Forest structure, flooding and grazing predict understorey composition of floodplain forests in southeastern Australia

Abstract

Most floodplains have been drastically altered by vegetation clearance and river regulation for human needs. In the mid-latitudes, these degraded ecosystems now face the formidable challenge of rapid warming and drying of climates. If the plant diversity of floodplain forests is to be maintained under future climates, their management must be informed by an understanding of how anthropogenic stressors and environmental gradients shape these ecosystems. We used a field survey to examine the potential drivers (forest structure, flooding and anthropogenic disturbance e.g. grazing and logging) of species richness and composition of Eucalyptus camaldulensis floodplain forests in southeastern Aust..