Interactions between climate and flood adaptations in a woody riparian species

Purpose: Riparian plants are adapted to both climate and flood characteristics. Glen Canyon Dam operations have fundamentally changed the Colorado River ecosystem in Grand Canyon, including the types and amounts of riparian plants that are found there. At the same time, ongoing climate change is altering temperatures in the southwest. The interactions between changes in flood characteristics and changes in temperature have not been studied, but will be important for understanding how to successfully manage riparian ecosystems. We conducted an experiment on a native, riparian shrub (Pluchea sericea, arrowweed) to help us understand how individuals collected from across a temperature gradient differ in their responses to flooding.

Plant species: Pluchea sericea, arrowweed

Collaborators: NAU, USGS-Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center

Participants:
Emily Palmquist, Ph.D. Student
Brad Butterfield, Assistant Research Professor
Kiona Ogle, Professor
Thomas Whitham, Regents’ Professor
Gery Allan, Professor
Patrick Shafroth, Research Ecologist – USGS