Effects of tidally mediated litter moisture content on decomposition of Spartina alterniflora and S. patens

Relationships between flooding frequency, flooding duration, litter moisture levels, and litter decay rates were investigated across the natural hydrologic gradient common to intertidal salt marshes. The effects on litter decay of natural and experimental alterations of litter moisture content were assessed in both field litterbag experiments (conducted in a southern New Jersey salt marsh from 1989 to 1990) and laboratory incubations (1990). Overall, tidally mediated litter moisture content was the dominant factor controlling litter decay throughout the vegetated marsh. Rates of carbon loss were most closely related to litter moisture levels (r=0.84), which were directly related to flooding frequency (r=0.66) and duration (r=0.63). Litter moisture levels were related to elevation within the tidal range due to increasing surface levation from creekbank to high marsh (ca. 54 cm) and height of litter above the sediment surface. Carbon losses from litter of short and tall form Spartina alterniflora Loisel. and S. patens (Aiton) Muhl. along the marsh elevation gradient indicate that while some of the variations in decay rates may be due to litter type, litter moisture accounted for most of the observed variation between marsh zones and within each litter type. Mousture levels are also affected by the water retention capacity of each litter type, which may also secondarily influence decay rates. Short-term incubations of litter indicated that CO₂ evolution was positively related to moisture content with negligible respiration at moisture levels below 15% (fresh mass), increasing to a maximum between 65 and 75% depending upon litter type. Since most Spartina spp. litter remains above the marsh surface where it maintains a lower moisture content than surface litter, the use of surface litterbags may overestimate rates of carbon loss in some systems. In addition, since changes in elevation of only a few centimeters had significant effects on both litter moisture levels and decay rates, slight changes in tidal regime may have important consequences for organic matter cycling in salt marshes by affecting litter decomposition processes.     

Salt Marsh Harvest Mice, Urban Development, and Rising Sea Levels

Abstract: The salt marsh harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys raviventris , is endemic to the marshes of San Francisco Bay. Ultimate factors such as rising sea level and tectonic changes will play important roles in the future management of the mouse, causing a shift from tidal marshes threatened by submergence to diked marshes threatened by development Land values and government regulations force the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies into proximate management strategies to recover the species. Whether large enough areas of diked marsh can be acquired in the near future to adequately protect the mouse in perpetuity is questioned.     

Coastal dynamics and adaptation to uncertain sea level rise: Optimal portfolios for salt marsh migration

The sustainability of dynamic natural systems often depends on their capacity to adapt to uncertain climate-related changes, where different management options may be combined to facilitate this adaptation. Salt marshes exemplify such a system. Marsh sustainability under rapid sea level rise requires the preservation of transgression zones - undeveloped uplands onto which marshes migrate. Whether these uplands eventually become marsh depends on uncertain sea level rise and natural dynamics that determine migration onto different land types. Under conditions such as these, systematically diversified management actions generally outperform ad hoc or non-diversified alternatives. This paper develops the first adaptation portfolio model designed to optimize the benefits of a migrating coastal system. Results are illustrated using a case study of marsh conservation in Virginia, USA. Results suggest that models of this type can enhance adaptation benefits beyond those available through current approaches.     

The impact of tidal inundation on salt marsh vegetation after de-embankment on Langeoog Island, Germany—six years time series of permanent plots

Salt marsh succession after de-embankment was monitored on the East Frisian barrier island Langeoog by investigating permanent plots. Seventy years after embankment salt marsh plants were once again influenced mainly by the tidal regime. From 2002 to 2004 the former high marsh and glycophytic vegetation died out and was replaced by species of lower salt marsh zones. Nitrophytic halophytes like Suaeda maritima, Atriplex prostrata and Artemisia maritima established first because of the high nutrient content in the soil, a direct result of former vegetation decay. With decreasing nitrogen afterwards other species became more competitive. Until 2007 Atriplex portulacoides became more dominant in the lower marsh and Elymus athericus reached dominance in areas where grazing has been abandoned in the high marsh. The dynamics in the study area is much lower than in natural marshes due to the still existing drainage system. Therefore vegetation units with low species diversity are widespread.     

