The suburbs around Shanghai have a complex river network and unique Chinese water-town culture. riparian landscape in the rural Qingxi area has important regional, ecological, social significance; it serves as an part of local bioclimate, but existing studies on vegetation did not pay enough attention to countryside metropolis. goal this study was examine comprehensive evaluation model for plan...

1. Natural and man-made barriers have a significant impact on the population structure and genetic diversity of aquatic species. Little is known whether terrestrial, riparian species are affected in the same way by barriers. 2. Here, we analysed the genetic structure of a threatened riparian shrub based on 20 microsatellite markers and 1176 individuals collected from 34 localities in four Alpin...

The distribution of organic matter within a floodplain is a controlling factor affecting water quality, habitat, and food webs. Accordingly, developn~ent of vegetation in the riparian zone can be expected to influence ecosystem functions, and organic matter storage patterns are believed to be indicators of functional recovery in disturbed riparian zones. Our objective was to compare the distrib...

Riparian ecosystem along rivers and streams are characterised by lateral and longitudinal ecological gradients and, as a result, harbour unique biodiversity. Riparian ecosystems in the fynbos of the Western Cape, South Africa, are characterised by seasonal dynamics, with summer droughts followed by high flows during winter. The unique hydrology and geomorphology of riparian ecosystems play an i...

Michael L. Scott National Biologic(ll Service I n much of western North America, riparian (streamside) environments are the only part of the landscape moist enough to allow survival of trees (Fig. 1). Riparian landscapes are usually defined as ecotones or corridors between terres ­ trial and aquatic realms (Malanson 1993). In spite of their limited areal extent, riparian ecosystems are essentia...

Stream–riparian areas represent a nexus of biodiversity, with disproportionate numbers of species tied to and interacting within this key habitat. New research in Pacific Northwest headwater forests, especially the characterization of microclimates and amphibian distributions, is expanding our perspective of riparian zones, and suggests the need for alternative designs to manage stream–riparian...

Ecosystem service values have rarely been incorporated in the process of planning ecological infrastructure for urban areas. Urban ecological infrastructure is a network system of natural lands and waters that provides ecosystem services. The purpose of this study was to design landscape corridors that maximize the value of ecosystem services in ecological infrastructure planning. We explored t...

Riparian buffer strips are a widely accepted tool for helping to sustain aquatic ecosystems and to protect downstream resources and values in forested areas, but controversy persists over how wide a buffer strip is necessary. The physical integrity of stream channels is expected to be sustained if the characteristics and rates of tree fall along buffered reaches are similar to those in undistur...

Surface water and groundwater systems are connected with the head gradient between the river and the nearby aquifer controlling the magnitude and direction of the exchange flux between the two systems. The direction of the flux dictates whether the river gains water from the nearby aquifer, or loses water to it. The exchange between groundwater and rivers is a key component influencing not only...