Impacts of Green River Regulation on Riparian Vegetation, Avifauna, Reptiles, Amphibians and Mammals

Research questions and testable hypothesis Do riparian vegetation species assemblages change downstream of Flaming Gorge Dam? • We expect that the ratio of native to non-native riparian plant species will increase beyond the confluence of the Yampa. Does riparian vegetation species composition change based on the terrace level on which they are found? • We expect to see a difference in plant species composition based on terrace level. Do plant, bird, amphibian, reptile, and mammal species compositions differ between canyons and open park alluvial reaches? • We expect that plant and animal species compositions will be similar among canyons and similar among parks but different between the two groups. Do bird, reptile, amphibian, and mammal assemblages change downstream of Flaming Gorge Dam as a function of predicted changes in vegetation? • We expect that the density of cottonwood-dependent birds will increase as the abundance of cottonwoods increases downstream of the dam