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Widespread dieback of riparian trees on a dammed ephemeral river and evidence of local mitigation by tributary flows.

ABSTRACT: Ephemeral rivers act as linear oases in drylands providing key resources to people and wildlife. However, not much is known about these rivers' sensitivities to human activities. We investigated the landscape-level determinants of riparian tree dieback along the Swakop River, a dammed ephemeral river in Namibia, focusing on the native ana tree (Faidherbia albida) and the invasive mesquite (Prosopis spp.). We surveyed over 1,900 individual trees distributed across 24 sites along a 250 km stretch of the river. General linear mixed models were used to test five hypotheses relating to three anthropogenic threats: river flow disruption from damming, human settlement and invasive species. We found widespread dieback in both tree populations: 51% mortality in ana tree, with surviving trees exhibiting 18% canopy death (median); and 26% mortality in mesquite, with surviving trees exhibiting 10% canopy death. Dieback in the ana tree was most severe where trees grew on drier stretches of the river, where tributary flow was absent and where mesquite grew more abundantly. Dieback in the mesquite, a more drought-tolerant taxon, did not show any such patterns. Our findings suggest that dieback in the ana tree is primarily driven by changes in river flow resulting from upstream dam creation and that tributary flows provide a local buffer against this loss of main channel flow. The hypothesis that the invasive mesquite may contribute to ana tree dieback was also supported. Our findings suggest that large dams along the main channels of ephemeral rivers have the ability to cause widespread mortality in downstream riparian trees. To mitigate such impacts, management might focus on the maintenance of natural tributary flows to buffer local tree populations from the disruption to main channel flow.

SUBMITTER: Douglas CM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5088575 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Widespread dieback of riparian trees on a dammed ephemeral river and evidence of local mitigation by tributary flows.

Douglas Caitlin M S CM Mulligan Mark M Harrison Xavier A XA Henschel Joh R JR Pettorelli Nathalie N Cowlishaw Guy G

PeerJ 20161027

Ephemeral rivers act as linear oases in drylands providing key resources to people and wildlife. However, not much is known about these rivers' sensitivities to human activities. We investigated the landscape-level determinants of riparian tree dieback along the Swakop River, a dammed ephemeral river in Namibia, focusing on the native ana tree (<i>Faidherbia albida</i>) and the invasive mesquite (<i>Prosopis</i> spp.). We surveyed over 1,900 individual trees distributed across 24 sites along a 2 ...[more]

PMID: 27812420

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Project description:Trunk disease fungal pathogens reduce olive production globally by causing cankers, dieback, and other decline-related symptoms on olive trees. Very few fungi have been reported in association with olive dieback and decline in South Africa. Many of the fungal species reported from symptomatic olive trees in other countries have broad host ranges and are known to occur on other woody host plants in the Western Cape province, the main olive production region of South Africa. This survey investigated the diversity of fungi and symptoms associated with olive dieback and decline in South Africa. Isolations were made from internal wood symptoms of 145 European and 42 wild olive trees sampled in 10 and 9 districts, respectively. A total of 99 taxa were identified among 440 fungal isolates using combinations of morphological and molecular techniques. A new species of Pseudophaeomoniella, P. globosa, had the highest incidence, being recovered from 42.8 % of European and 54.8 % of wild olive samples. This species was recovered from 9 of the 10 districts where European olive trees were sampled and from all districts where wild olive trees were sampled. Members of the Phaeomoniellales (mainly P. globosa) were the most prevalent fungi in five of the seven symptom types considered, the only exceptions being twig dieback, where members of the Botryosphaeriaceae were more common, and soft/white rot where only Basidiomycota were recovered. Several of the species identified are known as pathogens of olives or other woody crops either in South Africa or elsewhere in the world, including species of Neofusicoccum, Phaeoacremonium, and Pleurostoma richardsiae. However, 81 of the 99 taxa identified have not previously been recorded on olive trees and have unknown interactions with this host. These taxa include one new genus and several putative new species, of which four are formally described as Celerioriella umnquma sp. nov., Pseudophaeomoniella globosa sp. nov., Vredendaliella oleae gen. & sp. nov., and Xenocylindrosporium margaritarum sp. nov.

Dataset Information

Widespread dieback of riparian trees on a dammed ephemeral river and evidence of local mitigation by tributary flows.

Publications

Widespread dieback of riparian trees on a dammed ephemeral river and evidence of local mitigation by tributary flows.

Similar Datasets

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