Reach-scale changes in channel geometry and dynamics due to the coastal backwater effect: the lower Trinity River,Texas

In this paper we use multiple field surveys spanning several decades to systematically evaluate the geomorphic consequences of a change in flow hydraulics from uniform flow to backwater flow for the lower Trinity River in east Texas, USA. Spatial changes in lateral migration rate, channel geometry, and point bar size correspond to two distinct geomorphic zones. Within the upstream uniform flow reach, the river channel is defined by fully developed point bars and a high rate of lateral channel migration. This zone transitions where the median channel bottom elevation drops below sea level. At this point flow is affected by the backwater influence of the Trinity Bay water surface elevation, as opposed to being bed slope control dominated. The change in hydraulics within the backwater zone is reflected in the channel morphology, which is characterized by smaller point bars, narrower and more symmetrical cross-sectional channel geometry, lower channel migration rates, and little to no bend deformation or cutoffs. Studying the connection between channel geometry, river bend kinematics, sediment transport, and fluid mechanics in each zone provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between channel shape and river mechanics. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Channel form and processes of the flood-dominated Narmada River,India

The 1300 km long Narmada River flows along a structural lineament, alternating between constricting rocky gorges and rapids, and meandering wide alluvial reaches. Channel forms and processes were studied in a 120 km long section of an alluvial reach. Channel size, shape and bedforms in the Narmada River are related to very large floods which have occurred three times in this century. During such floods the entire 400 m wide channel is utilized and 10–15 m high cliffs on both sides operate as riverbanks. Normally, even the high flows of the south-western monsoon are insufficient to fill the whole channel, and hence their effects are limited to building of discontinuous floodplains between the cliffs and modifying bedforms and bars. A channel-in-channel topography is thus created. The very large floods are also responsible for erosion of the rocky stretches and building of point bars. The river meanders, but its movement is restricted because of (1) rocky gorges and scablands operating as anchor points at intervals, and (2) the presence of high alluvial cliffs which are topped on extremely rare occasions. In spite of being located in a tectonically active zone in a monsoon setting, it is the exceptional high-magnitude floods at irregular intervals which control the form and behaviour of the Narmada River.     

Three‐dimensional flow structure and channel change in an asymmetrical compound meander loop,Embarras River,Illinois

The planform dynamics of meandering rivers produce a complex array of meander forms, including elongated meander loops. Thus far, few studies have examined in detail the flow structure within meander loops and the relation of flow structure to patterns of planform change. This field‐based investigation examines relations between three‐dimensional fluid motion and channel change within an elongated, asymmetrical meander loop containing multiple pool–riffle structures. The downstream velocity field is characterized by a high‐velocity core that shifts slightly outward as flow moves through individual lobes of the loop. For some of the measured flows this core becomes submerged below the water surface downstream of the lobe apexes. Vectors of cross‐stream/vertical velocities indicate that skew‐induced helical motion develops within the pools near lobe apexes and decays over riffles where channel curvature is less pronounced. Maximum rates of bank retreat generally occur near lobe apexes where impingement of the flow on the outer channel bank is greatest. However, maximum rates and loci of bank retreat differ for upstream and downstream lobes of the loop, leading to increasing asymmetry of loop geometry over time—a finding consistent with experimental investigations of loop evolution. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Channel and vegetation recovery from dredging of a large river in the Gulf coastal plain,USA

