Crossing Scales: The Complexity of Barrier-Island Processes for Predicting Future Change

Zinnert, Julie C.; Stallins, J. Anthony; Brantley, Steven T.; Young, Donald R.

doi:10.1093/biosci/biw154

Cited by 53 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…At the same time, the expansion of woody vegetation is creating new ecological scenarios (e.g., monotypic thickets that dominate the landscape) that have not been present historically. Prior to 2016, woody expansion dominated the mid‐chain, rotational islands; this expansion is now present along the entire island chain, driven by topographic–vegetation interactions (Zinnert et al, ). Research on coastal system response to climate change has tended to focus on the effects of RSLR; however, the recent work on mangrove migration has shown that macroclimatic drivers coupled with microclimate modification have the power to transform plant community structure, resulting in altered ecosystem services (D'Odorico et al, ; Gabler et al, ; Osland, Enwright, Day, & Doyle, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following the work of Stallins (), Vinent and Moore () showed that feedbacks between vegetation and topography can lead to the coexistence of low and high states, and demonstrated the coexistence of low and high dune states across the Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR). Zinnert et al () also demonstrated that two stability domains (disturbance‐reinforcing and disturbance‐resisting) exist across the mid‐Atlantic barrier island landscape. When dunes are low, a higher frequency of disturbance leads to reduced interior island vegetation, the presence of species tolerant to burial and high salinity, and little to no woody cover (disturbance‐reinforcing; Figure ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The stabilization of sediment is influenced by vegetation with plant roots reducing erosion and aerial stems and leaves intercepting aeolian‐transported sediments (Feagin et al, ; Silva Martínez, Odériz, Mendoza, & Feagin, ). Interactions between vegetation cover and elevation may play an important role in influencing the amount and frequency of sediment washing onto the marsh (Stallins & Corenblit, ; Zinnert et al, ), a process important for marsh persistence (Walters, Moore, Vinent, Fagherazzi, & Mariotti, ). Dune/swale vegetation creates feedbacks with island topography and influences the disturbance frequency and severity that interior ecological communities experience.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Connectivity in coastal systems: Barrier island vegetation influences upland migration in a changing climate

Zinnert

Via

Nettleton

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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Due to their position at the land–sea interface, barrier islands are vulnerable to both oceanic and atmospheric climate change‐related drivers. In response to relative sea‐level rise, barrier islands tend to migrate landward via overwash processes which deposit sediment onto the backbarrier marsh, thus maintaining elevation above sea level. In this paper, we assess the importance of interior upland vegetation and sediment transport (from upland to marsh) on the movement of the marsh–upland boundary in a transgressive barrier system along the mid‐Atlantic Coast. We hypothesize that recent woody expansion is altering the rate of marsh to upland conversion. Using Landsat imagery over a 32 year time period (1984–2016), we quantify transitions between land cover (bare, grassland, woody vegetation, and marsh) and the marsh–upland boundary. We find that the Virginia Barrier Islands have both gains and losses in backbarrier marsh and upland, with 19% net loss from the system during the timeframe of the study and increased variance in marsh to upland conversion. This is consistent with recent work indicating a shift toward increasing rates of landward barrier island migration. Despite a net loss of upland area, macroclimatic winter warming resulted in 41% increase in woody vegetation in protected, low‐elevation areas, introducing new ecological scenarios that increase resistance to sediment movement from upland to marsh. Our analysis demonstrates how the interplay between elevation and interior island vegetative cover influences landward migration of the boundary between upland and marsh (a previously underappreciated indicator that an island is migrating), and thus, the importance of including ecological processes in the island interior into coastal modeling of barrier island migration and sediment movement across the barrier landscape.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Connectivity in coastal systems: Barrier island vegetation influences upland migration in a changing climate

