河岸湿地英文.docVIP

Riparian Wetlands 1. Introduction 2. Definitions and concepts 3.Environmental conditions determining riparian Wetlands 4. Types of Riparian Wetlands 5. Typical biota and biodiversity Wetlands 6. Ecological services of Riparian Wetlands 7. Conservation 8. Further reading Introduction The riparian zone of running water systems is a site of intensive ecological interactions between the aquatic and the terrestrial parts of stream valley. wetlands that occur in this zone exchange water with the aquifer and with the main channel during flood events(figure 1).riparian wetlands are buffer zones for the water budget of the landscape: they take up excess water from flood events and release it gradually afterwards. Modern ecological theory recognizes the important role riparian wetlands play for biodiversity and for the energy and matter budgets along the whole ranger of river courses. The carbon and nutrient budgets are influenced by dissolved and particulate substances from the bordering terrestrial ecosystems, by autochthonous production from the wetland plants, and by allochthonous organic matter delivered by the floodwater. The proportions between these sources are defined by the hydrological patterns, landscape morphology, and climatic conditions. (see river and streams: physical setting and adapted biota and river and stream: ecosystem dynamics). The crossover between humid and dry conditions creates habitats for organisms and for that biota that are specialized on wetland conditions. As the transversal dimension of streamside wetlands is generally small, their overall importance for landscape ecology, biogeochemistry, and biodiversity is often overlooked .however, the total size of these wetlands can be considerable in areas with dense stream networks. Moreover, the corridor-shaped extension of riparian wetlands makes them perfect pathways for the gene flow between remote populations of aquatic and terrestrial biota. Many ecological services are uniquely provided