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The response of male and female black poplar ( Populus nigra L. subspecies betulifolia (Pursh) W. Wettst.) cuttings to different water table depths and sediment types: implications for flow management and river corridor biodiversity
Author(s) -
Hughes Francine M. R.,
Barsoum Nadia,
Richards Keith S.,
Winfield Mark,
Hayes Adrian
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/1099-1085(200011/12)14:16/17<3075::aid-hyp135>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - floodplain , water table , salicaceae , cutting , biodiversity , environmental science , population , ecology , woody plant , hydrology (agriculture) , sediment , water level , biology , geography , forestry , botany , geology , paleontology , demography , geotechnical engineering , sociology , cartography , groundwater
Management of river flows has altered the pattern of flood arrival times and reduced their frequency and duration on many European floodplains. Floodplain tree species depend on floods both to provide new sites for their regeneration and to recharge water tables at various depths in the rooting zone. A reduction in floods is one factor that has led to loss of river corridor biodiversity, with early successional tree species from the Salicaceae being particularly adversely affected. Members of the Salicaceae are dioecious and it is possible that the males and females of these species have measurably different water table requirements, which might lead to spatial segregation of the sexes on a floodplain. This paper describes an investigation that was carried out into the response of male and female black poplar ( Populus nigra L. subspecies betulifolia (Pursh) W. Wettst.) to different soil moisture conditions. An experiment was set up on an alluvial island in the River Great Ouse (UK) in which cuttings of male and female black poplar were grown in different sediment types with different water table levels. The experiment was carried out over two field seasons in 1997 and 1998. Results showed that females tended to prefer wetter and more nutrient‐rich sites than males but that there was considerable overlap in their requirements. A complementary genetic study showed very little genetic variation in the experimental population, which may also partially explain the relatively low level of variation between the two sexes found in the study. It is suggested that some limited spatial segregation of the sexes does occur in response to soil moisture availability and that river flow management which aims to maintain or increase river corridor biodiversity may need to take this into account. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.