In this diploma thesis current state of vegetation cover was analyzed after spring flood in 2006 on the lower section of the Sázava river. Immediately after the flood there were 38 sites with alluvial deposits identified in the floodplain. The differences in species composition and species diversity between sites with alluvial deposits and sites without deposits were analyzed. The data were collected by using phytosociological relevés in pairs i.e. - plot with an alluvial deposit and plot without. There were 86 vascular plant species recorded out of which 10 species were non-native but not invasive species and 7 species were non-native invasive species. Results of this thesis revealed that species composition and diversity of invasive species differ between plots with alluvial deposits and plots without alluvial deposits. Moreover, plots without alluvial deposits host more invasive species. Keywords: vegetation succession, river floodplain, extreme floods, species diversity, plant invasion

No description available.

River-floodplain connectivity is defined as the water mediated transfer of materials and energy between a river or stream and its adjacent floodplain. It is generally accepted that restoring and/or enhancing river-floodplain connectivity can reduce the downstream flux of reactive solutes such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and thus improve downstream water quality. However, there is little scientific literature to guide ecological engineering efforts which optimize river-floodplain connectivity for solute retention. Therefore, the aim of my dissertation research was to examine feedbacks between inundation hydrology and floodplain biogeochemistry, with an emphasis on analyzing variation experienced along the river continuum and the cumulative effects of river-floodplain connectivity at the basin scale. This was completed through four independent investigations. Field sites ranged from the Atchafalaya River Basin, the largest river-floodplain system in the continental US, to the floodplain of a recently restored headwater stream in Appalachia. We also developed a method to examine river-floodplain connectivity across large- river networks and applied that methodology to US stream network. Largely, our results highlight the role floodwater residence time distributions play in floodplain biogeochemistry. In headwater streams, residence times restrict redox dependent processes (e.g. denitrification) and downstream flushing of reactive solutes is the dominant process. However, in large-river floodplains, redox dependent processes can become solute limited because of prolonged residence times and hydrologic isolation. In these floodplains, the dominant process is often autochthonous solute accumulation. Further, results from our modeling study suggest large-river floodplains have a greater impact on downstream water quality than floodplains associated with smaller streams, even when considering cumulative effects across the entire river network. / Ph. D.

The molluscs are very suitable model of invertebrate group for ecological and palaeoecological studies for their specific traits. In the first part of the thesis, we showed based on available fossil mollusc successions that development of the floodplain mollusc fauna took place quite different way in various river floodplains, depending on their specifics and geographical location, because especially the ones situated in the chernozem area of the Czech Republic had very different history. Detailed processing of five fossil mollusc successions in the lower Ohře River floodplain confirmed the impoverishment of recent forest malacofauna does not relate to natural processes only (chapters 3 and 10), but it arises from historical development of this area which was under permanent stress of the human settlement and agricultural utilization (chapter 1) since the coming of the Neolithic people. We made similar conclusions in case of another 11 fossil mollusc successions in the neighbouring České Středohoří Mts. (chapter 2). In the second part of the thesis (chapter 3), we investigated the ecological patterns responsible for species richness and composition of the floodplain mollusc fauna are especially the elevation and humidity gradient, and then vegetation type and its biomass, light conditions of the...

