This study employs functional diversity metrics and guilds—suites of species with similar traits—to assess the influence of an invasive tree (Tamarix spp.) on riparian plant communities in the southwestern United States. Nine distinct guilds were identified with a gradient of functional diversity related to both tamarisk cover and environmental conditions. The identified guilds can be correlated to specific site conditions and can be used to anticipate plant community response to restoration efforts and in selecting appropriate species for revegetation.

To what extent has invasive riparian vegetation (IRV) treatment reversed channel narrowing and reduced dynamism trends? Paired treated and untreated reaches at 15 sites along 13 rivers were compared before and after treatment using repeat aerial imagery to assess long-term (~10 year) channel change due to treatment on a regional scale across the Southwest U.S. Wieting et al. found that IRV treatment significantly increased channel width and floodplain destruction.

A common garden study of six distinct Fremont cottonwood populations across an elevation gradient and covering a range of genetic variation to determine responses to different heat conditions. The common gardens had mean annual temperatures of 11, 17, and 23°C and all received regular watering throughout the growing season.

    New Findings on the Climate Sensitivity of the Water Balance of the Upper Colorado River Basin  
  Author(s): R. Roy Johnson; Steven W. Carothers; Deborah M. Finch; Kenneth J. Kingsley; John T. Stanley   Fifty years ago, riparian habitats were not recognized for their extensive and critical contributions to wildlife and the ecosystem function of watersheds. This changed as riparian values were identified and documented, and the science of riparian ecology developed steadily. Papers in this volume range from the more mesic northwestern United States to the arid Southwest and Mexico.
Author(s): Steven W. Carothers; R. Roy Johnson; Deborah M. Finch; Kenneth J. Kingsley; Robert H. Hamre   In the Preface to volume 1, we discuss the development of riparian ecology as one of the newest of ecological fields that gained significant momentum in the 1950s and 1960s as part of the general “riparian movement” in the United States. The field expanded rapidly throughout the latter half of the 1900s. Volume 2 involves more than two dozen authors - most with decades of experience - who expand upon riparian and other topics introduced in volume 1.
      Riparian Vegetation Response to High-Magnitude Dam Releases on the Dolores River, SW Colorado   Cynthia Dott1*, Julie Knudson2*   1 Department of Biology, Fort Lewis College, Durango CO USA; [email protected]   2 Purgatoire Watershed Partnership, Trinidad CO US; [email protected]<
      Riparian System Responses to Fire and Flood Disturbance in Capulin Canyon, Bandelier National Monument, NM   Jamie Gottlieb1*, Patrick Shafroth2, Michael Scott3, Craig Allen4   1Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA; [email protected] 2U.S.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center convened a workshop June 23-25, 2015, in Flagstaff, Ariz. for practitioners in restoration science to share general principles, successful restoration practices, and discuss the challenges that face those practicing riparian restoration in the southwestern United States. Presenters from the Colorado River and the Rio Grande basins, offered their perspectives and experiences in restoration at the local, reach and watershed scale.
A great deal of effort has been devoted to developing guidance for stream restoration and rehabilitation. The available resources are diverse, reflecting the wide ranging approaches used and expertise required to develop stream restoration projects. To help practitioners sort through all of this information, a technical note has been developed to provide a guide to the wealth of information available. The document structure is primarily a series of short literature reviews followed by a hyperlinked reference list for the reader to find more information on each topic.