Anthropogenic impacts in large rivers are widely studied, but studies of recovery once a disturbance has stopped are uncommon. This study examines the biogeomorphic recovery of a 40-km river corridor on the mid-Apalachicola River, Florida following the cessation of dredging, disposal, and snag removal in 2002. This failed navigation project resulted in vegetation losses (~166 ha between 1941 and 2004), river widening, and increased point bar areas. We used paired sets of imagery for a 10-year period during the recovery process at two different flow levels to assess sand bar change, land cover change, and their spatial variations. Most large sand bars decreased significantly in area due to growth of pioneer species, typically from the bankside of the bar. Mean bar area shrank 0.17 and 0.20 ha for the 30th and 1st percentile flows, respectively. For the entire study area, both water-level comparisons showed gains in vegetation (23.36 and 15.83 ha), compensated by losses in the extent of water (16.83 and 8.55 ha) and sand bar losses (6.53 and 7.28 ha). Overall, these gains during the 10-year passive recovery period are equivalent to ~15% of the vegetation losses that resulted from the navigational dredging. As found in other studies, most of the pioneer vegetation grew approximately 2 m relative elevation above the low-water surface. The initial length of the tree line and the area of herbaceous growth both had a significant and positive relationship with the area of new vegetation growth over the study interval. As parts of the river are healing, reduced channel capacity from narrowing and tree growth will benefit the floodplain. As elsewhere, understanding of a river's biogeomorphology, hydrology, and disturbance history can help in selecting appropriate recovery metrics to further advance the understanding and management of disturbed floodplains. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Landslides control the spatial and temporal variation of channel width in southern Taiwan: Implications for landscape evolution and cascading hazards in steep,tectonically active landscapes

Intense precipitation or seismic events can generate clustered mass movement processes across a landscape. These rare events have significant impacts on the landscape, however, the rarity of such events leads to uncertainty in how they impact the entire geomorphic system over a range of timescales. Taiwan is steep, tectonically active, and prone to landslide and debris flows, especially when exposed to heavy rainfall events. Typhoon Morakot made landfall in Taiwan in August of 2009, causing widespread landslides in southern Taiwan. The south to north trend in valley relief in southern Taiwan leads to spatial variability in landslide susceptibility providing an opportunity to infer the long‐term impact of such landslide events on channel morphology. We use pre‐ and post‐typhoon imagery to quantify the propagating impact of this event on channel width as the debris is routed through the landscape. The results show the importance of cascading hazards from landslides on landscape evolution based on patterns of channel width (both pre‐ and post‐typhoon) and hillslope gradients in 20 basins along strike in southern Taiwan. Prior to Typhoon Morakot, the river channels in the central part of the study area were about 3–10 times wider than the channels in the south. Following the typhoon, aggradation and widening was also a maximum in these central to northern basins where hillslope gradients and channel steepness is high, accentuating the pre‐typhoon pattern. The results further show that the narrowest channels are located where channel steepness is the lowest, an observation inconsistent with a detachment‐limited model for river evolution. We infer this pattern is indicative of a strong role of sediment supply, and associated landslide events, on long‐term channel evolution. These findings have implications across a range of spatial and temporal scales including understanding the cascade of hazards in steep landscapes and geomorphic interpretation of channel morphology. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene development of the River Lippe valley,Germany: a case study of anthropogenic influence

The characteristics of the Holocene valley floor of the River Lippe, Germany, are atypical for a river in central Europe. The valley floor consists of three terrace levels, which are not always clearly separated from each other. Analysis of the sediments making up the terraces indicates that they accumulated during the course of the entire Holocene, although there is insufficient information available to allow detailed determination of phases of fluvial change and stability responsible for terrace formation. Two of the terraces exist only in the lower reaches of the valley, where they converge and diverge with the third. The lowest terrace consists only of a narrow strip, running parallel to the river channel. The configuration of the valley floor may be explained by a series of anthropogenic influences. The earliest human impact probably occurred about 2000 years ago when, during their campaign against German tribes, the Romans built a towpath and may have changed the channel planform from its natural, anabranching pattern to a meandering form by building small dams on local distributary forks. Implementation of artificial meander cut‐offs to improve navigation on the river began in medieval times. The morphological response to these human interventions was primarily degradational. In the 19th century, artificial lateral fill was used to narrow the channel and the towpath was renewed several times. The trace of the most recent towpath is still discernible as a narrow strip parallel to the river channel, and it constitutes the lowest terrace level. Comparison between the bankfull discharge of a 4000‐year‐old abandoned channel and the formative flow for the modern channel supports the premise that, prior to anthropomorphic influence, the natural planform was anabranched. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Historical variability and feedbacks among land cover,stream power,and channel geometry along the lower Canadian River floodplain in Oklahoma