Estudos biogeomorfológicos integrando a geomorfologia fluvial, neotectônica e a vegetação foram aplicados na ilha da Marchantaria, com a finalidade de analisar a distribuição da vegetação de várzea nas feições geomorfológicas. A planície do rio Amazonas é um mosaico de feições morfológicas de dimensões espaciais ora menores, ora maiores tais como ilhas, bancos arenosos, furos, paranás e lagos, que pela dinâmica fluvial estão continuamente se modificando. No canal do rio Amazonas, a ilha da Marchantaria, situada no baixo curso do rio Solimões motiva relevante interesse, tendo em vista a sua evolução areal nos últimos quarenta anos, bem como, a sua proximidade ao Encontro das Águas de Manaus EAM. A partir do arranjo dos elementos neotectônicos que condicionam as formas quaternárias atuais da ilha foram identificadas duas unidades estruturais distintas: Depósito Aluvial Subrecente (DASr) e Depósito Aluvial Recente (DAR). Também, foram definidas as unidades morfossedimentares holocênicas: feições espiras de meandro e barras de soldamento. A distribuição espacial da vegetação sobre as diferentes elevações do terreno foram agrupadas em duas unidades: vegetação lenhosa e vegetação herbácea. Os resultados mostram que: a) a vegetação distribui-se espacialmente nos diferentes níveis tectono-topográficos; b) a erosão fluvial, à montante da ilha, remove gradativamente a vegetação árborea, no entanto, à jusante, está ocorrendo sedimentação, propiciando a colonização de espécies herbáceas; c) a vegetação da ilha apresenta-se alterada devido à ação antrópica. / Biogeomorphologics studies, integrating fluvial geomorphology, neotectonic and vegetation, were applied on the island of Marchantaria, in order to analyze the distribution of vegetation in the floodplain geomorphological features. The Amazon River floodplain is a mosaic of morphological features from sometimes smaller spatial dimensions, sometimes larger such as islands, sandbars, furos, multichannels and lakes, the river dynamics that are continually changing. In the channel of the Amazon River, the island of Marchantaria, located on the lower course of the river Solimões, motivates relevant interest given its areal developments in the last forty years, as well as its proximity to the Encontro das Águas de Manaus - EAM. From the arrangement of neotectonic elements that condition the current quaternary forms of the island, two distinct structural units were identified: Sub-recent Alluvial Deposit (SrAD) and Recent Alluvial Deposit (RAD). The Holocene morpho-sedimentary units were also defined: features of scroll bars and annexation bars. The spatial distribution of vegetation on different ground elevations were grouped into two units: woody vegetation and herbaceous vegetation. The results show that: a) vegetation is distributed spatially in different tectono-topographic levels; b) fluvial erosion, the upstream of the island, gradually removes the arboreal vegetation, however, the downstream sedimentation is occurring, leading to colonization of herbaceous species; c) the island\'s vegetation is altered due to human action.

Estudos biogeomorfológicos integrando a geomorfologia fluvial, neotectônica e a vegetação foram aplicados na ilha da Marchantaria, com a finalidade de analisar a distribuição da vegetação de várzea nas feições geomorfológicas. A planície do rio Amazonas é um mosaico de feições morfológicas de dimensões espaciais ora menores, ora maiores tais como ilhas, bancos arenosos, furos, paranás e lagos, que pela dinâmica fluvial estão continuamente se modificando. No canal do rio Amazonas, a ilha da Marchantaria, situada no baixo curso do rio Solimões motiva relevante interesse, tendo em vista a sua evolução areal nos últimos quarenta anos, bem como, a sua proximidade ao Encontro das Águas de Manaus EAM. A partir do arranjo dos elementos neotectônicos que condicionam as formas quaternárias atuais da ilha foram identificadas duas unidades estruturais distintas: Depósito Aluvial Subrecente (DASr) e Depósito Aluvial Recente (DAR). Também, foram definidas as unidades morfossedimentares holocênicas: feições espiras de meandro e barras de soldamento. A distribuição espacial da vegetação sobre as diferentes elevações do terreno foram agrupadas em duas unidades: vegetação lenhosa e vegetação herbácea. Os resultados mostram que: a) a vegetação distribui-se espacialmente nos diferentes níveis tectono-topográficos; b) a erosão fluvial, à montante da ilha, remove gradativamente a vegetação árborea, no entanto, à jusante, está ocorrendo sedimentação, propiciando a colonização de espécies herbáceas; c) a vegetação da ilha apresenta-se alterada devido à ação antrópica. / Biogeomorphologics studies, integrating fluvial geomorphology, neotectonic and vegetation, were applied on the island of Marchantaria, in order to analyze the distribution of vegetation in the floodplain geomorphological features. The Amazon River floodplain is a mosaic of morphological features from sometimes smaller spatial dimensions, sometimes larger such as islands, sandbars, furos, multichannels and lakes, the river dynamics that are continually changing. In the channel of the Amazon River, the island of Marchantaria, located on the lower course of the river Solimões, motivates relevant interest given its areal developments in the last forty years, as well as its proximity to the Encontro das Águas de Manaus - EAM. From the arrangement of neotectonic elements that condition the current quaternary forms of the island, two distinct structural units were identified: Sub-recent Alluvial Deposit (SrAD) and Recent Alluvial Deposit (RAD). The Holocene morpho-sedimentary units were also defined: features of scroll bars and annexation bars. The spatial distribution of vegetation on different ground elevations were grouped into two units: woody vegetation and herbaceous vegetation. The results show that: a) vegetation is distributed spatially in different tectono-topographic levels; b) fluvial erosion, the upstream of the island, gradually removes the arboreal vegetation, however, the downstream sedimentation is occurring, leading to colonization of herbaceous species; c) the island\'s vegetation is altered due to human action.

