| Disturbances to riparian areas can impair their ability to provide many unique and important ecological functions. The goal of this study was to describe the riparian and upland communities of 3 Ecological Land Units (ELU) in northern Lower Michigan and to develop a riparian/upland delineation model to provide a method by which managers can identify the riparian/upland border and relate these communities to categories useful for management interpretations. Sampling of vegetation, bird, reptile, amphibian, and small mammal communities were conducted along transects placed perpendicular to the stream. The riverine-to-upland gradient was delineated into riparian and upland ecological zones based on the extent of herbaceous plants adapted to wet soils as an indicator of environmental factors that affect community development. The riparian/upland delineation model was developed through stepwise discriminant analysis. This study shows that riparian areas support higher vegetation species diversity, high biomass, and habitat for many unique species in comparison to surrounding uplands. The 3 models developed for each ELU allow managers to simply and quickly determine the variable width of the ecological riparian zone within a site. |
