thumb|upright=1.3|A [[Casuarina|she-oak riparian forest in Western Sydney]]

A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, sink, or reservoir. Due to the broad nature of the definition, riparian woodlands have a huge diversity of characteristics including but not limited to soil composition, microclimates, and vegetative structures.

Invertebrate communities rely on riparian forests due to their unique characteristics. The constant process of flooding and drought allow for insect communities to flourish since alluvial depositions of nutrients and vital food sources like leaf litter due to their high rate of productivity. These aspects of Riparian forests make them hugely important in the life cycles of invertebrates like insects throughout the world. Decomposers, like the Lepidostoma unicolor, Which can be found in northwestern North America, rely on these external nutritional subsidies for food sources. Many decomposers are in their larval stage when they are in the streams or rivers along riparian forests.

  • Urban development (housing, roads, malls, etc.)
  • Grazing
  • Mining
  • Disrupted hydrology, such as dams and levees, which reduces the amount and/or frequency of flooding
  • Invasive species

See also

  • Bosque
  • Gallery forest
  • Management of Pacific Northwest riparian forests
  • Riparian zone
  • Tugay
  • Swamp Oak Forests

References

  • "Assessing the Need for a Riparian Management System (RiMS)"—Iowa State University Extension Bulletin (2002)