Marsh macrophyte responses to inundation anticipate impacts of sea-level rise and indicate ongoing drowning of North Carolina marshes

In situ persistence of coastal marsh habitat as sea level rises depends on whether macrophytes induce compensatory accretion of the marsh surface. Experimental planters in two North Carolina marshes served to expose two dominant macrophyte species to six different elevations spanning 0.75 m (inundation durations 0.4–99 %). Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus exhibited similar responses—with production in planters suggesting initial increases and then demonstrating subsequent steep declines with increasing inundation, conforming to a segment of the ecophysiological parabola. Projecting inundation levels experienced by macrophytes in the planters onto adjacent marsh platforms revealed that neither species occupied elevations associated with increasing production. Declining macrophyte production with rising seas reduces both bioaccumulation of roots below-ground and baffle-induced sedimentation above-ground. By occupying only descending portions of the parabola, macrophytes in central North Carolina marshes are responding to rising water levels by progressive declines in production, ultimately leading to marsh drowning.     

Vegetation succession of low estuarine marshes is affected by distance to navigation channel and changes in water level

Climate change and engineering activities have modified the hydrology and morphology of estuaries. However, the potential effects of these modifications on vegetation succession in estuarine marshes are still poorly understood. Therefore, we studied temporal changes in tidal habitats of the Elbe estuary over a period of 30 years. We compared vegetation maps from 1980 to 2010 and calculated the change in area of habitats with respect to three salinity and three elevational zones. To analyze the direction of the temporal change, we differentiated between progressive and regressive succession. By using regression tree models (conditional inference trees), we identified the most influential factors determining progressive or regressive succession of low marshes. The total area of the estuarine tidal marshes at the Elbe increased by 2 % from 1980 to 2010, but changes were unequal among the salinity zones. In the salt and brackish zones, the area covered by high marshes increased substantially but decreased in the tidal freshwater zone, while that covered by low marshes decreased in all the salinity zones. Additionally, we determined high persistence of tidal flats and high marshes, whereas only 19 to 28 % of the low marshes found in 1980 remained in 2010. In salt and brackish marshes, more than two-thirds of the area that had been identified as low marshes in 1980 had progressively developed into high marshes. In contrast, 44 % of the area of low marshes in tidal freshwater marshes showed regressive succession back into tidal flats. The distance to the navigation channel was the main factor determining successional direction in salt and brackish marshes. Here, greater proximity to the channel was correlated with higher risk of regressive succession. In tidal freshwater marshes, we identified both the distance to the navigation channel and the situation on the river shore (i.e. inner bank, outer bank or straight bank) as the main factors for marsh succession. Here, considerable engineering activities in the channel had simultaneously decreased the mean low water level and increased the mean high water level between 1980 and 2010, which led to an increase in tidal amplitude. It is quite likely that these changes negatively modified marsh distribution, increased regressive succession and, thus, lowered the quality of tidal freshwater marshes.     

滨海盐沼及其植物群落的分布与多样性

滨海盐沼是广泛存在于世界中、高纬度地区的一种湿地生态系统,具有抵御风暴潮灾害、净化污染物和为珍稀濒危生物提供适宜生境等重要的生态和经济价值。滨海盐沼因随高程变化而急剧变化的环境梯度和植物带状分布现象而为生态学者阐释自然界物种的分布机制提供了理想系统。主要概述了滨海盐沼的定义、特点、类型、全球分布以及潮汐作用、土壤盐度等环境因子特征;阐述了不同尺度下滨海盐沼的植物群落分布和多样性特征。在滨海盐沼植物群落的分布特征上,重点阐述了中尺度下的植物带状分布,即植物群落往往在白海向陆渐高的不同高程梯度上表现出显著的分带分布,不同植物各自占据该梯度上的一定区域。通常认为,带状分布是植物竞争和物理性胁迫共同调控的结果,但其在不同地理区域的普适性仍存争议。滨海植物群落多样性往往较低,在中、小尺度上盐沼植物多样性受控于盐度、潮汐等物理性胁迫、植物间相互作用等因子的作用;在大尺度上盐沼植物多样性可能随纬度增大而增加。系统深入地认识滨海盐沼植物群落生态格局和过程,将为气候变化、生物入侵等人类影响下的滨海盐沼生态系统的管理和恢复提供有益经验。     