This study presents a new Lagrangian model for predicting dynamics and transport in rivers and shallow water flows. A hydrostatic model is developed for the prediction of rivers and floodplain flow and lateral interactions between them. The model is extended to the Boussinesq weakly non-linear, non-hydrostatic model for the simulation of solitary waves and undular bores. A model for advection-diffusion transport of tracers in open channel flow is also presented. The simulation results are compared against an analytical solution and published laboratory data, field data and theoretical results. It is demonstrated that the Lagrangian moving grid eliminates numerical diffusion and oscillations; the model is dynamically adaptive, providing higher resolution under the wave by compressing the parcels (grid). It also allows flow over dry beds and moving boundaries to be handled efficiently. The hydrostatic model results have shown that the model accurately simulates wave propagation and non-linear steepening until wave breaking. The model is successfully applied to simulate flow and lateral interactions in a compound channel and flood wave movement in a natural river. The non-hydrostatic model has successfully reproduced the general features of solitary waves such as the balance between non-linearity and wave dispersion and non-linear interactions of two solitary waves by phase-shift. Also, the model successfully reproduced undular bores (high frequency short waves) from a long wave and the predicted maximum height of the leading wave agreed very well with the published results. It is shown that the simple second order accurate Lagrangian scheme efficiently simulates dispersive waves without any numerical diffusion. Lagrangian modeling of advection-diffusion transport of Gaussian tracer distributions, top hat tracer distributions and steep fronts (step function) in steady, uniform flow has provided exact results and has shown that the scheme allows the use of a large time step without any numerical diffusion and oscillations, including for the advection of steep fronts. The scheme can handle large Courant numbers (results are presented for Cr = 0 to 20) and the entire range of grid Peclet numbers from zero to infinity. The model is successfully applied to tracer transport due to flow induced by simple waves, solitary waves and undular bores

Orientador: Luciano Alves dos Anjos / Resumo: A região Neotropical é reconhecida pela alta diversidade de peixes dulcícolas, com aproximadamente 6.025 espécies. Deste total, 66% estão distribuídos nos rios brasileiros refletindo a grande diversidade dos ecossistemas aquáticos disponíveis. Os sistemas de planície de inundação são ecossistemas que contribuiu para essa megadiversidade devido à complexidade ambiental. A Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural (RPPN) Foz do rio Aguapeí é um desses ricos e complexos ecossistemas aquáticos. É influenciado por pulsos de inundação que alteram os ambientes, moldando a composição e a estrutura das comunidades dos parasitos de peixes desta localidade. Dentre os peixes da região, os Siluriformes Auchenipterus osteomystax e Parauchenipterus galeatus apresentam similaridades biológicas e ecológicas. Neste trabalho as suas faunas parasitárias foram inventariadas e utilizadas para testar os efeitos das estações seca e chuvosa sobre a composição e estrutura dessas comunidades. Uma nova espécie de monogenea foi encontrada e descrita. O presente estudo compara os efeitos dessas estações sobre os níveis de parasitismo desses hospedeiros. Estudos prévios corroboram a importância da dinâmica espacial e temporal do pulso de inundação nesses ecossistemas para a manutenção da diversidade. Por fim, as ações antrópicas impostas pelas usinas hidrelétricas da região podem afetar diretamente as condições biológicas e recrutamento dos peixes, influenciando a interação