Biocomplexity--Incubation Activity: Linking Large-Scale Hydrological and Biological Processes in Restoring Riparian Forest Ecosystems

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0083450HollRestoration ecologists have often generally discussed the importance of landscape-level processes, such as flooding and animal movement, in determining restoration success, but have rarely used understanding of basic ecological processes to provide land managers with tools to prioritize restoration efforts. This research comprises an initial assessment of population, community, and ecosystem processes that regulate the dynamics of riparian forest ecosystem recovery along the Sacramento River, the largest river in California. Incubation activities will include two parts. First, existing data will be used to model linkages between hydrology, riparian vegetation, and riparian bird communities. This model will be used to assess the importance of processes at different scales and to prioritize areas for future research. Second, two meetings will be held with additional scientists who have experience modeling linkages between hydrology and ecological succession and/or have expertise in other areas that would be important in linking riparian restoration efforts and ecosystem dynamics, such as fish ecology, nutrient cycling and socioeconomic analysis. This research will: (1) address fundamental questions of the scales at which ecosystem dynamics are regulated, (2) help to prioritize future experimental and modeling efforts, and (3) provide guidance to land managers on prioritizing restoration strategies.