Relations between the distribution of riparian forests and the hydrological regime of Paraná River.

CASCO, S. L.; NEIFF, J.J.

Jacksonville (Florida)

Encuentro; Meeting of Freshwater Sciences; 2013

Society of Freshwater Sciences

The trees of the Paraná River floodplain are able to live in the alternately flooded and dry soil. The distribution of each species is mainly conditioned by the water regime in each area of the floodplain, and its location in the topographical gradient of the islands allows us to know the possibility of colonization the islands of the river based on knowledge of their tolerance to hydrological variations and so, to foresee the vegetation pattern that could take place after the of hydrological disturbances produced by dams upstream. We present the distribution pattern of the more conspicuous species of these riparian forests in islands with different topography in a section of the Paraná River downstream of Paraguay-Paraná River confluence. The frequency of pulses, number of flooding days and number of emergent soil days at each topographic position allow to prepare the curves of more possible occurrence in a possible scenario of Global Climate Change and as an ecological reference for recovering of riverine forest after civil works.