Marsh surface sediment deposition and the role of tidal creeks: Implications for created and managed coastal marshes

The need to understand the processes contributing to marsh sedimentation has become more urgent with the recent recognition of the role of tidal marshes as sea defences, as well as the many restoration efforts currently under way. This study was designed to build upon previous sedimentation work at Scolt Head Island by Combining techniques for measuring short-term sedimentation, with detailed assessment of hydroperiod, previously used only in comparison with longer-term accretion measurements or in micro-tidal systems. Measurements of water level, sediment deposition (at various distances from the creek margin) and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) (creek margin and an interior site) were made at Hut Marsh over three sequential over-marsh tides during May 1994. Sediment trap data show a significant trend of declining sediment deposition away from the creek when data from all three tides are combined. All tides show higher SSC on the flood tide than on the ebb tide at the creek margin location. There is little difference in flood and ebb SSCs at the interior site. An order of magnitude decrease in sediment deposition within 20 m on the creek shows the rapidity with which sediment is deposited on these marshes. Higher tides influence both the magnitude and pattern of marsh surface sediment deposition. Increased creek velocities on higher tides provide more potential for resuspension within the creek and increase the supply of sediment to the marsh surface. This study suggests that the design of tidal creeks may be essential for the development of sustainable coastal marshes in restoration projects.     

Nitrogen accumulation and plant species replacement in three salt marsh systems in the Wadden Sea

Salt marsh development on the coastal barrier island of Schiermonnikoog (The Netherlands) was compared with two other salt marsh systems in the Wadden Sea. Accretion rate, nitrogen accumulation and changes in plant species composition were investigated using chronosequences. The age of the marsh was estimated from aerial photographs and old maps. In 7230 plots, the elevation of the marsh surface, the thickness of the sediment layer (clay) and the presence of plant species was recorded. In addition, the nitrogen pool was measured at each successional stage. Accretion rates were similar in the three salt marshes. Higher accretion rates were found at younger marshes. A strong linear relationship between nitrogen pool size and thickness of the clay layer was found for the three marshes. The accumulation rate of nitrogen is therefore strongly related to the accretion rate. Thus, more nitrogen is present in the sediment of later successional stages where more clay has accumulated. On the high salt marsh (55 cm+MHT),Ameria maritima disappeared andArtemisia maritima, Juncus gerardi andElymus athericus established at sites with a thicker clay layer. On the low salt marsh (25 cm+MHT),Plantago maritima, Puccinellia maritima andLimonium vulgare disappeared andAtriplex (Halimione) portulacoides established. Apparently, with the accumulation of clay and therefore of nitrogen, tall growing species take over in salt marshes not grazed by livestock.     

Tidal regime dictates the cascading consumptive and nonconsumptive effects of multiple predators on a marsh plant

