Southwestern Riparian Plant Trait Matrix, Colorado River, Grand Canyon, 2014 to 2016—Data

Publication Date

2017-03-22

Start Date

2013

End Date

2016

Palmquist, E.C., Ralston, B.E., Sarr, D., Merritt, D., Shafroth, P.B. and Scott, J.A., 2017, Southwestern Riparian Plant Trait Matrix, Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona, 2014 - 2016—Data: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7QV3JN1.

Type: Related Primary Publication

The purpose of these data are to support efforts to identify riparian vegetation-flow response guilds (groups of plants with similar traits related to water availability) in the riparian area of Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon, which are then used to examine past and future riparian vegetation change in response to dam operations and climate change. In this context, we compiled a matrix of both biological and ecological traits for common vascular plant species occurring along the Colorado River through Grand Canyon. Trait information has been used for a variety of purposes, including making groups of plants (guilds or functional groups) that are expected to respond similarly to environmental resource gradients and/or stressors; evaluating changes in vegetation attributes due to environmental change; and predicting changes to ecosystem services and ecological functions resulting from vegetation change. In arid land riparian areas, traits-based analyses are beginning to be used to better understand the impacts of flow regulation and ground water pumping on riparian vegetation. Uses for traits-based vegetation analyses in other systems have included examining trait patterns over environment gradients and investigating evolutionary patterns in traits, both of which could be useful in understanding patterns and drivers of riparian vegetation.

• USGS Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC)

Data source

Input directly