Plants growing within the stream channel influence a wide range of important instream processes and functions. Hydrogeomorphology and other environmental variables shape instream plant communities and functional trait assemblages. Despite their importance, we currently lack an understanding of how the functional and taxonomic diversity of plants occupying stream channels respond to variable abiotic conditions (e.g. dry headwaters to larger rivers).
We investigated responses in functional and taxonomic diversity to abiotic variables across a highly diverse range of streams in south-east Australia. At 82 sites, we recorded plant species growing in the low flow channel and calculated 19 hydrogeomorphic and environmental metrics for each site. We assigned traits related to dispersal, growth and reproduction to each species and assessed relationships between instream plant functional trait and taxonomic diversity across five identified stream typologies.
In this presentation, I will discuss the findings from this study which aims to improve our understanding of how hydrogeomorphology and other environmental variables drive instream plant communities and their functional trait assemblages. This understanding is key to managing streams likely to change under anthropogenic pressures such as climate change, water extraction and urbanisation.