Prey perception of predators can dictate how prey behaviorally balance the need to avoid being eaten with the need to consume resources, and this perception and consequent behavior can be strongly influenced by physical processes. Physical factors, however, can also alter the density and diversity of predators that pursue prey. Thus, it remains uncertain to what extent variable risk perception and antipredator behavior vs. variation in predator consumption of prey underlie prey-resource dynamics and give rise to large-scale patterns in natural systems. In an experimental food web where tidal inundation of marsh controls which predators access prey, crab and conch (predators) influenced the survivorship and antipredator behavior of snails (prey) irrespective of whether tidal inundation occurred on a diurnal or mixed semidiurnal schedule. Specifically, cues of either predator caused snails to ascend marsh leaves; snail survivorship was reduced more by unrestrained crabs than by unrestrained conchs; and snail survivorship was lowest with multiple predators than with any single predator despite interference. In contrast to these tidally consistent direct consumptive and nonconsumptive effects, indirect predator effects differed with tidal regime: snail grazing of marsh leaves in the presence of predators increased in the diurnal tide but decreased in the mixed semidiurnal tidal schedule, overwhelming the differences in snail density that resulted from direct predation. In addition, results suggest that snails may increase their foraging to compensate for stress-induced metabolic demand in the presence of predator cues. Patterns from natural marshes spanning a tidal inundation gradient (from diurnal to mixed semidiurnal tides) across 400 km of coastline were consistent with experimental results: despite minimal spatial variation in densities of predators, snails, abiotic stressors, and marsh productivity, snail grazing on marsh plants increased and plant biomass decreased on shorelines exposed to a diurnal tide. Because both the field and experimental results can be explained by tidal-induced variation in risk perception and snail behavior rather than by changes in snail density, this study reinforces the importance of nonconsumptive predator effects in complex natural systems and at large spatial scales.     

Analyzing and quantitatively evaluating the organic matter source at different ecologic zones of tidal salt marsh, North Jiangsu Province, China

In order to explore the effect of different ecological zones and their above plants in the organic matter cycling of the whole tidal salt marsh, indicators such as total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), C/N ratio, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of surface, core sediments, and plants of tidal salt marshes in North Jiangsu Province are analyzed. Subsequently, distribution regularities of these measurement indicators are discussed, and the biogeochemistry processes between sediments and plants are also analyzed. Lastly, the organic matter sources of different ecologic zones in tidal salt marsh are evaluated, and the organic matter accumulations in different ecologic zones induced by their plants are also compared. These results indicate that TOC, TN, C/N ratio and δ¹³C showed obvious zonal distribution. The organic matter sources are dominated by marine input in the silt flat, artemisia schrenkiana flat, and the transition zone between silt and spartina alterniflora flat, and are controlled by terrigenous input in spartina alterniflora flat. Spartina alterniflora plays an important role in the accumulation of organic matter in the whole tidal salt marshes ecosystem. In the study area, the annually increased TOC, organic matter and TN in the spartina alterniflora, artemisia schrenkiana and reed flats reach 6,451, 12,043 and 536 t, respectively. The amount of TOC, organic matter and TN accumulated in the spartina alterniflora flat is more than that in other ecological zones, which shows that the spartina alterniflora flat exert a non-replaceable effect on the material cycle and exchange in the whole tidal salt marshes ecosystem.     

Consumer Control of Salt Marshes Driven by Human Disturbance

Abstract:  Salt marsh ecosystems are widely considered to be controlled exclusively by bottom–up forces, but there is mounting evidence that human disturbances are triggering consumer control in western Atlantic salt marshes, often with catastrophic consequences. In other marine ecosystems, human disturbances routinely dampen (e.g., coral reefs, sea grass beds) and strengthen (e.g., kelps) consumer control, but current marsh theory predicts little potential interaction between humans and marsh consumers. Thus, human modification of top–down control in salt marshes was not anticipated and was even discounted in current marsh theory, despite loud warnings about the potential for cascading human impacts from work in other marine ecosystems. In spite of recent experiments that have challenged established marsh dogma and demonstrated consumer-driven die-off of salt marsh ecosystems, government agencies and nongovernmental organizations continue to manage marsh die-offs under the old theoretical framework and only consider bottom–up forces as causal agents. This intellectual dependency of many coastal ecologists and managers on system-specific theory (i.e., marsh bottom–up theory) has the potential to have grave repercussions for coastal ecosystem management and conservation in the face of increasing human threats. We stress that marine vascular plant communities (salt marshes, sea grass beds, mangroves) are likely more vulnerable to runaway grazing and consumer-driven collapse than is currently recognized by theory, particularly in low-diversity ecosystems like Atlantic salt marshes.     