Zinnert

Via

Nettleton

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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“…unpublished manuscript ; Zinnert et al. ). Understanding dispersal and post‐dispersal establishment is essential for predicting future encroachment in this rapidly changing landscape where islands are disconnected from the mainland and one another.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Interaction of seed dispersal and environmental filtering affects woody encroachment patterns in coastal grassland

et al. 2019

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Encroachment of woody plants into grasslands has occurred worldwide and includes coastal ecosystems. This conversion process is mediated by seed dispersal patterns, environmental filtering, and biotic interactions. As spatiotemporally heterogeneous, harsh environments, barrier islands present a unique set of challenges for dispersal and establishment. Environmental conditions act as filters on dispersed seeds, thereby influencing encroachment and distribution patterns. Seldom have patterns of propagule dispersal been considered in the context of woody encroachment. We quantified dispersal and post‐dispersal processes of an encroaching woody population of Morella cerifera relative to directional rate of encroachment and observed distribution patterns on an Atlantic coastal barrier island with strong environmental filtering. We analyzed historic foredune elevation as a proxy for reduced interior environmental stress. The dispersal kernel was leptokurtic, a common characteristic of expanding populations, but rate of encroachment has slowed since 2005. Expansion pattern was related to foredune elevation, which limits encroachment below a threshold elevation. This difference between dispersal kernel behavior and encroachment rate is due to limited availability of suitable habitat for Morella and temporal variability in chlorides during the time of germination. Our results demonstrate that processes mediating seeds and seedling success must be accounted for to better understand establishment patterns of encroaching woody plants.

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“…Regional climate, a strong driver of barrier island systems (Zinnert et al, ), has changed since the Hurricane of 1938, the last catastrophic storm event that caused extensive overwash on Fire Island. Sea level rise has led to increased vulnerability of barrier islands to damage (Horton, Little, Gornitz, Bader, & Oppenheimer, ; NAST, ; Sallenger, ; Vinent & Moore, ) by causing storm surges to encroach farther inland than they did only decades ago (Psuty, Grace, & Pace, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deer do not affect short‐term rates of vegetation recovery in overwash fans on Fire Island after Hurricane Sandy

Kilheffer

Underwood

Raphael

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Coastal resilience is threatened as storm‐induced disturbances become more frequent and intense with anticipated changes in regional climate. After severe storms, rapid recovery of vegetation, especially that of dune‐stabilizing plants, is a fundamental property of coastal resilience. Herbivores may affect resilience by foraging and trampling in disturbed areas. Consequently, assessing the impacts of herbivores on recovering vegetation is important for coastal land management.We combined imagery classification, wildlife monitoring, and trend analysis to investigate effects of white‐tailed deer on recovery rates of vegetation four years poststorm in nine overwashed areas. We estimated local deer density with trail cameras, how it relates to an index of primary productivity, and assessed the relationship between deer density and rates of vegetation recovery in overwash fans.Prestorm vegetation cover consisted of shrubs and sporadic patches of beach grass. Poststorm cover was dominated by beach grass. At current rates, vegetation coverage will return to prestorm conditions within the decade, though community transition from grasses to shrubs will take much longer and will vary by site with dune formation.The effect of deer on rates of vegetation recovery was negative, but not statistically significant nor biologically compelling. Although effects of deer trampling on beach grass are evident in classified imagery, deer foraging on beach grass had little effect on its rate of spread throughout overwash fans.While the rate of spread of the primary dune‐building grass was not deleteriously affected by deer, locally high deer densities will likely affect the future establishment and development of herbs and shrubs, which are generally more palatable to deer than beach grass.

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Crossing Scales: The Complexity of Barrier-Island Processes for Predicting Future Change

Cited by 53 publications

References 67 publications

Connectivity in coastal systems: Barrier island vegetation influences upland migration in a changing climate

Connectivity in coastal systems: Barrier island vegetation influences upland migration in a changing climate

Interaction of seed dispersal and environmental filtering affects woody encroachment patterns in coastal grassland

Deer do not affect short‐term rates of vegetation recovery in overwash fans on Fire Island after Hurricane Sandy

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