The flood pulse in streams enhances the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the channel-floodplain
ecosystems by exchanging water, nutrients, sediments and organisms. However, the lateral connectivity in most
streams of Korea has been disrupted by the levee constructions for the purpose of flood control and land use
of floodplains. To compare the characteristics of floodplain vegetation according to existence of lateral
connectivity in streams, we investigated the geomorphological and soil environmental factors and structures and
distribution of vegetation in the floodplains connected and isolated by levee to the channel in Cheongmi
Stream, Seom River, Hwangguji Stream, Mangyeong River, Gomakwon Stream, and Boseong River, Korea. In
comparison of soil environments, moisture and clay contents were higher in the isolated floodplain than in the
connected floodplain. According to the result of principal component analysis (PCA) using environmental data,
the environments of the connected floodplain and the isolated floodplain were separated by soil moisture
contents, soil texture and distribution altitude of the vegetation. The results of detrended correspondence
analysis (DCA) using vegetation data showed that the isolated floodplain was dominated by the hydropythic
communities of diverse life form and that the connected floodplain was dominated by the hygrophytic
communities that endure disturbance. In conclusion, it is thought that the vegetation of the floodplain changed
to the lentic wetland vegetation dominated by diverse hydrophytes as the floodplain was isolated from the
channel by artificial levees.