Flax Pond ecosystem study: Exchanges of phosphorus between a salt marsh and the coastal waters of Long Island Sound

The exchanges of phosphorus between the Flax Pond, a tidal Spartina alterniflora marsh on the north shore of Long Island (USA) and Long Island Sound were measured over 18 months. Phosphate was exported from the marsh from May through December and imported during the remainder of the year. Organic phosphorus appears to be accumulated in all seasons, but the yearly phosphorus budget of the marsh is approximately balanced despite the accumulation of about 6 mm of sediment annually.     

Tidal variations in the movement of organic carbon in New Jersey salt marshes

The movement of organic carbon was assessed by statistical and simulation modeling analyses in two marsh types in New Jersey;each marsh contained three water-drainage systems in which three tidal cycles were sampled in May and June 1973. Hourly water samples were obtained and filtered through a gelman Type A glass filter for separation into dissolved (DOC) and particulate (POC) organic carbon components of the total organic carbon (TOC). Simulation data showed that individual creeks and marshes functioned differently on the sampled tidal cycles in regard to net movement of water and organic carbon components. Organic carbon components exhibited similar tidal variations, with significantly lower concentrations at flood slack than at ebb slack. Mid-ebb concentrations were significantly higher than mid-flood concentrations for TOC and POC. Individual marshes showed significantly different concentrations in the latter segments of the tidal cycle for TOC's and POC's. Results indicate that individual creeks, marshes and tidal cycles are not representative of the total movement of organic carbon in estuaries.Paper of the Journal Series, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Cook College, rutgers—The state University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA.     

The German Wadden Sea coast: reclamation and environmental protection

Why did the reclamation of tidal marshes along the German Wadden Sea coast continue until the 1990s while the country is known for its awareness of the need for environmental protection? A study of the recently adopted reclamation policy in Schleswig-Holstein indicates that since the 1960s, the primary objective of embankments along the coast has been for coastal defence. While focusing their attention on this policy from the late 1970s, environmentalists have been objecting against any reclamation projects. Their main argument has been the ecological richness of the tidal marshes and the negative effects of embankments on the Wadden Sea. During the 1990s, objections from environmentalists, together with the fruition of the Coastal Defence Plan, recent economic factors, new legislation and sea level rise have led to a gradual decline of reclamation projects along the German Wadden Sea coast.     

盐沼植物群落研究进展：分布、演替及影响因子

盐沼是全球温带及亚热带地区的主要滨海湿地类型之一,在我国分布广泛。盐沼湿地生态系统敏感、脆弱且具有重要的生态系统服务功能。理解盐沼植物群落时空分布动态的一般规律与生态学机制,是开展盐沼生态系统研究的基础与关键。海陆交界的特殊环境特征是影响盐沼湿地植物群落的空间分布及演替过程的主要因素。在海洋潮汐作用下,盐沼湿地中的盐度、水淹强度、氧化还原电位等非生物因子往往呈梯度分布,这也导致了生物群落中种内、种间关系的变化。在非生物及生物因子的共同作用下,盐沼植物群落也往往沿高程梯度呈带状分布。环境变化是盐沼植物群落演替的驱动因素,在海岸线相对较为稳定的盐沼,植物群落的演替多属自发演替,而在靠近的大型河口的一些持续淤涨的盐沼,植物群落演替通常属于异发演替。沿海地区的水产业、流域上游及沿海地区的工程、污染及生物入侵等直接或间接的人类活动已对盐沼湿地植物群落的产生了深刻影响。经过数十年发展,国际上盐沼植物群落学研究的热点领域主要包括盐沼植物群落与其他生物群落的相互关系、植物群落在盐沼生态系统过程中的作用等。在全球变化背景下,盐沼植物群落对气候变化与海平面升高也日益成为盐沼植物群落学相关的热点。     

Mechanisms mediating plant distributions across estuarine landscapes in a low-latitude tidal estuary

