Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Boreal Riparian Vegetation Under Climate Change

  • Published:
Ecosystems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Riparian zones in boreal areas such as humid landscapes on minerogenic soils are characterized by diverse, productive, and dynamic vegetation which will rapidly react to climate change. Climate-change models predict that in most parts of the boreal region these zones will be affected by various combinations of increased temperature, less seasonal variation in runoff, increased average discharge, changes in groundwater supply, and a more dynamic ice regime. Increasing temperatures will favor invasion of exotic species whereas species losses are likely to be minor. The hydrologic changes will cause a narrowing of the riparian zone and, therefore, locally reduce species richness whereas effects on primary production are more difficult to predict. More shifts between freezing and thawing during winter will lead to increased dynamics of ice formation and ice disturbance, potentially fostering a more dynamic and species-rich riparian vegetation. Restoration measures that increase water retention and shade, and that reduce habitats for exotic plant species adjacent to rivers can be applied especially in streams and rivers that have been channelized or deprived of their riparian forest to reduce the effects of climate change on riparian ecosystems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aðalgeirsdóttir G, Jóhannesson T, Björnsson H, Pálsson F, Sigurðsson O. 2006. Response of Hofsjokull and southern Vatnajokull, Iceland, to climate change. J Geophys Res 111:F03001. doi:10.1029/2005JF000388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen J, Hanssen O. 2005. Riparian beetles, a unique, but vulnerable element in the fauna of Fennoscandia. Biodivers Conserv 14:3497–524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andréasson J, Bergström S, Carlsson B, Graham P, Lindström G. 2004. Hydrological change: climate change impact simulations for Sweden. Ambio 33:228–34.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beltaos S. 2002. Effects of climate on mid-winter ice jams. Hydrol Proc 16:789–804.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beltaos S. 2008. Progress in the study and management of river ice jams. Cold Reg Sci Technol 51:2–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beltaos S, Prowse TD, Carter T. 2006. Ice regime of the lower Peace River and ice-jam flooding of the Peace-Athabasca Delta. Hydrol Proc 20:4009–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertrand G, Goldscheider N, Gobat JM, Hunkeler D. 2012. Review: from multi-scale conceptualization to a classification system for inland groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Hydrogeol J 20:5–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop K, Buffam I, Erlandsson M, Folster J, Laudon H, Seibert J, Temnerud J. 2008. Aqua incognita: the unknown headwaters. Hydrol Process 22:1239–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brookshire JE, Kauffman BJ, Lytjen D, Otting N. 2002. Cumulative effects of wild ungulate and livestock herbivory on riparian willows. Oecologia 132:559–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown RS, Power G, Beltaos S, Beddow TA. 2000. Effects of hanging dams on winter movements and swimming activity of fish. J Fish Biol 57:1150–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen JH, Hewitson B, Busuioc A, Chen A, Gao X, Held I, Jones R, Kolli RK, Kwon W-T, Laprise R, Magaña Rueda V, Mearns L, Menéndez CG, Räisänen J, Rinke A, Sarr A, Whetton P. 2007. Regional climate projections. In: Solomon S, Qin D, Manning M, Chen M, Marquis M, Averyt KB, Tignor M, Miller HL, Eds. Climate change 2007: the physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp 847–940.