In 1820, the lower Canadian River meandered through a densely forested floodplain. By 1898, most of the floodplain had been cleared for agriculture and changes in channel geometry and specific stream power followed, particularly channel widening and straightening with a lower potential specific stream power. In 1964, a large upstream hydropower dam was constructed, which changed the flow regime in the lower Canadian River and consequently the channel geometry. Without destructive overbank floods, the channel narrowed rapidly and considerably due to encroachment by floodplain vegetation. The lower Canadian River, which was once a highly dynamic floodplain‐river system, has now been transformed into a relatively static river channel. These changes over the past 200 years have not been linear or independent. In this article, we use a variety of data sources to assess these historical changes along the lower Canadian River floodplain and identify feedbacks among floodplain cultivation, dam construction, specific stream power, and channel width, slope, and sinuosity. Finally, we combine the results of our study with others in the region to present a biogeomorphic response model for large Great Plains rivers that characterizes channel width changes in response to climate variability and anthropogenic disturbances. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Channel‐planform evolution in four rivers of Olympic National Park,Washington, USA: the roles of physical drivers and trophic cascades

Identifying the relative contributions of physical and ecological processes to channel evolution remains a substantial challenge in fluvial geomorphology. We use a 74‐year aerial photographic record of the Hoh, Queets, Quinault, and Elwha Rivers, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA, to investigate whether physical or trophic‐cascade‐driven ecological factors – excessive elk impacts after wolves were extirpated a century ago – are the dominant drivers of channel planform in these gravel‐bed rivers. We find that channel width and braiding show strong relationships with recent flood history. All four rivers widened significantly after having been relatively narrow in the 1970s, consistent with increased flood activity since then. Channel planform also reflects sediment‐supply changes, evident from landslide response on the Elwha River. We surmise that the Hoh River, which shows a multi‐decadal trend toward greater braiding, is adjusting to increased sediment supply associated with rapid glacial retreat. These rivers demonstrate transmission of climatic signals through relatively short sediment‐routing systems that lack substantial buffering by sediment storage. Legacy effects of anthropogenic modification likely also affect the Quinault River planform. We infer no correspondence between channel evolution and elk abundance, suggesting that trophic‐cascade effects in this setting are subsidiary to physical controls on channel morphology. Our findings differ from previous interpretations of Olympic National Park fluvial dynamics and contrast with the classic example of Yellowstone National Park, where legacy effects of elk overuse are apparent in channel morphology; we attribute these differences to hydrologic regime and large‐wood availability. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA     

Length scales and statistical characteristics of outer bank roughness for large elongate meander bends: The influence of bank material properties,floodplain vegetation and flow inundation

This article explores the length scales and statistical characteristics of form roughness along the outer banks of two elongate bends on a large meandering river through investigation of topographic variability of the bank face. The analysis also examines how roughness varies over the vertical height of the banks and when the banks are exposed subaerially and inundated during flood stage. Detailed data on the topography of the outer banks were obtained subaerially using terrestrial LiDAR during low flow conditions and subaqueously using multibeam echo sounding (MBES) during near‐bankfull conditions. The contributions of various length scales of topographic irregularity to roughness for subaerial conditions were evaluated for different elevation contours on the bank faces using Hilbert–Huang Transform (HHT) spectral analysis. Statistical characteristics for discrete areas on the bank faces were determined by calculating the root‐mean‐square of normal distances from a triangulated irregular network (TIN) surface. Results of the HHT analysis show that the characteristics of roughness along bank faces composed primarily of non‐cohesive sediment, and eroding into cropland, vary with bank elevation and exhibit a dominant range of roughness length scales (~15–50 m). However, bank faces composed predominantly of cohesive material and carved into a forested floodplain have relatively uniform topographic roughness characteristics over the vertical extent of the bank face and do not exhibit a dominant roughness length scale or range of length scales. Additionally, comparison between local surface roughness for subaerial versus subaqueous conditions shows that roughness decreases considerably when the banks are submerged, most likely because of the removal of vegetation and eradication of small‐scale erosional features in non‐cohesive bank materials by flow along the bank face. Thus, roughness appears to be linked to the hydraulic conditions affecting the bank, at least relative to conditions that develop when banks are exposed subaerially. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Post‐glacial range of variability in the Conejos River Valley,southern Colorado,USA: fluvial response to climate change and sediment supply

