Changes in riparian forest composition along a sedimentation rate gradient

Riparian forests are highly valued for maintaining water quality through the retention of sediments and nutrients. They also provide some of the most diverse and species-rich habitats in the world. What is largely unknown, however, is how sediment deposition affects plant community composition in these forests. The objective of this study was to examine changes in plant community composition across a gradient of increasing rates of sedimentation in riparian forests in the southeastern Coastal Plain, USA. Seventeen plots were established within riparian forests receiving between 0 and 5.5 cm year⁻¹ of sediment deposits. Species density and biomass estimates were collected annually from 2002 to 2006 for overstory and mid-story plant species within each plot. Percent cover and nested frequency of understory plant species were determined annually during 2004–2006. Measures of community composition in the understory, mid-story, and overstory layers of forests were compared to changes in environmental factors associated with increased sedimentation. In the understory, annual, exotic, and upland species had higher importance values in plots receiving high sediment deposition. The densities of shade-intolerant and N-fixing species in the mid-story also increased with increasing sedimentation rates. Increased overstory mortality was associated with high sedimentation rates, though increases in understory light levels in these gaps were not the main driver of understory species changes. Edaphic factors, such as soil texture, moisture, and temperature, were significantly correlated to species composition in all three forest layers, suggesting that changes in soil physical structure due to sedimentation may drive community-level changes in these forests.