  • Collen P, Gibson RJ. 2001. The general ecology of beavers (Castor spp.), as related to their influence on stream ecosystems and riparian habitats, and the subsequent effects on fish: a review. Rev Fish Biol Fish 10:439–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunjak RA, Prowse TD, Parrish DL. 1998. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in winter: “the season of parr discontent”? Can J Fish Aquat Sci 55:161–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dankers R, Middelkoop H. 2008. River discharge and freshwater runoff to the Barents Sea under present and future climate conditions. Clim Chang 87:131–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danvind M, Nilsson C. 1997. Seed floating ability and distribution of alpine plants along a northern Swedish river. J Veg Sci 8:271–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeFerrari CM, Naiman RJ. 1994. A multiscale assessment of the occurrence of exotic plants on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. J Veg Sci 5:247–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Devik O. 1944. Ice formation in lakes and rivers. Geogr J 103:193–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeWalle DR. 2008. Guidelines for riparian vegetative shade restoration based upon a theoretical shaded-stream model. J Am Water Resour Assoc 44:1373–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickens AF, Baldock J, Kenna TC, Eglinton TI. 2011. A depositional history of particulate organic carbon in a floodplain lake from the lower Ob’ River, Siberia. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 75:4796–815.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dynesius M, Jansson R, Johansson ME, Nilsson C. 2004. Intercontinental similarities in riparian-plant diversity and sensitivity to river regulation. Ecol Appl 14:173–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engström J, Jansson R, Nilsson C, Weber C. 2011. Effects of river ice on riparian vegetation. Freshw Biol 56:1095–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Falloon PD, Betts RA. 2006. The impact of climate change on global river flow in HadGEM1 simulations. Atmos Sci Lett 7:62–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freppaz M, Celi L, Marchelli M, Zanini E. 2008. Snow removal and its influence on temperature and N dynamics in alpine soils (Vallee d’Aoste, northwest Italy). J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 171:672–80.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Giesler R, Högberg M, Högberg P. 1998. Soil chemistry and plants in Fennoscandian boreal forest as exemplified by a local gradient. Ecology 79:119–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greet J, Webb JA, Cousens RD. 2011. The importance of seasonal flow timing for riparian vegetation dynamics: a systematic review using causal criteria analysis. Freshw Biol 56:1231–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gregory SV, Swanson FJ, McKee WA, Cummins KW. 1991. An ecosystem perspective or riparian zones. Bioscience 41:540–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurnell AM. 1998. The hydrogeomorphological effects of beaver dam-building activity. Prog Phys Geogr 22:167–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hannah DM, Brown LE, Milner AM, Gurnell AM, McGregor GR, Petts GE, Smith BPG, Snook DL. 2006. Integrating climate–hydrology–ecology for alpine river systems. Aquat Conserv Mar Freshw Ecosyst 17:636–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helfield JM, Capon SJ, Nilsson C, Jansson R, Palm D. 2007. Restoration of rivers used for timber floating: effects on riparian plant diversity. Ecol Appl 17:840–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hicks F. 2009. An overview of river ice problems. Cold Reg Sci Technol 55:175–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC. 2007. Summary for policymakers. In: Solomon S, Qin D, Manning M, Chen M, Marquis M, Averyt KB, Tignor M, Miller HL, Eds. Climate change 2007: the physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp 1–18.

  • Iritz L, Johansson B, Lundin L. 1994. Impacts of forest drainage on floods. Hydrol Sci J 39:637–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jansson R, Laudon H, Johansson E, Augspurger C. 2007. The importance of groundwater discharge for plant species number in riparian zones. Ecology 88:131–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jauni M, Hyvönen T. 2010. Invasion level of alien plants in semi-natural agricultural habitats in boreal region. Agric Ecosyst Environ 138:109–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson ME, Nilsson C, Nilsson E. 1996. Do rivers function as corridors for plant dispersal? J Veg Sci 7:593–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson RK, Hering D, Furse MT, Verdonschot PFM. 2006. Indicators of ecological change: comparison of the early response of four organism groups to stress gradients. Hydrobiologia 566:139–52.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jones JB, Rinehart AJ. 2010. The long-term response of stream flow to climatic warming in headwater streams of interior Alaska. Can J For Res 40:1210–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein C, Wilson K, Watts M, Stein J, Berry S, Carwardine J, Smith MS, Mackey B, Possingham H. 2009. Incorporating ecological and evolutionary processes into continental-scale conservation planning. Ecol Appl 19:206–17.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larue P, Bélanger L, Huot J. 1995. Riparian edge effects on boreal balsam fir bird communities. Can J For Res 25:555–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li SS, Benson C, Shapiro L, Dean K. 1997. Aufeis in the Ivishak River, Alaska, mapped from satellite radar interferometry. Remote Sens Environ 60:131–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luke SH, Luckai NJ, Burke MJ, Prepas EE. 2007. Riparian areas in the Canadian boreal forest and linkages with water quality in streams. Environ Rev 15:79–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Machtans SC, Villard MA, Hannon SJ. 1996. Use of riparian buffer strips as movement corridors by forest birds. Conserv Biol 10:1366–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mallik AU, Newaz S, Mackereth RW, Shahi C. 2011. Geomorphic changes of headwater systems 3–23 years after forest harvesting by clearcutting. Ecosphere 2(4):art43. doi:10.1890/ES10-00144.1.