Effective river management strategies require an understanding of how fluvial processes vary both spatially and temporally. Here, we examine the natural range of variability in the Conejos River Valley, southern Colorado, through documentation of terrace morphostratigraphic and sedimentological characteristics as well as through investigation of sediment contributions from headwaters, hillslopes and tributary streams. Additionally, soil development and radiocarbon ages, together with local and regional paleoclimate reconstructions, were used to infer the range of processes acting in this system. Since de‐glaciation, the Conejos River has fluctuated between episodes of bedrock strath formation, aggradation and vertical incision. Morphostratigraphic relationships, soil development and radiocarbon ages enable us to propose a chronology for periods of alluvial deposition (around 8·9–7·6 ka, 5·5 ka and from 3·5 to 1·1 ka), separated by intervals of fluvial incision. We infer potential forcing mechanisms by utilizing multiple working hypotheses. Specifically, we discuss the potential for increases in sediment supply during periods of (1) para‐glacial adjustment, (2) climatic cooling, (3) increased frequency of climate change and (4) increased fire frequency or severity. We also consider the effects of changes in stream discharge and extreme storm occurrence. We conclude that combinations of these processes, operating at different times, have contributed to sediment mobilization since de‐glaciation. Stream and landform morphology also varies longitudinally due to the influence of remnant glacial topography. In particular, valley bottom overdeepening at tributary junctions has resulted in incision and strath formation into unlithified glacial deposits (i.e. fill‐cut terraces) rather than bedrock in some reaches. Overall, the Conejos fluvial system has varied significantly both temporally and spatially since de‐glaciation and appears to be sensitive to changes in sediment supply related to Holocene scale climate fluctuations. This natural range of variability must therefore be a key consideration in any future stream management policies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

‘Natural’ rivers, ‘hydromorphological quality’ and river restoration: a challenging new agenda for applied fluvial geomorphology

Fluvial geomorphology is rapidly becoming centrally involved in practical applications to support the agenda of sustainable river basin management. In the UK its principal contributions to date have primarily been in flood risk management and river restoration. There is a new impetus: the European Union's Water Framework and Habitats Directives require all rivers to be considered in terms of their ecological quality, defined partly in terms of ‘hydromorphology’. This paper focuses on the problematic definition of ‘natural’ hydromorphological quality for rivers, the assessment of departures from it, and the ecologically driven strategies for restoration that must be delivered by regulators under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The Habitats Directive contains similar concepts under different labels. Currently available definitions of ‘natural’ or ‘reference’ conditions derive largely from a concept of ‘damage’, principally to channel morphology. Such definitions may, however, be too static to form sustainable strategies for management and regulation, but attract public support. Interdisciplinary knowledge remains scant; yet such knowledge is needed at a range of scales from catchment to microhabitat. The most important contribution of the interdisciplinary R&D effort needed to supply management tools to regulators of the WFD and Habitats regulations is to interpret the physical habitat contribution to biodiversity conservation, in terms of ‘good ecological quality’ in rivers, and the ‘hydromorphological’ component of this quality. Contributions from ‘indigenous knowledge’, through public participation, are important but often understated in this effort to drive the ‘fluvial hydrosystem’ back to spontaneous, affordable, sustainable self‐regulation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Channel avulsion and river metamorphosis: The case of the Thomson River,Victoria, Australia

