Poster Details
LINKING LANDSCAPE-LEVEL PROCESSES AND AQUATIC REFUGIA IN INTERMITTENT STREAMS OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
Intermittent streams occur globally and are especially common in arid regions, accounting for nearly 75% of the stream network in California. During dry periods, remnant pools act as critical habitats that support the persistence of biotic populations, from which they may recolonize surrounding habitats upon rewetting. The factors governing the occurrence of these remnant pools is largely unknown, although geology and geomorphology often result in variable decoupling of stream pools from regional climate, allowing pools to persist under severe drought conditions. Given the importance of intermittent stream habitats for sustaining aquatic biodiversity, an improved understanding of the geomorphic controls on persisting pools is required. This study is located at an intermittent stream in central California, which is strongly influenced by mass wasting events and landslide debris, which have deposited large boulders into the stream channel. Field observations indicate that the location of the large boulders (>3m in diameter) are associated with persistent pools. By linking boulder location and channel geomorphology with climatic data and biotic field measurements of remnant pools throughout the drying period, I aim to identify the landscape-level processes that sustain these unique habitat refugia in intermittent streams.
Hana Moidu (Primary Presenter/Author), University of California, Berkeley, hanamoidu@berkeley.edu;
Robert Leidy (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Environmental Protection Agency, San Francisco, Leidy.Robert@epa.gov;
Ted Grantham (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of California, Berkeley, tgrantham@berkeley.edu;
Stephanie Carlson (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S., smcarlson@berkeley.edu;