Robb Jacobson provided comments which greatly improved the manuscript. Additionally, helpful comments were provided by two anonymous reviewers. “
“Most of the world’s large rivers are intensely managed and engineered by dams, levees, and other human-built structures (Gupta, 2007). The geomorphic effects of river management have been well documented (Williams and Wolman, 1984, Gregory, 2006 and Hudson et al., 2008), and frequently include substantial loss of islands and

mid-channel features from braided rivers (Gurnell and Petts, 2002, Collins and Knox, 2003 and Surian and Rinaldi, 2003). In island-braided rivers, persistent and vegetated mid-channel features divert flow to secondary channels and backwaters, creating varied hydraulic conditions that allow for diverse physical habitats to be in Selleckchem KPT330 close proximity to each other (Johnson et al., 1995, Petts et al., 2000 and Gurnell et al., 2001). Thus, when islands are lost, loss of habitat and biodiversity may follow (Ward and Tockner, 2001). Increasing environmental concerns in engineered rivers have led to restoration efforts, including attempts to stabilize and rebuild MEK inhibitor islands (O’Donnell and Galat, 2007 and Piégay et al., 2009). Questions concerning large river restoration include how to select the right project areas for a successful restoration (Ward et al., 2001, Palmer et al., 2005 and O’Donnell and Galat, 2007). In this paper,

a river reach where island growth has occurred in the

context of intense river engineering is used to examine the dynamics of island development and implications for restoration strategies, particularly project placement. The most common processes associated with island formation in braided Dimethyl sulfoxide rivers include lee deposition at a channel obstruction, gradual degradation of channel branches, and the stabilization of bars by accretion and vegetation (Osterkamp, 1998, Gurnell et al., 2001 and Kiss and Sipos, 2007). Islands and channels in engineered rivers tend to either erode rapidly or remain relatively stable; rarely do they emerge and grow (Minagawa and Shimatani, 1999, Gurnell and Petts, 2002 and Collins and Knox, 2003). However, in engineered river systems, geomorphic equilibration to management could result in island emergence, stability, or erosion, depending on the new hydraulic regime, sediment supply, and type of structures employed (Piégay et al., 2009). Loss of land increases connections between backwaters and channels, homogenizes terrestrial and aquatic habitats, and alters sediment and water distribution during high flows (e.g., Grubaugh and Anderson, 1988). Levees are used extensively in engineered rivers (e.g., Xu, 1993, Shields, 1995, Piégay et al., 2009 and Alexander et al., 2012). By disconnecting the floodplain from the main channel, levees restrict the number of active channels and their movement.