Rivers as Ecosystems

Abstract

This chapter reviews the different physical components of the river corridor, the physical processes that create and maintain those components, and the interactions between physical processes and living organisms. Among the critical aspects of physical processes and physical-biotic interactions are transfers of matter and energy and the occasional disturbances that reconfigure the river ecosystem and the processes occurring within the ecosystem. Individual rivers and segments of rivers respond differently to these disturbances and the nature of the response is characterized by how much the river ecosystem changes and how quickly the ecosystem recovers from change.