes in the patterns of greenness (Normalized Difference...

Over the last 200 years, streams throughout Australia have been channelised to increase their hydraulic conveyance, and so reduce flood peaks and durations. One of the main channelisation activities has been to remove large woody debris (LWD) and bank vegetation. Ironically, the major stream rehabilitation activity in Australia, and in many countries, over the last two decades, has been to reve...

This paper integrates economic, biological, and physical models to explore the efficient combination and spatial allocation of conservation efforts to protect water quality and increase salmonid populations in the Grande Ronde basin, Oregon. We focus on the effects of shade on water temperatures and the subsequent impacts on endangered juvenile salmonid populations. The integrated modeling syst...