parasito-hospedeiro. / Abstract: The Neotropical region is recognized by high diversity of freshwater fish, with approximately 6,025 species. Of that total, 66% are distributed in the Brazilian rivers reflecting the high diversity of aquatic ecosystems available. The river-floodplains systems are ecosystems that contributed to this megadiversity due to environmental complexity. The Reserva de Particular Patrimônio Nacional (RPPN) from the Mouth of Aguapeí River is one of these rich and complexity aquatic ecosystems. It is influenced by floods that change the environments, shaping the composition and structure of fish parasites of this location. Among the fishes of this region, the Siluriformes Auchenipterus osteomystax and Parauchenipterus galeatus exhibit biological and ecological similarities. Its parasite fauna have been listed and used to test the dry and rainy season effects on the composition and structure of these communities. The present study compares the effects of these seasons on levels of parasitism of these hosts. The previous studies corroborate the relevance of spatial and temporal dynamics of the flood pulse in these ecosystems to maintenance of diversity. Finally, the anthropic actions imposed by regional hydroelectric power could direct affect the biological condition and fish recruitment, influencing the host-parasite interaction. / Mestre

The aim of this thesis has been to reconstruct paleoenvironment, paleohydrology and paleoclimate in coastal southern Mozambique, with emphasis on tracing past flooding events on the lower Limpopo River floodplain. In order to extend flood chronologies beyond periods covered by instrumental data, sediments from lakes on the floodplain were studied (Lake Lungué, Coassane Oxbow, Lake Magandane and Lake Soane). Past sea-level variations and climate changes were deduced by analyzing sediments from coastal sites north of the floodplain area (Lake Chilau, Lake Nhauhache and Macassa Bay). To achieve the established objectives, a multi-proxy approach was applied on most of the retrieved sediment cores, involving analysis of mineral magnetic parameters, grain-size and organic carbon in combination with analysis of microfossils such as diatoms and/or phytoliths. Chronologies for the constructed time-series analysis were obtained by radiocarbon dating and age-depth modelling. The synthesized data from the sampled sites on the Limpopo River floodplain suggest that the area was affected by at least 16 flooding events of variable magnitudes during the studied period. These are dated to c. AD 940, 980, 1040, 1100, 1250, 1300, 1370, 1580, 1665, 1730, 1755, 1855, 1920, 1945, 1970 and 2000. In calibrated years BP these ages correspond to 1010, 970, 910, 850, 700, 650, 580, 370, 285, 220, 195, 95, 30, and 5 cal yrs BP. The two youngest are dated to 20 and 50 years AP (After Present being 1950). Proxy data further suggest that southern Africa was subject to two periods of sea-level highstands, at c. 5000–4200 BC (6950–6150 cal yrs BP) and AD 300–950 (1650–1000 cal yrs BP). The former represents the middle part of the postglacial climatic optimum. The wettest period in the Limpopo River floodplain was reported between AD 1360 and 1560 (590 and 390 cal yrs BP) in the Lake Lungué record, while Lake Chilau experienced wet conditions between AD 1200 and 1400 (750 and 550 cal yrs BP), then returning to drier conditions that prevailed until c. AD 1600. In Lake Nhauhache, however, drier conditions prevailed from c. AD 1200–1700 (750–250 cal yrs BP), shifting towards wetter at c. AD 1900 (50 cal yrs BP). The deviating signals between records can partly be explained by Lake Lungué basin being located on the Limpopo River floodplain, responding to flooding events associated with precipitation upstream the drainage area. Therefore, wet and dry periods in floodplain lakes (e.g. Lake Lungué) are not expected