  • Mandryk AM, Wein RW. 2006. Exotic vascular plant invasiveness and forest invasibility in urban boreal forest types. Biol Invasions 8:1651–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naiman RJ, Décamps H. 1997. The ecology of interfaces: riparian zones. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 28:621–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naiman RJ, Pinay G, Johnston CA, Pastor J. 1994. Beaver influences on the long-term biogeochemical characteristics of boreal forest drainage networks. Ecology 75:905–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naiman RJ, Décamps H, McClain ME. 2006. Riparia: ecology, conservation, and management of streamside communities. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C. 1983. Frequency distributions of vascular plants in the geolittoral vegetation along two rivers in northern Sweden. J Biogeogr 10:351–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Jansson R. 1995. Floristic differences between riparian corridors of regulated and free-flowing boreal rivers. Regul Rivers: Res Manag 11:55–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Svedmark M. 2002. Basic principles and ecological consequences of changing water regimes: riparian plant communities. Environ Manage 30:468–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Ekblad A, Dynesius M, Backe S, Gardfjell M, Carlberg B, Hellqvist S, Jansson R. 1994. A comparison of species richness and traits of riparian plants between a main river channel and its tributaries. J Ecol 82:281–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Reidy CA, Dynesius M, Revenga C. 2005. Fragmentation and flow regulation of the world’s large river systems. Science 308:405–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Brown RL, Jansson R, Merritt DM. 2010. The role of hydrochory in structuring riparian and wetland vegetation. Biol Rev 85:837–58.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Okkonen J, Jyrkama M, Klove B. 2010. A conceptual approach for assessing the impact of climate change on groundwater and related surface waters in cold regions (Finland). Hydrogeol J 18:429–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer MA, Reidy CA, Nilsson C, Flörke M, Alcamo J, Lake PS, Bond N. 2008. Climate change and the world’s river basins: anticipating management options. Front Ecol Environ 6:81–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Persson G, Bärring L, Kjellström E, Strandberg G, Rummukainen M. 2007. Climate indices for vulnerability assessments. Norrköping: Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson BJ, Holmes RM, McClelland JW, Vörösmarty CJ, Lammers RB, Shiklomanov AI, Shiklomanov IA, Rahmstorf S. 2002. Increasing river discharge to the Arctic Ocean. Science 298:2171–3.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Planty-Tabacchi AM, Tabacchi E, Naiman RJ, DeFerrari C, Décamps H. 1996. Invasibility of species rich communities in riparian zones. Conserv Biol 10:598–607.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prowse TD. 2001. River-ice ecology. II: Biological aspects. J Cold Reg Eng 15:17–33.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prowse TD, Beltaos S. 2002. Climatic control of river-ice hydrology: a review. Hydrol Process 16:805–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prowse TD, Wrona FJ, Reist JD, Gibson JJ, Hobbie JE, Lévesque LMJ, Vincent WF. 2006. Climate change effects on hydroecology of arctic freshwater ecosystems. Ambio 35:347–58.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Quinton WL, Hayashi M, Chasmer LE. 2011. Permafrost-thaw-induced land-cover change in the Canadian subarctic: implications for water resources. Hydrol Process 25:152–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renöfält BM, Nilsson C, Jansson R. 2005. Spatial and temporal patterns of species richness in a riparian landscape. J Biogeogr 32:2025–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson JS, Zhang YX, Marczak LB. 2010. Resource subsidies across the land–freshwater interface and responses in recipient communities. River Res Appl 26:55–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rood SB, Pan J, Gill KM, Franks CG, Samuelson GM, Shepherd A. 2008. Declining summer flows of Rocky Mountain rivers: changing seasonal hydrology and probable impacts on floodplain forests. J Hydrol 349:397–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose M, Hermanutz L. 2004. Are boreal ecosystems susceptible to alien plant invasion? Evidence from protected areas. Oecologia 139:467–77.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rouse WR, Douglas MSV, Hecky RE, Hershey AE, Kling GW, Lesack L, Marsh P, McDonald M, Nicholson BJ, Roulet NT, Smol JP. 1997. Effects of climate change on the freshwaters of arctic and subarctic North America. Hydrol Process 11:873–902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saetersdal M, Birks HJB. 1997. A comparative ecological study of Norwegian mountain plants in relation to possible future climatic change. J Biogeogr 24:127–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saetersdal M, Birks HJB, Peglar SM. 1998. Predicting changes in Fennoscandian vascular-plant species richness as a result of future climatic change. J Biogeogr 25:111–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scrimgeour GJ, Prowse TD, Culp JM, Chambers PA. 1994. Ecological effects of river ice break-up: a review and perspective. Freshw Biol 32:261–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slaughter CW, Glotov VYE, Viereck LA, Mikhailov VM. 1995. Boreal forest catchments: research sites for global change at high altitudes. Water Air Soil Pollut 82:351–61.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sokal MA, Hall RI, Wolfe BB. 2010. The role of flooding on inter-annual and seasonal variability of lake water chemistry, phytoplankton diatom communities and macrophyte biomass in the Slave River Delta (Northwest Territories, Canada). Ecohydrology 3:41–54.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • SOU. 2007. Sweden facing climate change: threats and opportunities. Stockholm: Statens Offentliga Utredningar, Report no. 60.

