Long-term Surface Elevation Change in Salt Marshes: a Prediction of Marsh Response to Future Sea-Level Rise

Wijnen, H.J. van; Bakker, Jan P.

doi:10.1006/ecss.2000.0744

Cited by 125 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

102

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The elevation of nest sites on the salt marsh will increase naturally over time due to sedimentation ( primarily driven by winter flooding) and glacial rebound [48]. To distinguish plastic changes in nest elevation from such geomorphological processes we used a geomorphological model designed and parameterized with field data from our study island to determine the annual rate of saltmarsh accretion as a function of elevation (see [3] for model details).…”

Section: (D) Geomorphological Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

No phenotypic plasticity in nest-site selection in response to extreme flooding events

Bailey

Ens

Both

et al. 2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

One contribution of 14 to a theme issue 'Behavioural, ecological and evolutionary responses to extreme climatic events'. Phenotypic plasticity is a crucial mechanism for responding to changes in climatic means, yet we know little about its role in responding to extreme climatic events (ECEs). ECEs may lack the reliable cues necessary for phenotypic plasticity to evolve; however, this has not been empirically tested. We investigated whether behavioural plasticity in nest-site selection allows a long-lived shorebird (Haematopus ostralegus) to respond to flooding. We collected longitudinal nest elevation data on individuals over two decades, during which time flooding events have become increasingly frequent. We found no evidence that individuals learn from flooding experiences, showing nest elevation change consistent with random nest-site selection. There was also no evidence of phenotypic plasticity in response to potential environmental cues (lunar nodal cycle and water height). A small number of individuals, those nesting near an artificial sea wall, did show an increase in nest elevation over time; however, there is no conclusive evidence this occurred in response to ECEs. Our study population showed no behavioural plasticity in response to changing ECE patterns. More research is needed to determine whether this pattern is consistent across species and types of ECEs. If so, ECEs may pose a major challenge to the resilience of wild populations.This article is part of the themed issue 'Behavioural, ecological and evolutionary responses to extreme climatic events'.

show abstract

Section: (D) Geomorphological Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

No phenotypic plasticity in nest-site selection in response to extreme flooding events

Bailey

Ens

Both

et al. 2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…During salt marsh development, silty sediment is deposited on top of the sand bank that was present before marsh development started. A sharp boundary is found between the original sand layer and the deposited clay (hereafter referred to as base elevation), enabling quick measurement of the amount of sediment deposited during salt marsh development (van Wijnen and Bakker 2001). The elevation of the sediment and the base elevation of the clay-sand edge was measured along 33 transects in north to south direction, covering about 80 years of salt marsh development.…”

Section: Increasing Slope Of the Salt Marsh Edgementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, unlike many other ecosystems, many mineralogenic salt marshes do not develop toward homeostasis. Early developmental stages, characterized by accumulation of clay (Olff et al 1997;van Wijnen and Bakker 2001;Temmerman et al 2003), are followed by a degenerative phase in which erosion at the edge, in the form of retreating cliffs, removes both the vegetation and the accumulated sediment (Gray 1972;Van Eerdt 1985;Pringle 1995;Olff et al 1997;Allen 2000). Cliff erosion has been described for a wide range of European and North American salt marshes and has been attributed to sea level rise, changes in position of estuarine channels, or increased shipping (Gray 1972;Dijkema 1987;Allen 1989Allen , 2000Shaw et al 1993;Pringle 1995;Kirchner and Ehlers 1998;Adam 2002).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐Organization and Vegetation Collapse in Salt Marsh Ecosystems

Koppel¹,

Wal²,

Bakker³

et al. 2005

The American Naturalist

266

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Complexity theory predicts that local feedback processes may strongly affect the organization of ecosystems on larger spatial scales. Whether complexity leads to increased resilience and stability or to increased vulnerability and criticality remains one of the dominant questions in ecology. We present a combined theoretical and empirical study of complex dynamics in mineralogenic salt marsh ecosystems that emerge from a positive feedback between clay accumulation and plant growth. Positive feedback induces self-organizing within the ecosystem, which buffers for the strong physical gradient that characterizes the marine-terrestrial boundary, and improves plant growth along the gradient. However, as a consequence of these self-organizing properties, salt marshes approach a critical state as the edge of the salt marsh and the adjacent intertidal flat becomes increasingly steep and vulnerable to wave attack. Disturbance caused, for instance, by a storm may induce a cascade of vegetation collapse and severe erosion on the cliff edge, leading to salt marsh destruction. Our study shows that on short timescales, self-organization improves the functioning of salt marsh ecosystems. On long timescales, however, self-organization may lead to destruction of salt marsh vegetation.

show abstract

“…Actually, a consequence of the enhanced greenhouse effect is the rise of the sea level (Titus et al, 1991). An average sea-level rise is predicted to be about 20 cm by 2050 (IPCC, 2001), and Van Wijnen and Bakker (2001) predicted that marshes at lowest elevation would degenerate. Consequently, it can be expected that the sea-level rise will erode the outer boundary of the salt marshes, that is the lower marsh habitat of Spartina species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uniformity of the nuclear and chloroplast genomes of Spartina maritima (Poaceae), a salt-marsh species in decline along the Western European Coast

2004

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spartina maritima is a salt-marsh species from European and African Atlantic coasts. In the northern range of the species (including north-west France), a rapid decline of the populations has been observed during the 20th century. In this paper, the molecular diversity of 10 populations of S. maritima from France has been investigated using nuclear and chloroplast DNA markers: inter-simple sequence polymorphism (ISSR), randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP), and PCR-RFLP of a 5 kb long portion of chloroplast DNA. The results reveal an extremely low level of genetic variation in this species: only one nuclear marker (out of 98) was polymorphic, with the presence of two genotypes randomly distributed among the populations. The lack of genetic diversity is interpreted in light of the almost exclusive vegetative propagation of the species in its northern range, the colonization history of the populations, and the origin of S. maritima (2n ¼ 60) in the hexaploid lineage of the genus and in the context of the management of S. maritima populations.

show abstract

Long-term Surface Elevation Change in Salt Marshes: a Prediction of Marsh Response to Future Sea-Level Rise

Cited by 125 publications

References 16 publications

No phenotypic plasticity in nest-site selection in response to extreme flooding events

No phenotypic plasticity in nest-site selection in response to extreme flooding events

Self‐Organization and Vegetation Collapse in Salt Marsh Ecosystems

Uniformity of the nuclear and chloroplast genomes of Spartina maritima (Poaceae), a salt-marsh species in decline along the Western European Coast

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About