Theory 76/River & Floodplain/Riparian vegetation
Riparian Plants Balance Flood and Drought
The claim
Riparian vegetation composition is set by the ratio of flood tolerance to drought tolerance, so flow regulation that removes floods favours upland species.
01Mechanism
Species are sorted by which stress they can survive; changing the ratio of stresses changes the community.
02Prediction
Composition should track the ratio.
03Refutation
Composition tracking mean flow would remove the stresses.