  • St. Jacques JM, Sauchyn DJ. 2009. Increasing winter baseflow and mean annual streamflow from possible permafrost thawing in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Geophys Res Lett 36:L01401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stickler M, Alfredsen KT. 2009. Anchor ice formation in streams: a field study. Hydrol Proc 23:2307–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stickler M, Alfredsen KT, Linnansaari T, Fjeldstad H-P. 2010. The influence of dynamic ice formation on hydraulic heterogeneity in steep streams. River Res Appl 26:1187–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stohlgren TJ, Bull KA, Otsuki Y, Villa CA, Lee M. 1998. Riparian zones as havens for exotic plant species in the central grasslands. Plant Ecol 138:113–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ström L, Jansson R, Nilsson C, Johansson ME, Xiong SJ. 2011. Hydrologic effects on riparian vegetation in a boreal river: an experiment testing climate change predictions. Glob Chang Biol 17:254–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ström L, Jansson R, Nilsson C. 2012. Projected changes in plant species richness and extent of riparian vegetation belts as a result of climate-driven hydrological change along the Vindel River in Sweden. Freshw Biol 57:49–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sumners WH, Archibold OW. 2007. Exotic plant species in the southern boreal forest of Saskatchewan. For Ecol Manag 251:156–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thorne R. 2011. Uncertainty in the impacts of projected climate change on the hydrology of a subarctic environment: Liard River Basin. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 15:1483–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tockner K, Stanford JA. 2002. Riverine flood plains: present state and future trends. Environ Conserv 29:308–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turcotte B, Morse B, Bergeron NE, Roy AG. 2011. Sediment transport in ice-affected rivers. J Hydrol 409:561–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace JB, Eggert SL, Meyer JL, Webster JR. 1997. Multiple trophic levels of a forest stream linked to terrestrial litter inputs. Science 277:102–4.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ward JV, Tockner K, Arscott DB, Claret C. 2002. Riverine landscape diversity. Freshw Biol 47:517–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiebe KL, Martin K. 1998. Seasonal use by birds of stream-side riparian habitat in coniferous forest of northcentral British Columbia. Ecography 21:124–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens JA. 2002. Riverine landscapes: taking landscape ecology into the water. Freshw Biol 47:501–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilhelm B, Arnaud F, Enters D, Allignol F, Legaz A, Magand O, Revillon S, Giguet-Covex C, Malet A. 2012. Does global warming favour the occurrence of extreme floods in European Alps? First evidences from a NW Alps proglacial lake sediment record. Clim Change 113:563–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winkler RD, Spittlehouse DL, Golding DL. 2005. Measured differences in snow accumulation and melt among clearcut, juvenile, and mature forests in southern British Columbia. Hydrol Process 19:51–62.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Woo MK, Thorne R, Szeto K, Yang DQ. 2008. Streamflow hydrology in the boreal region under the influences of climate and human interference. Philos Trans R Soc B 363:2251–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wrona FJ, Prowse TD, Reist JD, Hobbie JE, Levesque LMJ, Vincent WF. 2006. Climate change effects on aquatic biota, ecosystem structure and function. Ambio 35:359–69.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zinko U, Seibert J, Dynesius M, Nilsson C. 2005. Plant species numbers predicted by a topography-based groundwater flow index. Ecosystems 8:430–41.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Swedish research council Formas and the Nordic Council of Ministers. We thank two reviewers for valuable comments on the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Landscape Ecology Group, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden

    Christer Nilsson, Roland Jansson, Lenka Kuglerová, Lovisa Lind & Lotta Ström

Authors
  1. Christer Nilsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Roland Jansson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lenka Kuglerová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lovisa Lind
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Lotta Ström
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christer Nilsson.

Additional information

Author Contributions

Christer Nilsson and Roland Jansson conceived of the study and wrote the paper, Lenka Kuglerová wrote the sections about groundwater, Lovisa Lind wrote the sections about ice dynamics, and Lotta Ström performed research.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nilsson, C., Jansson, R., Kuglerová, L. et al. Boreal Riparian Vegetation Under Climate Change. Ecosystems 16, 401–410 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-012-9622-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-012-9622-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation