Manuel C. Molles, Jr., Clifford N. Dahm, Padinare V. Unnikrishna, Clifford S. Crawford.
The southwestern United States historically supported extensive riparian cottonwood-willow forests which have been reduced by 85% to 98%. Much of this decline is attributed to flood control. However, little research has addressed the importance of flooding to riparian ecosystems in the region. The proposed research project will focus on the role of seasonal flooding in maintaining the ecological integrity of native riparian forest in the semi-arid Southwest. We will conduct our research on the riparian forests of the Middle Rio Grande in central New Mexico, where we will study how historic seasonal flooding affects the ecological integrity of native cottonwood riparian forest ecosystems. We propose that the health of riparian ecosystems in this region depends upon periodic flooding. The anticipated results of this research will contribute to better understanding of the structure and dynamics of riparian ecosystems and provide critical information for their management.
