Open AccessDecreasing Processes and Conservation of Floodplain Species
Author(s) -
Kazuya Ashizawa,
Hisako Okada,
Noboru Kuramoto
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of disaster research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.332
H-Index - 18
eISSN - 1883-8030
pISSN - 1881-2473
DOI - 10.20965/jdr.2008.p0206
Subject(s) - floodplain , cobble , flooding (psychology) , flood myth , population , habitat , ecology , environmental science , geography , agroforestry , biology , archaeology , psychology , demography , sociology , psychotherapist
Japanese rivers flow rapidly, and flooding impacts significantly on floodplains, which consist of multiple habitats containing different species. Aster kantoensis Kitam., endemic to a narrow area of midstream cobble floodplains, is decreasing dramatically. Flooding effects on the A. kantoensis population are essentially negative in maintaining the population, but effects are partially positive in terms of reproduction. Large-scale flooding, for example, creates the spaces in the edge of cobble that are safe sites for seedling growth. Since A. kantoensis evolved on cobble floodplains, the flood impact in the past was not always negative. The fact that the number of A. kantoensis has dramatically decreased recently makes recovery from floods difficult. A project is now planned to restore cobble floodplains and their endemic species.