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Early vegetation development on an exposed reservoir: implications for dam removal
Gregor T Auble1, Patrick B Shafroth, Michael L Scott
1United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA. greg_auble@usgs.gov
Environmental Management
|April 25, 2007
Summary
Horsetooth Reservoir
Area of Science:
- Ecological restoration
- Reservoir sedimentation
- Plant community dynamics
Background:
- Dam maintenance drawdowns offer insights into potential vegetation recovery after dam removal.
- Horsetooth Reservoir's 4-year drawdown exposed sediment, creating a unique ecological study area.
- Understanding vegetation response on exposed sediments is crucial for predicting post-dam removal landscapes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze vegetation recovery on exposed reservoir sediments during a 4-year drawdown.
- To assess the applicability of the recruitment box model for predicting plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera) seedling establishment.
- To forecast vegetation trajectories following the removal of tall dams.
Main Methods:
- Observational study of vegetation colonization and community shifts on exposed reservoir sediments.
- Comparison of established plant communities with background upland communities.
- Qualitative validation of a recruitment box model for plains cottonwood seedling distribution.
Main Results:
- Early vegetation recovery involved colonization of moist substrates and adaptation to xeric conditions.
- Plant communities evolved rapidly but remained distinct from the original upland community after four years.
- Plains cottonwood regeneration occurred outside predicted limits due to extreme water level fluctuations.
Conclusions:
- Vegetation recovery post-dam removal will likely differ from a simple reversal of impoundment effects.
- Long time scales are required for upland vegetation establishment and growth.
- Legacy vegetation from the reservoir-to-upland transition may persist for decades.
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