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<p>In the middle Rio Grande, valuable wetlands and riparian areas have been lost due to the expansion of urban and agricultural land. Additionally, the channelization of the river along the US–Mexico border has altered hydrological dynamics, contributing to the degradation of these ecosystems. The Rio Bosque wetlands were constructed in El Paso, Texas, USA, to mitigate the loss of these habitats. Unfortunately, these wetlands faced issues with water availability until 2016, when they began to receive the resource more frequently. Vegetation was allowed to establish naturally over time in response to winter water deliveries (2005–2014) and summer water deliveries (2016–2017). This study investigated how changes in water delivery influenced the plant community development over more than a decade of restoration activities. We observed that water depth was an important predictor of increasing the relative frequency and cover of wetland plants, as well as macrophyte diversity. A non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination showed a transition of the vegetation community from limited water years to more regular water availability. The plant community changed from one dominated by upland plants, including invasive tumbleweed (<i>Salsola tragus</i>), to one dominated by flood-tolerant, competitive wetland plants (<i>Lemna</i> spp. and <i>Polygonum lapathifolium</i>). Deeper areas had a greater proportion of wetland plants, while facultative wetland plants occurred on the edges of ponds. In general, this 12-year study has helped to understand how the Rio Bosque ecosystem has changed after more regular water availability and will assist managers in tracking the future recovery and restoration of this valuable desert wetland.</p>

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The Long-term Development of Wetland Plant Communities with Water Deliveries in a Created Wetland in the Desert Southwest

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月11日

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  • Enrique David Garcia,
  • Lisa Lee,
  • Vanessa Lougheed

摘要

In the middle Rio Grande, valuable wetlands and riparian areas have been lost due to the expansion of urban and agricultural land. Additionally, the channelization of the river along the US–Mexico border has altered hydrological dynamics, contributing to the degradation of these ecosystems. The Rio Bosque wetlands were constructed in El Paso, Texas, USA, to mitigate the loss of these habitats. Unfortunately, these wetlands faced issues with water availability until 2016, when they began to receive the resource more frequently. Vegetation was allowed to establish naturally over time in response to winter water deliveries (2005–2014) and summer water deliveries (2016–2017). This study investigated how changes in water delivery influenced the plant community development over more than a decade of restoration activities. We observed that water depth was an important predictor of increasing the relative frequency and cover of wetland plants, as well as macrophyte diversity. A non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination showed a transition of the vegetation community from limited water years to more regular water availability. The plant community changed from one dominated by upland plants, including invasive tumbleweed (Salsola tragus), to one dominated by flood-tolerant, competitive wetland plants (Lemna spp. and Polygonum lapathifolium). Deeper areas had a greater proportion of wetland plants, while facultative wetland plants occurred on the edges of ponds. In general, this 12-year study has helped to understand how the Rio Bosque ecosystem has changed after more regular water availability and will assist managers in tracking the future recovery and restoration of this valuable desert wetland.