“The mountains are fountains of men as well as of rivers, of glaciers, of

fertile soil“ – John Muir

The Missouri River ecosystem represents the dual nature of the

majority of remaining ecosystems. The channelization of the Missouri

resulted in the loss of wetlands and homogenization of river speed and

depth conditions. Only recently steps have been taken to reverse this

trend. However, the ecosystem is still a reflection of the long-standing

disturbance type, flooding. Understanding this system is about

synthesizing these two aspects of the same location.

The river acts on both biotic and abiotic aspects of the

ecosystem to shape the species community. To start with either would

be appropriate but in this case our understanding will work from the

ground up, soil comes first.

Soil deposits come from the river. Sand is the first component of

soil to settle out due to having a relatively large particle size. It is

found in the highest concentrations along the interface between the

land and the river. Next up in particle size and deposition is silty soil.
Finally, the smallest particle sized component of the floodwaters, clay,

is released. As time passes and stages of flooding come and go the

land begins to reflect the relative proportions of these soil components.

This information can be used to understand the biotic aspects of the

Missouri River Floodplain ecosystem.

Biotic communities follow a similar trend as the soil. At one

location in the floodplain, dominant species changed in step with the

soil composition. Willows outnumbered most other species in the sand

to sandy soil. Silver maples were mainly concentrated in silty soil.

Farthest from the river is the clay soil. The majority of trees in this

section were cottonwoods. Because cottonwood is also found on sandy

soils, it exhibits a pattern of being a generalist species in regard to soil

components. Historically, there is evidence of species composition

changing with soil composition and distance from the river.

There were three major communities found in the floodplain

forest of 1820. The first and closest to the river was composed of

cottonwoods and willows on sandy soils. The second was mainly a mix

of elm, green ash and hackberry on loamy soil. The third and farthest

away from the river was pin oak and swamp white oak on high sections

of the floodplain with mainly clay soil.

Human impact on this forest system cannot be ignored. Large

tracts of this region have been harvested and agriculture introduced.

The return of trees into this ecosystem is not without the effects of this
impact returning with them. Additionally, current management falls

under several categories.

Eagle Bluffs is purposefully flooded as a wetland treatment for

Columbia’s wastewater. Plowboy is protected from flooding due to part

of it being privately owned. Another area is passively flooded once the

river reaches over a certain threshold. All of these alter the originally

variability of the river flooding events. Furthermore, non-native and

invasive species such as Japanese hop serve as an additional sign of

human impact.

Acted on by natural and human forces, much has changed in the

floodplain forests through time. Throughout that past and into the

future these forests will be the reflection of disturbance that is or is not

allowed to occur there. From the soil to the trees, the river decides.