Stream–riparian areas represent a nexus of biodiversity, with disproportionate numbers of species tied to and interacting within this key habitat. New research in Pacific Northwest headwater forests, especially the characterization of microclimates and amphibian distributions, is expanding our perspective of riparian zones, and suggests the need for alternative designs to manage stream–riparian...

Biodiversity conservation has attracted growing concern and importance for global stability. The data presented by Luiz F. Pires and colleagues in this issue of the Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências (AABC) may soon earn some praise regarding a more effective stability of biodiversity. Their study aimed to check the efficiency of a riparian forest in trapping sediments coming from an upla...

Forest harvesting can increase solar radiation in the riparian zone as well as wind speed and exposure to air advected from clearings, typically causing increases in summertime air, soil, and stream temperatures and decreases in relative humidity. Stream temperature increases following forest harvesting are primarily controlled by changes in insolation but also depend on stream hydrology and ch...

Riparian ecosystems along streams naturally harbour a high plant diversity with many increasingly endangered species. In our current heavily modified and fragmented catchments, many of these species are sensitive to dispersal limitation. Better understanding of riparian plant dispersal pathways is required to predict species (re-)colonization potential and improve success rates of stream and ri...

The nitrate (NO(3)(-)) removal capacity of riparian zones is well documented, but information is lacking with regard to N(2)O emission from riparian ecosystems and factors controlling temporal dynamics of this potent greenhouse gas. We monitored N(2)O fluxes (static chambers) and measured denitrification (C(2)H(2) block using soil cores) at six riparian sites along a fourth-order stretch of the...

Riparian zones are recognized as landscape features that buffer streams from pollutants, particularly nitrogen. The objectives of this experiment were to (i) assess denitrification activity within a riparian zone and (ii) determine the influence of physical, chemical, and landscape features on denitrification. This experiment was conducted from 1994 to 1997 in North Carolina on a riparian zone ...

The impact of the construction of a large dam on riparian vegetation cover can be multifold. How the riparian vegetation cover changes at different elevation zones in response to the construction of a large dam and the subsequent impound of reservoir water is still an open question. In this study, we used satellite remote sensing data integrated with geographic information system (GIS) to monit...

The distribution of organic matter within a floodplain is a controlling factor affecting water quality, habitat, and food webs. Accordingly, developn~ent of vegetation in the riparian zone can be expected to influence ecosystem functions, and organic matter storage patterns are believed to be indicators of functional recovery in disturbed riparian zones. Our objective was to compare the distrib...

Riparian ecosystem along rivers and streams are characterised by lateral and longitudinal ecological gradients and, as a result, harbour unique biodiversity. Riparian ecosystems in the fynbos of the Western Cape, South Africa, are characterised by seasonal dynamics, with summer droughts followed by high flows during winter. The unique hydrology and geomorphology of riparian ecosystems play an i...