Governing Prozesses in the establishment of Terrestrial Vegetation in Alpine Rivers
Hydrology, hydraulic and bio-geomorphological processes shape the ecosystem of Alpine rivers and thereby determine the establishment and development of the vegetation in the active river corridor and flood plain. At the same time, this vegetation influences and modifies these processes through various feedback loop. The results is a mosaic of diverse habitats. The spatio-temporal configuration of these habitats determines whether and what type of vegetation establishes within the river channel.
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Sediment- and Vegetation Dynamics of Alpine Fans
Alpine alluvial fans function as sediment storage, hydrological buffer and provide habitats for rare specialist species. Located in the headwaters of Alpine Rivers they host the source populations of a number of Alpine River specialist plant species. As such, they contribute significantly to the vegetation of Alpine rivers. The dynamics and spread of these specialized plant species are strongly influenced by the alluvial fans‘ sediment dynamics and hydrology. In the Friedergries nature reserve in the Ammergau Alps, Bavaria, and various Alpine alluvial fans in Friuli, Italy, we are investigating succession processes and the population dynamics of Chondrilla chondrilloides, a species typical of alpine alluvial fans.
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Colonization Prozesses in Alpine Rivers
The basic dynamics of plant metapopulations have been well studied, and genetic data provide a large-scale picture of connectivity. On a small scale, the exact process of colonization and the spatiotemporal development of individual metapopulations along rivers is still unclear. To elucidate this process, we are investigating small-scale population dynamics along the Tagliamento River using the typical Alpine river specialists Chondrilla chondrilloides and Myricaria germanica.
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Modelling Metapopulation Dynamics of Chondrilla chondrilloides and Myricaria germanica
Based on fundamental ecosystem processes and the dispersal characteristics of selected plant species, we simulate habitat and population dynamics in Alpine rivers. With our model, we can simulate the metapopulation dynamics of different species and the vegetation development for a real or constructed river section of Alpine rivers under varying spatiotemporal habitat configurations, different hydrodynamic sor bedload turnover scenarios and the effects geomorphological changes to the river corridor. Thresholds and boundary conditions for the establishment and maintainance of a sustainable metapopulation can be derived. The model is validated against the actual situation on selected river sections of the Isar, Tagliamento, Piave and Fella.

Development of Guidelines for the Conservation and Restoration of Alpine rivers with a Focus on Terrestrial Habitats
Based on the findings obtained from our research modeling, guidelines for the restoration and preservation of alpine rivers can be derived.