to correlate with precipitation changes on a local scale, as indicated by e.g. Lake Nhauhache. This is supported by a relatively weak agreement between Lake Lungué record and other nearby records (outside the floodplain), but a better correlation with records from the upper catchment, where a more regional climate signal is provided of the southern African summer rainfall region. / Denna avhandling behandlar studier av paleomiljöer i södra Mozambique med fokus på översvämningshistorik i Limpopo-flodens nedre lopp. Tidsspannet är mitt- och sen-holocen och inkluderar även klimat och havsnivåvariationer. Följande analysmetoder har applicerats på ett flertal sedimentkärnor för att belysa ovanstående frågeställningar: mineralmagnetiska parameterar, kornstorlek, organiskt kol samt kiselmikrofossil (diatoméeter och fytoliter). Åldrar har bestämts med 14C-metoden.  Analyserna visar att mineralmagnetiska parametrar är lämpliga för att identifiera översvämningar, speciellt magnetisk susceptibilitet och SIRM. Dessa parametrar visar på ett sediments magnetiska kornstorlerkar och koncentrationen av finkorniga magnetiska mineral. Även kornstorleksanalyser fungerade som ett bra komplement till dessa metoder. Sammantaget har ett minimum av 16 översvämningar registrerats i Limpopo/flodens nedre lopp under de senaste 1100 åren. Särskilt stora översvämningar har daterats till AD 1250 (700 kal år BP), AD 1370 (580 kal år BP), AD 1580 (370 kal år BP), AD 1855 (95 kal år BP), AD 1920 (30 kal år BP), AD 1970 (20 kal år AP) och AD 2000 (50 kal år AP), där AP betyder ”after present”, vilket är 1950. Mindre kraftiga översvämningar har daterats till AD 940 (1010 kal år BP), AD 980 (970 kal år BP), AD 1040 (910 kal år BP), AD 1100 (850 kal år BP), AD 1300 (650 kal år BP), AD 1665 (285 kal år BP), AD 1730 (220 kal år BP), AD 1755 (195 kal år BP) och AD 1945 (5 kal år BP). Skriftliga källor visar på att åtminstone åtta översvämningar har ägt rum under de senaste 62 åren. Under samma period har denna undersökning registrerat två händelser, vilket indikerar att endast ett fåtal har registrerats med ovan nämnda metoder. Det är sannolikt att sedimentationsmönstret under en översvämning är komplicerat och inte heller likartad från gång till gång. Detta innebär att ett flertal sedimentkärnor behöver analyseras och dateras väl. Ytterligare en försvårande faktor är flodens mycket aktiva meandringsaktivitet. Analys av diatoméer har visats vara värdefulla när det gäller översvämningshistorik, klimatförändringar och havsytevariationer. Sedimenten i den något till flodslättens nedre lopp perifert belägna sjön Lungué indikerar fuktiga förhållanden mellan AD 1360 och 1560 (590 till 390 kal år BP). Kombinerade fytolit- och diatoméanalyser av sedimenten i sjön Chilau indikerar fuktiga förhållanden från AD 1200 till 1400 (750 till 550 kal år BP), varefter torrare förhållanden rådde till ca AD 1600 (350 kal år BP). Diatoméanalys av sedimenten i sjön Nhauhache indikerar generellt sett torrare förhållanden mellan AD 1200 och AD 1700 (750 till 250 kal år BP) då klimatet blev fuktigare. De fuktiga och torra förhållanden som dokumenterats i sjön Lungué och översvämningshistoriken korrelerar inte helt med lokala nederbördsförhållanden. Däremot stämmer erhållna data bättre med förhållanden i den övre delen av Limpopoflodens dräneringsområde. Även sjöar och fyllda meanderbågar på själva flodslätten verkar reagera tydligare på översvämningar orsakade av nederbörd i den övre delen av flodloppet. Undersökningen indikerar två faser av en förhöjd havsyta längs kusten i södra Mozambique. En äldre fas är daterad till ca 5000–4200 f.Kr. (6950–6150 kal år BP), vilken representerar den mellersta delen av det postglaciala värmeoptimet. Denna tolkning stöds även av andra undersökningar. En yngre fas har daterats till AD 300–950 (1650–1000 kal år BP), vilken korresponderar till en period med något