Channel avulsion occurred on the Thomson River in Victoria, Australia, in 1952 along a 12 km length of the valley. A comparison of the old and new channels reveals considerable differences in channel characteristics. The old channel was perched above the floodplain on an alluvial ridge such that when bankfull capacity was exceeded, floodwaters concentrated on the lowest part of the floodplain some distance away. This is where the new channel formed. It is an incised channel with larger capacity and longer meander wavelength than the old channel and is also shorter and steeper. The new channel is subject to larger floodflows and a more variable flood regime than the old course because of the differences in the channel/floodplain relationship and channel capacity. The resulting concentration of stream power along the new course is responsible for the contrast in channel characteristics and for the more rapid meander migration. This example shows that river metamorphosis can occur without major environmental changes. Measures of channel geometry such as gradient, sinuosity, and meander wavelength therefore cannot be used in palaeohydrological work to infer climatic or other environmental changes without independent supporting evidence. Differences in channel geometry can arise simply from changes in the relationship between the channel and its loodplain.     

Application and evaluation of multiple-centres ESR dating of Pliocene-Quaternary fluvial sediments: A case study from the Zhoulao core from the Jianghan Basin,middle Yangtze River basin,China

Multiple-centres electron spin resonance (MC-ESR) dating of quartz grains has been commonly applied to fluvial and lacustrine deposits and can provide a precise chronological framework for depositional histories. However, the reliability of this method for quartz grains obtained from sediments of boreholes, which are usually deposited continuously and record information regarding basin evolution and climate change, has not yet been assessed. In this study, we have initially applied the MC-ESR dating method to borehole sediments from the Zhoulao core (ZLC), located in the depocenter of the Jianghan Basin, middle Yangtze River, China. Dating of quartz grains from the ZLC using MC-ESR yields estimated ages that are generally consistent with the established paleomagnetic chronological framework. For Middle Pleistocene samples (i.e., 0.7–0.3 Ma), the Ti–Li centre provides more accurate ages than those of Al centre, which are overestimated. For Early Pleistocene samples (i.e., 2.3–0.8 Ma), both the Al centre and Ti–Li centre give highly consistent estimate ages, indicating that this is a favorable dating range for MC-ESR. Overall, the Al centre shows promise for dating Pliocene samples, whereas the Ti–Li centre is more suitable for Middle-Early Pleistocene (2.3–0.3 Ma) sediments. In addition, the deposition rate of depth ＜170 m in the ZLC is greater than those of depth ＞170 m sediments; however, the specific tectonic, climatic, or geomorphic mechanism for this change in sedimentation rate is still unclear.     

