Final answer:
Meandering widens the channel of a low-gradient stream as it leads to the erosion of the outer bends and deposition of sediment on the inner bends, altering the stream's path.
Step-by-step explanation:
Meandering changes the pattern of a stream channel in a low-gradient stream by widening the channel. As the river or stream flows away from the source, its speed decreases due to a lower gradient, which in turn allows more sedimentation as the flow slows. This meandering is characterized by the tendency to scour the outer bend of a river channel, eroding it and making it wider, while sediment is deposited on the inner bend, where the current is slower. This process gradually widens the channel, with increased volume of water and sediment coming from tributaries, changing the river's or stream's path.
The increase in the channel width is also affected by other factors such as the volume of water increasing from tributaries joining the flow, and the slowing of the current as the river gradient decreases. In areas with heavy silt, the water becomes murkier due to the deposited sediment. Abiotic features such as speed, temperature, and clarity of the water change along the length of the river or stream, with faster currents and narrower channels closer to the source water.