Flash floods are a defining feature of desert streams, but flow records are not always available to characterize long-term flood dynamics. In this study, rainfall data spanning 100 years were used as a proxy to quantify long-term flood regimes for southeastern Arizona (USA) streams. The frequency and seasonal timing of severe floods (>50% substrate movement) were highly variable at short temporal scales (days to several years), but clear patterns emerged in the long-term (several years to a century). To explore the ecological effects of flood timing, populations of the caddisfly Phylloicus aeneus (Calamoceratidae) were monitored in 2 streams over 3 years. The timing of individual floods relative to the long-term average strongly affected P. aeneus populations: early and timely floods had little effect on population size in the next year, but late floods significantly reduced population size in the next year. Thus, flood timing might play a role in regulating populations of desert stream organisms.
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1 March 2003
RECONSTRUCTING LONG-TERM FLOOD REGIMES WITH RAINFALL DATA: EFFECTS OF FLOOD TIMING ON CADDISFLY POPULATIONS
David A. Lytle
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