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Allogenic and autogenic influences upon riparian vegetation dynamics
Author(s) -
Francis Robert A
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
area
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1475-4762
pISSN - 0004-0894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4762.2006.00706.x
Subject(s) - riparian zone , vegetation (pathology) , landform , autogenic training , environmental science , ecology , geology , geomorphology , biology , medicine , relaxation (psychology) , pathology , neuroscience , habitat
Riparian vegetation dynamics are regarded as being driven by allogenic hydrogeomorphological factors, with autogenic (plant‐induced) influences becoming more important as landform stability is achieved. Autogenic processes, however, may have a substantial influence on both plant dynamics and the river environment from the earliest stages of plant establishment. Various aspects of both allogenic and autogenic processes in riparian vegetation dynamics are discussed here; in particular how plants may promote bank stability and sedimentation, and river island development. Riparian restoration often fails to incorporate autogenic processes, thereby restricting the re‐establishment of natural functioning, and further interdisciplinary work is needed to address this.