%0 Journal Article
%T Emerging reservoir deltaŠ\backwaters: biophysical dynamics and riparian biodiversity
%A Malia A. Volke
%A Mark D. Dixon
%A Michael L. Scott
%A W. Carter Johnson
%J Ecological Monographs - Wiley Online Library
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1363
%X Deltas and backwaterŠ\affected bottomlands are forming along tributary and mainstem confluences in reservoirs worldwide. Emergence of prograding deltas, along with related upstream hydrogeomorphic changes to river bottomlands in the backwater fluctuation zones of reservoirs, signals the development of new and dynamic riparian and wetland habitats. This study was conducted along the regulated Missouri River, USA, to examine deltaŠ\backwater formation and describe vegetation response to its development and dynamics. Our research focused specifically on the deltaŠ\backwater forming at the confluence of the White River tributary and Lake Francis Case reservoir. Objectives of the research were to: (1) describe and analyze the process of deltaŠ\backwater formation over space and time; (2) determine by field sampling and GIS mapping how vegetation has responded to development of the deltaŠ\backwater; and (3) compare the woody plant communities of the deltaŠ\backwater to those along freeŠ\flowing and regulated remnant river reaches. In response to base level changes caused by reservoir filling, the thalweg of the lower 31 km of the original White River channel and adjacent floodplain aggraded by up to 12 m between 1954 and 2011. The overall channel slope flattened from 0.70 to 0.29 m/km. Riparian Populus¨CSalix forests increased in area by nearly 50% during the postŠ\dam period by colonizing new deltaic and floodplain deposits. Many of the native woody species found along natural and regulated river reaches were also found on the deltaŠ\backwater. Woody species sorted along a fluvial to delta gradient; wetland affiliated species (Salix spp., Typha spp.) dominated the deltaŠ\backwater near the reservoir while riparian species (Populus, Fraxinus) dominated in upstream portions of the deltaŠ\backwater. This habitat complex supports young stands of native riparian vegetation now in decline in remnant reaches protected from flooding. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article
%U https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecm.1363