西藏尼洋河水生生物群落时空动态及与环境因子关系:4.浮游动物

于2008-2009年按照季节调查西藏地区尼洋河浮游动物群落的组成、丰度和多样性,并运用多元统计方法定量分析浮游动物的空间和季节变化特征及其与主要环境因子之间的关系.结果显示,尼洋河浮游动物包括原生动物、轮虫、枝角类和桡足类,其中原生动物9目13科14属,轮虫1目7科17属,枝角类仅1目1科1属,桡足类2目2科2属.原生动物以砂壳虫和瞬目虫属为主,轮虫则以橘轮虫属和单趾轮虫属为主.尼洋河浮游动物的物种丰富度和生物量随尼洋河海拔高度不断提升呈现递减的趋势,夏季浮游动物生物量、物种丰富度、总丰度较低,其中夏季浮游动物物种丰富度最低,而浮游动物生物量和总丰度则仅高于冬季.受到水体稳定性的影响,尼洋河浮游动物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和均匀度指数在交汇处较低;季节方面,夏季最低,冬季次之.尼洋河原生动物和轮虫总丰度在季节方面存在相似的演替规律,即出现2次高峰和2次低谷,2次高峰分别出现在春季和秋季,2次低谷分别出现在夏季和冬季.尼洋河浮游动物沿程变化方面,浮游动物群落4个指标不存在显著差异.尼洋河浮游动物季节变化方面,仅总丰度秋季和冬季之间存在显著差异,其他3个指标在各个季节之间均不存在显著差异.典范对应分析表明,原生动物类群里,砂壳虫属丰度受水体溶解氧浓度的影响较大,前管虫、袋座虫、肾形虫、瞬目虫和斜口虫属丰度受水体矿化度的影响较大,鳞壳虫属丰度则主要与水体中氨氮浓度关联较大;轮虫类群里,单趾轮虫、无柄轮虫、枝胃轮虫、囊足轮虫属丰度与水体的矿化度关联较大,龟甲轮虫属丰度则与总磷浓度有着较大的关联.分类回归树模型预测了尼洋河浮游动物时空分布与主要环境因子之间的定量关系,结果表明尼洋河浮游动物总丰度受到硬度、季节、海拔以及河道底质等因素的影响,Shannon-Wiener多样性指数受到总碱度、季节、硬度和水温的影响,均匀度指数受到总碱度、总磷浓度和水温的影响.这些关键环境因子对尼洋河水域浮游动物的时空变化有着重要的指示作用,建议加强对浮游动物及这些环境因子的关注,推动尼洋河水域生态环境的可持续发展.     

A Semi-active Oleodynamic Damper for Earthquake Control. Part 1: Design, Manufacturing and Experimental Analysis of the Device

Within an experimental research project financed by the European Union, a prototype semi-active oleodynamic damper has been conceived and manufactured in Italy starting from technology today currently adopted for passive energy dissipation devices. The new device was obtained by just adding two identical electrovalves and an external oleodynamic circuit to a commercially available silicon oil damper. Static and dynamic tests performed on the damper allowed to determine its stiffness and energy dissipation characteristics when passively operating (both electrovalves are always closed or open) as well as to measure the release and insertion times of the electrovalves during opening and closing tests. The experiments indicated a non-linear quadratic viscous constitutive law for the damper as well as operating times of electrovalves in good agreement with specifications given by the manufacturer. A semi-active assembly composed by the prototype damper and external flexible steel plates was then mounted and subjected to further tests in order to definitively characterize through a simple mathematical model the entire system and to completely identify its operating delays and their physical sources. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

西藏尼洋河水生生物群落时空动态及与环境因子关系:3.大型底栖动物

于2008-2009年按照季节调查了西藏地区尼洋河大型底栖动物群落的组成和丰度,并运用多元统计方法定量分析了大型底栖动物的空间和季节变化特征及其与主要环境因子之间的关系.结果显示,石蚕幼虫、萝卜螺以及摇蚊幼虫是尼洋河主要的大型底栖动物,另外,随着海拔的升高,尼洋河大型底栖动物总丰度呈现降低趋势;Duncan检验法显示,物种总丰度在各采样点之间均不存在显著性差异;PCA方法显示,对于采样点,大型底栖动物总丰度最大值和最小值分别出现在采样点Ⅳ和采样点Ⅱ,对于季节,大型底栖动物总丰度最大值和最小值分别出现在秋季和冬季;CCA方法显示,可分别从尼洋河中上游和中下游两个河段来概括尼洋河大型底栖动物与环境因子之间的关系;CART模型显示,从11项环境因子筛选了4项环境因子用以解释它们与大型底栖动物总丰度之间的相互关系,这4项环境因子包括矿化度、总磷、海拔和季节,建议加强对大型底栖动物及这些环境因子的关注,保障尼洋河水域生态环境的可持续发展.     

