The Long-term Development of Wetland Plant Communities with Water Deliveries in a Created Wetland in the Desert Southwest

In the middle Rio Grande, valuable wetlands and riparian areas have been lost due to the expansion of urban and agricultural
land. Additionally, the channelization of the river along the US–Mexico border has altered hydrological dynamics,
contributing to the degradation of these ecosystems. The Rio Bosque wetlands were constructed in El Paso, Texas, USA,
to mitigate the loss of these habitats. Unfortunately, these wetlands faced issues with water availability until 2016, when
they began to receive the resource more frequently. Vegetation was allowed to establish naturally over time in response to
winter water deliveries (2005–2014) and summer water deliveries (2016–2017). This study investigated how changes in
water delivery influenced the plant community development over more than a decade of restoration activities. We observed
that water depth was an important predictor of increasing the relative frequency and cover of wetland plants, as well as
macrophyte diversity. A non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination showed a transition of the vegetation
community from limited water years to more regular water availability. The plant community changed from one dominated
by upland plants, including invasive tumbleweed (Salsola tragus), to one dominated by flood-tolerant, competitive
wetland plants (Lemna spp. and Polygonum lapathifolium). Deeper areas had a greater proportion of wetland plants, while
facultative wetland plants occurred on the edges of ponds. In general, this 12-year study has helped to understand how the
Rio Bosque ecosystem has changed after more regular water availability and will assist managers in tracking the future
recovery and restoration of this valuable desert wetland.

This dataset contains vegetation surveys, bathymetric measurements, and sediment data from 2005-2017 used to assess vegetation patterns and hydrologic conditions at Rio Bosque Wetlands Park in El Paso, TX.
Garcia, E., Lee, L., & Lougheed, V. (2025). The Long-term Development of Wetland Plant Communities with Water Deliveries in a Created Wetland in the Desert Southwest. Wetlands, 45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-025-02000-z