Groundwater dependence of riparian woodlands and the disrupting effect of anthropogenically altered streamflow
Abstract
Riparian ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots under intense pressure from multiple stressors. In most water-limited regions, high human water use from agricultural and urban development eclipses environmental water needs and intensifies ecosystem water stress. In particular, adequate consideration of riparian water needs in water resource management is lacking. Here, we show that in California, riparian vegetation exhibit: 1) seasonal canopy stress responses to deeper groundwater, and 2) greater groundwater coupling along streams with natural flow regimes compared with anthropogenically altered streams. We conclude that water subsidies in altered stream systems reduce groundwater dependence of riparian woodlands, undermine their adaptations and resilience to natural hydrologic variation, and ultimately threaten their sustainability under dual threats of increased water demand and a changing climate.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jun 14, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.2026453118
Entities
People
- Dar A. Roberts
- John C. Stella
- Melissa M. Rohde
- Michael Bliss Singer
Organizations
- Cardiff University
- National Science Foundation
- State University of New York
- United States Department of Defense
- University of California