西藏尼洋河水生生物群落时空动态及与环境因子的关系:1.浮游植物

于2008-2009年按照季节调查了西藏尼洋河浮游植物群落的组成、丰度和多样性,并运用多元统计方法定量分析了浮游植物的空间和季节变化特征及其与主要环境因子之间的关系.结果显示,尼洋河浮游植物共计7门29科48属,其中硅藻为优势浮游藻类.浮游植物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数(Pielou均匀度指数)在尼洋河中游(尼洋河下游)最高,其他河段呈下降趋势,符合中间高度膨胀假说.尼洋河沿程浮游植物的总丰度、物种丰富度、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数以及Pielou均匀度指数不存在显著差异,夏季的浮游植物物种丰富度与其他季节的存在显著差异,夏季总丰度与秋、冬季的存在显著差异,冬季的浮游植物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数与春季的存在显著差异,冬季的均匀度指数与其他3个季节的存在显著差异.尼洋河浮游植物季节演替依赖于外源性水源补充,沿程演替则与河道底质有着很大关系.典范对应分析(CCA)表明,尼洋河硅藻门舟形藻科的藻类与理化因子铵态氮、表层pH、表层水温相关,部分蓝藻以及绿藻与水质理化因子也存在着关联.分类回归树(CART)模型预测了尼洋河着生藻类时空分布与主要环境因子之间的定量关系,尼洋河浮游植物群落总丰度和均匀度指数受pH值影响较大,pH值低于8.0的水域浮游植物均匀度指数比pH值高于8.0的水域大,尼洋河浮游植物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数受到河道底质影响较大,底质为黏土的水域浮游植物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数较底质为砂石的大.这些关键环境因子对尼洋河水域浮游植物的时空变化有着重要的指示作用,建议加强对浮游植物及这些环境因子的关注,保障尼洋河水域生态环境的可持续发展.     

西藏尼洋河水生生物群落时空动态及与环境因子关系:2.着生藻类

本文于2008-2009年按照季节调查了西藏地区尼洋河着生藻类群落的组成、丰度和多样性,并运用多元统计方法定量分析了着生藻类的空间和季节变化特征及其与主要环境因子之间的关系.结果显示,尼洋河着生藻类共计6门30科49属,其中硅藻为优势着生藻类.着生藻类的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数在尼洋河中游最高,在中上游河段和中下游河段呈下降趋势,符合中间高度膨胀(mid-altitude bulge)假说.着生藻类的总丰度、物种丰富度以及Shannon-Wiener多样性指数在尼洋河沿程不存在显著差异,总丰度在各个季节之间不存在显著差异,但物种丰富度在秋季和冬季存在显著差异,夏、秋季着生藻类的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数显著高于冬、春季.主成分分析(PCA)表明,随着海拔的升高,着生藻类的物种丰富度和总丰度呈递减趋势;典范对应分析(CCA)表明,尼洋河部分硅藻与理化因子相关联,如:双壁藻(Diploneis)的丰度与总磷相关联,窗纹藻(Epithemia)的丰度与铵态氮相关联,双菱藻属(Surirella)的丰度与pH值相关联;部分绿藻与理化因子相关联,如:小球藻属(Chlorella)、栅藻属(Scenedesmus)、溪菜属(Prasiola)的丰度与水温相关联,小椿藻(Characium)的丰度与硬度相关联,转板藻(Mougeotia)的丰度与表层溶氧、矿化度相关联,新月藻属(Closterium)的丰度与碱度相关联;分类回归树(CART)模型预测了尼洋河着生藻类时空分布与主要环境因子之间的定量关系,即低海拔水域的着生藻类总丰度较高海拔高,高矿化度水域的着生藻类总丰度较低矿化度的高,不能用影响尼洋河着生藻类种类和数量的环境因子来解释着生藻类的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数.这些关键环境因子对尼洋河水域着生藻类的时空变化有着重要的指示作用,建议加强对着生藻类及这些环境因子的关注,保障尼洋河水域生态环境的可持续发展.