förhöjda temperaturer i ett globalt perspektiv. / O presente projecto teve como objectivo a reconstrução do paleoambiente, paleohidrologia e paleoclima da costa Sul de Moçambique, com ênfase na identificação de vestígios de eventos de cheias que tenham, no passado, afectado a planície de inundação do Rio Limpopo, com vista a fazer a extensão das datações de cheias para o período anterior aos instrumentos de medição. Deste modo, foram estudados sedimentos recuperados através de testemunhos de sondagem em lagos dentro da planície de inundação (Lago Magandane, Lago Lungué, Lago Soane e o canal abandonado Coassane). As variações do nível do mar e mudanças climáticas do passado foram deduzidas a partir da análise de sedimentos de áreas costeiras a norte da planície de inundação (Lago Chilau, Lago Nhauhache e a Baía de Macassa). Para o alcance destes objectivos, os sedimentos dos testemunhos de sondagem recuperados foram submetidos a várias análises laboratoriais que incluem propriedades de minerais magnéticos, granulometria, teor de matéria orgânica e de microfósseis (diatomáceas e fitólitos). Para o estabelecimento do modelo cronológico foram usadas datações pelo método 14C feitas em matéria orgânica, assim como conchas de gastrópodes e bivalves. A combinação dos resultados obtidos para os pontos de amostragem localizados dentro da planície de inundação do Rio Limpopo, sugerem que esta área foi afectada por um mínimo de 16 eventos de cheias de variada magnitude nos últimos 1100 anos. As cheias de alta magnitude tiveram lugar nos anos 1250, 1370, 1580, 1855, 1920, 1970 e 2000. Por seu turno, as cheias de magnitude moderada ocorrerram nos anos 940, 980, 1040, 1100, 1300, 1665, 1730, 1755 e 1945.. Os anos a negrito são indicativos de eventos de cheias de alta magnitude. O número total de eventos identificados no presente estudo é um mínimo que poderá ter afectado a planície de inundação, tendo em consideração que fontes escritas reportam a ocorrência de pelo menos oito eventos nos últimos 62 anos, tendo o presente estudo revelado somente dois. Isto indica que apenas eventos de cheias intensos podem ser revelados pelos métodos aplicados nesta investigação. Adicionalmente, este estudo mostra a necessidade de aumentar o número de pontos de amostragem para permitir a identificação de mais eventos de cheias ocorridos no passado, devido à diferenciada resposta sedimentológica e geomagnética às cheias, a qual se encontra directamente relacionada à distância do rio meandrante. As análises de microfósseis de diatomáceas permitiram reconstruir o paleoclima e as influências do nível do mar nas áreas de estudo deste projecto. Os registros de diatomáceas do Lago Lungué indicam um período húmido entre AD 1360 e 1560. No Lago Chilau, dados de diatomáceas e fitólitos sugerem condições de humidade entre AD 1200 e 1400. Por seu turno, no Lago Nhauhache, condições de seca dominam entre AD 1200 e 1700. As condições de seca e humidade documentadas no Lago Lungué e os eventos de cheias revelados pelos sedimentos analisados da planície de inundação do Rio Limpopo não mostram total correlação com períodos de baixa e alta precipitação a nível local, mas apresentam boa correlação com evidências a montante na área de drenagem do Rio Limpopo. Em geral, lagos activos ou preenchidos por sedimentos mostrarão ser mais susceptíveis a cheias com origem a montante do que a nível local. As investigações conduzidas permitiram identificar dois períodos de alto nível do mar na região sul de Moçambique. A fase mais antiga teve lugar há cerca de 5000–4200 BC (6950–6150 anos do calendário BP), representando a fase mais recente do pós-glaciar climático óptimo (postglacial climatic optimum, PCA). A fase recente é datada de AD 300–950 (1650–1000 anos do calendário BP), correspondendo a um período de temperaturas relativamente altas a nível global. / Climate and Environmental Research