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8025402 
Book/Book Chapter 
Ecology of braided rivers 
Tockner, K; Paetzold, A; Karaus, Ute; Claret, C; Zettel, J 
2006 
Special Publications of the International Association of Sedimentologists 
36 
339-359 
WOS:000286659900017 
Braided gravel-bed rivers are widespread in temperate piedmont and mountain-valley areas. In their pristine state, braided rivers are characterized by a shifting mosaic of channels, ponds, bars, and islands, since both flow and flood pulses create a diversity of habitats with fast turnover rates. Large wood has a major role in determining the geomorphology and ecological functioning of these rivers. Braided river habitats are colonized by a diverse fauna and flora adapted to their dynamic nature, including a significant proportion of highly endangered species. Animals exhibit high mobility, short and asynchronic life cycles, and ethological and phenological plasticity. Braided gravel-bed rivers also offer various categories of refugia such as shore areas, hypogeic and hyporheic habitats that are pivotal for maintaining diversity in the face of frequent disturbances. Today, however, most gravel-bed rivers bear little resemblance to their highly dynamic natural state due to anthropogenic modifications, and most braided rivers have been converted into incised single-thread channels. Gravel bars and vegetated islands are among the most endangered landscape elements worldwide. They are very sensitive to channelization, gravel extraction, and flow regulation. Therefore, more than for most other ecosystems, restoring braided rivers and their landscape elements means restoring their underlying hydrogeomorphological dynamics. 
Biodiversity; island; pond; conservation; adaptation; floodplain; shifting habitat mosaic; large wood; restoration Tagliamento; Danube