Understanding of how plant communities are organized and will respond to global changes requires an understanding of how plant species respond to multiple environmental gradients. We examined the mechanisms mediating the distribution patterns of tidal marsh plants along an estuarine gradient in Georgia (USA) using a combination of field transplant experiments and monitoring. Our results could not be fully explained by the "competition-to-stress hypothesis" (the current paradigm explaining plant distributions across estuarine landscapes). This hypothesis states that the upstream limits of plant distributions are determined by competition, and the downstream limits by abiotic stress. We found that competition was generally strong in freshwater and brackish marshes, and that conditions in brackish and salt marshes were stressful to freshwater marsh plants, results consistent with the competition-to-stress hypothesis. Four other aspects of our results, however, were not explained by the competition-to-stress hypothesis. First, several halophytes found the freshwater habitat stressful and performed best (in the absence of competition) in brackish or salt marshes. Second, the upstream distribution of one species was determined by the combination of both abiotic and biotic (competition) factors. Third, marsh productivity (estimated by standing biomass) was a better predictor of relative biotic interaction intensity (RII) than was salinity or flooding, suggesting that productivity is a better indicator of plant stress than salinity or flooding gradients. Fourth, facilitation played a role in mediating the distribution patterns of some plants. Our results illustrate that even apparently simple abiotic gradients can encompass surprisingly complex processes mediating plant distributions.     

Factors affecting the burrowing behaviour of Helice tridens (Grapsidae) and Macrophthalmus japonicus (Ocypodidae) in an estuary of northeast Japan

Helice tridens (De Haan) (Grapsidae) and Macrophthalmus japonicus (De Haan) (Ocypodidae) build separate burrows in reed marshes and muddy tidal flats, respectively, in the brackish-water estuaries of northeast Japan (38°11N, 141°48E). Habitat segregation between burrows of these two species was analysed by comparing the density of burrows of both species in their natural habitats, and on tidal flats subjected to various types of artificial treatment, in the summer of 1981 and 1982. Baskets, containing many stones, were placed on the ground in the reed marsh, tidal flat and creek and attracted many individuals of H. tridens, but not M. japonicus. When stones were placed on an area of tidal flat, H. tridens frequently formed burrows at the border between the stones and mud, suggesting that burrowing of H. tridens was related to the presence of solid substances lying on the ground, such as stones and shoots of the reed Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. In closed systems on the tidal flat and reed marsh, H. tridens and M. japonicus were able to construct burrows in both substrata regardless of high or low frequency. Moreover, it was recognized that H. tridens prevented the burrowing of M. japonicus in these closed systems. These results suggested that habitat segregation between H. tridens and M. japonicus burrows was caused primarily by an exclusive interaction between individuals of these two species.     

Are Wadden Sea tidal systems with a higher tidal range more resilient against sea level rise?

Accelerated sea level rise may have serious implications for the Wadden Sea ecosystem in its present state. If sediment accumulation rates on the extensive intertidal flats stay behind sea level rise, the flats will eventually submerge. Drowning of the flats has negative consequences for nature conservation and for coastal risk management. Based upon an evaluation of steady state relations for Wadden Sea tidal basins, Hofstede (Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie 59(3): 377-391, 2015) postulated that the capacity of these basins to balance sea level rise by accumulation on intertidal flats seems positively related to mean tidal range. In the present study, morphodynamical simulations with a numerical model were performed for two tidal basins in the German Wadden Sea to verify the empirically established hypothesis. The following conclusions are established. Larger mean tidal range improves the capacity of Wadden Sea tidal basins to balance sea level rise. Wadden Sea intertidal flats are effective sediment sinks and seem quite resilient against (higher rates of) sea level rise. Finally, subtidal gullies may constitute a significant sediment source for accumulation on intertidal flats in response to sea level rise. With respect to the limited comparability of the two investigated tidal systems, morphodynamical modelling of all Wadden Sea tidal systems should be conducted.