Tri-variate relationship between vegetation species, hydrologic and geomorphic factors, responding to intensity, frequency and duration of the flood regime in the tropical lacustrine ecosystem, Puerto Rico

Keywords: Flood regime, Frequency-Magnitude-Duration, Lacustrine ecosystem, Hydrogemorphic regime change
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Sewon OhrThe natural stream flows have magnitude, frequency and duration as principal variables for regulating riverine ecological processes. Along with climate change, increasing the magnitude and frequency of extreme climatic events such as drought, hurricanes and floods. These extreme climatic events often come to fluvial ecosystems as disturbances while changing hydro and/or geomorphic regimes, affecting biotic habitats. Moreover, extreme climate events can destabilize existing environmental conditions and relations among factors and may lead todifferentenvironmental conditions which can result in different environmental two-way relations among biotic and abiotic factors such as a new pathway of ecological succession and hydrogeomorphic regimes. Frequency, magnitude and duration are key aspects of understanding the hydrogeomorphic influence of disturbance events, such as floods and mass wasting, on the ecosystem. Especially, man-made systems such as dams and lakes regulate hydrogeomorphic regimes at the natural conditions by capturing floods and the subsequential release downstream, which may contribute to the complexity and non-linearity of the lacustrine ecosystem. Considering the one characteristic of lakes as a deposition-dominant environment, lacustrine ecosystems can reflect the influence of disturbance events while providing a better understanding of the importance of frequency, magnitude and duration. In this context, this study aims to study the degree of influence of intensity, frequency and duration of floods on the lacustrine vegetation communities and geomorphic factorsin Puerto Rico.