Tree Community Patterns and Soil Texture Characteristics of a Meander Bend, Lower Trinity River, Southeast Texas

Tree Community Patterns and Soil Texture Characteristics of a Meander Bend, Lower Trinity River, Southeast Texas. (December 2011) Sarah Ildiko Nyikos, B.A., University of South Carolina Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Andrew C. Millington Dr. Inci Güneralp Meandering rivers and associated vegetation communities are highly dynamic systems that interact through various geomorphic and successional processes. However, much is still unknown about these interactions. Studies that focus on system integration rather than examining fluvial-related and vegetation dynamics individually will benefit science and the management of river systems. Tree communities in riparian areas, although consisting mainly of bottomland hardwood species, can be very diverse. Diversity has been linked to environmental influences such as meander migration, and changes in elevation and soil texture. This study focused on a single meander bend of the lower Trinity River in southeast Texas. The purpose of this research was to examine interactions between soil texture variation and the establishment and succession of riparian tree communities, as such interactions contribute to the formation of complex riparian landscapes. A bendscale approach was utilized to provide a detailed study of vegetation pattern and of soil texture resulting from sedimentation processes, to examine for any relationships between them. Aerial imagery was used to assist in interpreting patterns of vegetation succession.