Abstract
Alluvial floodplain forests became rare in many parts of Europe, due to anthropogenic changes. Therefore, restoration of floodplain forests is important, but a difficult task because of the complex environmental conditions. The zonation of woody species in floodplains is mainly determined by hydrological conditions, not only within one year but also during the previous years. Tolerance to flooding can be regarded as a key factor for the successful establishment. We examined whether a previous flooding showed an increased flooding tolerance of saplings from eight woody floodplain forest species after a recurrent flooding under controlled common garden conditions at the research station Gießen-Leihgestern (Germany). This would indicate a stress memory towards flooding stress. The individuals of the experiment already experienced a partial flooding of three different durations (three, six or nine weeks) or no flooding in the previous year. After nine months of recovery, these fourteen-month-old saplings were again either exposed to a partial flooding of nine weeks or no flooding. We assessed foliar injury and growth in terms of plant height, number of leaves and stem diameter three weeks (short-term recovery) and nine months (medium-term recovery) after flooding. The saplings showed no increased tolerance to a recurrent flooding irrespective of the previous experienced flooding duration. Therefore, no immediate stress memory towards flooding stress could be observed. To recover after flooding seems to be the better option compared to forming a stress memory, which explained that most species showed a decreased foliar injury after medium-term compared to short-term recovery period.
Highlights
Floodplains form the transitional area between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems along rivers (Richardson et al 2007)
Softwood floodplain forests can be found at sites with more frequent and prolonged flooding compared to hardwood floodplain forests, which are flooded less frequently and for shorter periods in Central Europe (Alaoui-Sosseet al. 2005)
Neither the previous flooding nor its duration showed an effect on the short- and mediumterm foliar injury (Fig. 2)
Summary
Floodplains form the transitional area between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems along rivers (Richardson et al 2007). Softwood floodplain forests can be found at sites with more frequent and prolonged flooding compared to hardwood floodplain forests, which are flooded less frequently and for shorter periods in Central Europe Due to anthropogenic actions, such as building dikes, hardwood-floodplain forests are highly endangered ecosystems in many parts of Europe (Brunotte et al 2009). Altered dynamics of riparian ecosystems often led to strong changes in species composition and seem to trigger the establishment of non-native tree species (Hood and Naiman 2000; Rood et al 2003). Climate change impacts on alluvial plant communities add to the uncertainty about adequate conservation and restoration measures in these habitats (Mosner et al 2015). The restoration of floodplain forests is needed to establish and preserve riparian biodiversity (Brunotte et al 2009)
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