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<br />Introduction
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<br />Ecosystem management is emerging as the leading natural resource management philosophy of
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<br />the late 20th century. A basic goal of ecosystem management and restoration is to consider the
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<br />needs of all native organisms and natural processes and functions within the ecosystem, an
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<br />objective which at face vaJue presents an intractably complex intellectual challenge. Thus,
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<br />before this goal can be effectively translated into on-the-ground management activity, resource
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<br />managers win be chliiiengedto explicitlydescribedesiriid ecosystem structure; function, and'
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<br />variability; . to characteriie differences between current conditions and those that are desired;' to
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<br />define ecologiCally nuianingful and measurable indicators that can mark progress toward
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<br />ecosystem management and restoration goals (see K'eddy et al. 1993); and to incorporate .'
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<br />adaptive strategIes (Holling 1978) into resource management plans.
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<br />'.The biotic composition, strucnire, and function of aquatic, wetland, and riparian'" ...., *.
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<br />ecosystems largely depend on the hydrologic regime (for overviews see Gorman & Karr 1978;
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<br />Junk et a1.1989; Poff & Ward 1990; Mitsch &Gosselink 1993; National Research Council
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<br />1992; Sparks 1992); and these ecosystemtypes'in.turn are extremely sensitive to hydrologic
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<br />alteration (Sianford & Ward 1979; Ward & Stanford 1983; LilIehammer & Saltveit 1984; r
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<br />Bain et aL'1988; D'yneshis & Nilsson 1994). Also, hydrologic restoration is a criticallY;L.-"i'
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<br />important aspect of'ecological restoration efforts in aquatic, wetland, and riparian eCosystems ....1-:
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<br />(Kusler & Kentula 1989; Nationiu Research CounCih992; Noss &: Cooperrider 1994).' . . <''c''.' '......
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<br />However; most biohydiologic research (Le., the study of hydrologic iilfluences in biological
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<br />systems: Richter 1993a) and applied ecosystem reStoratr6n efforts (e.g.: Toth eta!: i993;' '.
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