Conclusions
It is clear that increased water availability in desert environments
can drastically change the abundance, size and composition
of vegetation. Overall, the wetter zones were closest to the canal's
boundary on the upslope sections of the canal and had greater plant
density and volume. The most notable differences in composition
were increased abundance of P. velutina, P. florida, B. salicifolia, and
herbaceous cover in the wettest zone. L. tridentata and other desert
shrubs were displaced to the border of the wettest zone, but had
greater height and stem diameter than typically occurs in the
desert owing to increased frequency of soil wetting in the canalassociated
anthropogenic-floodplain. These changes in distribution
of water, sediment and vegetation will have implications for
desert animal communities. Of note, the increased vegetation volume
likely will lead to increases in density and species richness of
birds, bees, and arboreal lizards (Merritt and Bateman, 2012). We
encourage research on these topics, to further increase understanding
of how CAP canal construction influences desert riparian
ecosystems.