Manuscrito
The Ecogeomorphology Of An Andean River System, Chile
Autor
Elgueta-Herrera, A
Thoms, Martín
Górski, Konrad
Habit-Conejeros, Evelyn Mariana
Institución
Resumen
Ecogeomorphology is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of river systems, and
26 one that integrates hydrology, geomorphology and ecology. Fluvial geomorphology
27 provides an initial starting point for characterizing and understanding the
28 ecogeomorphology of river networks. Knowledge of the spatial organization of
29 morphological features, their influencing processes and resultant geomorphic diversity
30 in river networks is important for identifying potential links between the physical and
31 ecological character of river systems. In this manuscript, a top-down GIS-based
32 approach for determining the physical typology of river networks is used to determine
33 and characterise the functional process zones (FPZs) - large tracts of the river network
34 with similar hydro-geomorphological character - of two rivers in central Chile. Seven
35 distinct FPZs emerged from the analysis, and these had a non-uniform distribution
36 along the river network. Some FPZs repeated downstream, while others were rare in
37 terms of their total length and number of FPZ segments. A strong association between
38 the physical character of FPZs and dominant fish species were shown for the Biobío and
39 Imperial Rivers. Application of this approach for establishing river reference
40 conditions within river networks as well as the management of threatened and
41 endangered species subject to multiple anthropogenic stressors is outlined.
42
43 Keywords: Functional Process Zones, River Networks, River Ecosystem Synthesis,
44 Hydrogeomorphic Diversity, Ecogeomorphology 29