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Full-Text Articles in Forest Sciences
Effect Of Artificial Flooding On The Vegetation And Avifauna Of Riparian Woodlands At Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Hidalgo County, Texas, Charles David Castillo
Effect Of Artificial Flooding On The Vegetation And Avifauna Of Riparian Woodlands At Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Hidalgo County, Texas, Charles David Castillo
Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
Riparian habitats along the Rio Grande at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge have dramatically decreased since the construction of Falcon Dam in 1953. Riparian habitats are dependent on annual or periodic flooding to maintain their biological integrity. Lack of seasonal flooding has contributed to changes in vegetative composition from riparian forests to thornscrub. Effects of artificial flooding on vegetation and avifauna of riparian woodlands were evaluated from 1995-1997 at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Floodwaters caused the destruction of all existing herbaceous species along study transects and the regeneration of new and native seedlings. Avian abundance and diversity dramatically …