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Hydrology, Sedimentology, and Geomorphology as Drivers of Succession vs. Flood Disturbance within Riparian Forests of Middle Order Streams of Western New York State, USA

Kaldy, Leah Renee
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1471703032

Abstract Details

2016, Master of Science in Environmental Science, Youngstown State University, Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geology and Environmental Sciences.
Development of riparian forests typically reflects varying influences of flood disturbance and/or primary succession. The main objective of this study within the Lake Erie Gorges of New York and Pennsylvania was to understand the contributions of geomorphology, hydrology, and sedimentology to a disturbance vs. succession continuum within middle order riparian zones of Western New York State, USA. Forest composition has been quantitatively surveyed within eight selected river corridors in the region, chosen to be as free of human disturbance as possible, with stand ages estimated by increment coring. (Data from the extensively surveyed Zoar Valley Canyon of Cattaraugus Creek are also discussed throughout this thesis in terms of their contribution to the regional patterns assessed here.) Some river corridors were characterized by coarse cobble/boulder sediments, whereas others represented fine cohesive muds and silts. Total basal area and basal area (BA) for each species were catalogued on various sized quadrats on aggradational and forms. Also calculated were mean diameter at breast height (DBH) and its coefficient of variation (CV), species diversity (Shannon Weiner H’), and percentage of BA in shade tolerant species. Patterns in species composition and stand structure and their association with stand age were assessed by logarithmic regression and nonmetric multi-dimensional scaling ordination. Thirty-seven tree species were encountered, and stand ages ranged from 9 to 147 years (some Zoar Valley stands exceeded 250 years). Coarse sediment landforms exhibited high diversity and shade tolerance, both of which increased at greater stand age. In contrast, fine sediment landforms exhibited lower diversity, dominated by shade intolerant, flood responding pioneer species, with no increase in diversity at greater stand age. Riparian forests on coarse-sediment landforms, including Zoar Valley Canyon, reflected primary succession driven by establishment of gravel-cobble landforms deposited as punctuated events. Conversely, stable or incrementally growing meanders of silt/mud-bank streams often support bands of increasing vegetation age moving inland, possibly reflecting either patterns in flood disturbance, or meander progression, or both.
Thomas Diggins, PhD (Advisor)
Colleen McLean, PhD (Committee Member)
Dawna Cerney, PhD (Committee Member)
Christopher Mattheus, PhD (Committee Member)
168 p.
Biology; Botany; Ecology; Environmental Science; Forestry
Riparian forest ecology; Eastern deciduous forest; Fluvial geomorphology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kaldy, L. R. (2016). Hydrology, Sedimentology, and Geomorphology as Drivers of Succession vs. Flood Disturbance within Riparian Forests of Middle Order Streams of Western New York State, USA [Master's thesis, Youngstown State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1471703032

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kaldy, Leah. Hydrology, Sedimentology, and Geomorphology as Drivers of Succession vs. Flood Disturbance within Riparian Forests of Middle Order Streams of Western New York State, USA . 2016. Youngstown State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1471703032.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kaldy, Leah. "Hydrology, Sedimentology, and Geomorphology as Drivers of Succession vs. Flood Disturbance within Riparian Forests of Middle Order Streams of Western New York State, USA ." Master's thesis, Youngstown State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1471703032

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ysu1471703032
540
© 2016, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Hydrology, Sedimentology, and Geomorphology as Drivers of Succession vs. Flood Disturbance within Riparian Forests of Middle Order Streams of Western New York State, USA by Leah Renee Kaldy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Youngstown State University and OhioLINK.