Dendrochronology reveals the response of a riparian forest to water management in an arid river basin.

ABSTRACT: Riparian corridors in arid climates sustain life in otherwise inhospitable environments, creating zones of ecological and cultural importance. However, rivers in arid climates are often managed to provide water for human populations at the expense of a river's freshwater biodiversity. In this study, ecosystem response to river flow management is assessed using mature cottonwood tree-ring growth and carbon isotope composition as bio-indicator proxies for river ecosystem health. We examine the ecological impacts of flow management on the Lower Truckee River in Nevada, USA, which runs through an arid-climate basin that has been subject to decades of heavy flow diversion and management. Particular attention is given to the effects of major lawsuits in 1973 and 1982 that restored spring and sum

SUBMITTER: Patterson NK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12515033 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature