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While a dam is constructed to adjust and store water resources, it has negative impacts on biodiversity of the corresponding ecosystems. In particular, the dam regulation induces water-level fluctuations (WLFs), resulting in remarkable effects on the riparian vegetation succession of the drawdown zone ecosystem. These riparian plant responses play important roles in the biodiversity conservation. However, in-depth investigative adequate studies are still lacking. The objective of this study was to assess the community assembly under the anti-seasonal WLFs of China’s Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR). To analyze the WLFs’ impacts on plant community, the drawdown zone of the TGR was divided into four sub-zones (zone I, II, III, and IV) according to the inundation periods. The community biomass, height, total coverage, and species diversity in each sub-zone were surveyed. To detect the response of individual plant to the WLFs, dominant plants of Echinochloa crusgalli, Setaria viridis, Bidens pilosa, and Xanthium sibiricum were selected as targeted species to compare the plant’s morphological and physiological traits between non-flooded area and the moderately inundated area. The peaks of community biomass (1859.62 ± 663.77 g), total coverage (103.93 ± 11.81%), and diversity indexes were found in zone II that experienced 90 days of inundation. Community height and total coverage were both significantly negatively correlated to the inundated gradients. Generalized linear models and quadratic regression analyses revealed that community biomass, height, and total coverage were strongly related to the inundated gradients, implying that the inundation is the major factor contributing to the variation of the riparian vegetation patterns. The values of morphological traits (plant height and biomass) in the zone II were higher than those in the non-flooded zone, and were significantly positively correlated with physiological traits. Community structure, diversity, and functional traits analysis indicated that the drawdown zone referencing to the 90-day inundation was suitable for the plant community establishment. Results on plant functional traits suggest the adaption of riparian plants to the TGR hydrological regime. However, further investigative studies with more plant species are necessary to elucidate their adaptation mechanisms.

Moderate inundation stimulates plant community assembly in the drawdown zone of China’s Three Gorges Reservoir