Abstract
Urban streams have, recently, been straightened and widened to alleviate flooding problem. As a result, the stream have been modified inadvertently for ecological functions and microtopography. In this study, we investigated riparian vegetation and microtopography of the tributaries of Han River before and after the monsoon rain in summer. The purpose of this study was to relate the stream microtopography to the distribution of riparian vegetation. The stream microtopography was investigated for its scale and pattern. Vegetation was investigated from 131 plots by Braun-Blanquet method. The distribution of riparian vegetation was significantly correlated with the stream microtopography. Various herbaceous species occurred at stream bank slop, high terrace and channel side. However, at channel side and concave part of terrace where soils were in high moisture level, only a few wetland species were dominated. The complexity of the microtopography in the stream corridors led to heterogeneous riparian vegetation. The vegetation showed more stability against flooding at the stream corridors with natural and complex microtopography than at the urban-type stream corridors with simple topographical features. The results showed that the development of riparian vegetation was influenced by the changes in microtopography, which was primarily determined by the shape and characteristics of channel. It seemed that a close-to-nature river system would be restored more readily with an understanding of microtopographical features affecting the distribution of riparian vegetation.
