Mapping changes in tidal wetland vegetation composition and pattern across a salinity gradient using high spatial resolution imagery

Tuxen, Karin; Schile, Lisa M.; Stralberg, Diana; Siegel, Stuart; Parker, Tom; Vasey, Michael C.; Callaway, John C.; Kelly, Maggi

doi:10.1007/s11273-010-9207-x

Cited by 47 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…We saw no correlation between above-or below-ground plant biomass and either salinity or soil OM content, and plant production differed little across sites (Table 1). Aside from biomass production, salinity could influence plant community composition and diversity (Latham et al, 1994;Wie z ski et al, 2010;Tuxen et al, 2011). Aside from biomass production, salinity could influence plant community composition and diversity (Latham et al, 1994;Wie z ski et al, 2010;Tuxen et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salinity affects microbial activity and soil organic matter content in tidal wetlands

Morrissey

Gillespie

Morina

et al. 2014

Global Change Biology

328

162

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Climate change-associated sea level rise is expected to cause saltwater intrusion into many historically freshwater ecosystems. Of particular concern are tidal freshwater wetlands, which perform several important ecological functions including carbon sequestration. To predict the impact of saltwater intrusion in these environments, we must first gain a better understanding of how salinity regulates decomposition in natural systems. This study sampled eight tidal wetlands ranging from freshwater to oligohaline (0-2 ppt) in four rivers near the Chesapeake Bay (Virginia). To help isolate salinity effects, sites were selected to be highly similar in terms of plant community composition and tidal influence. Overall, salinity was found to be strongly negatively correlated with soil organic matter content (OM%) and C : N, but unrelated to the other studied environmental parameters (pH, redox, and above- and below-ground plant biomass). Partial correlation analysis, controlling for these environmental covariates, supported direct effects of salinity on the activity of carbon-degrading extracellular enzymes (β-1, 4-glucosidase, 1, 4-β-cellobiosidase, β-D-xylosidase, and phenol oxidase) as well as alkaline phosphatase, using a per unit OM basis. As enzyme activity is the putative rate-limiting step in decomposition, enhanced activity due to salinity increases could dramatically affect soil OM accumulation. Salinity was also found to be positively related to bacterial abundance (qPCR of the 16S rRNA gene) and tightly linked with community composition (T-RFLP). Furthermore, strong relationships were found between bacterial abundance and/or composition with the activity of specific enzymes (1, 4-β-cellobiosidase, arylsulfatase, alkaline phosphatase, and phenol oxidase) suggesting salinity's impact on decomposition could be due, at least in part, to its effect on the bacterial community. Together, these results indicate that salinity increases microbial decomposition rates in low salinity wetlands, and suggests that these ecosystems may experience decreased soil OM accumulation, accretion, and carbon sequestration rates even with modest levels of saltwater intrusion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salinity affects microbial activity and soil organic matter content in tidal wetlands

Morrissey

Gillespie

Morina

et al. 2014

Global Change Biology

328

162

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“…These marshes vary in age (10 to 50 years since restoration), elevation, and vegetation species diversity Tuxen et al 2011), yet in terms of invertebrate assemblages and fish diets, appear to provide similar prey resources to marsh channel fish species that represent of pelagic transient, shallow-water surface feeding resident, and demersal-resident life histories. These results corroborate other breached-levee res-toration studies in which prey availability and fish growth were comparable in all sites regardless of restoration status (Nemerson and Able 2005;Able et al 2008;Cohen and Bollens 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many of these metrics were generated as part of the larger Integrated Regional Wetlands and Monitoring (IRWM) study, and have been previously welldescribed (e.g., Cohen and Bollens 2008;Strahlberg et al 2010, Gewant andTuxen et al 2011). Abiotic variables included both static metrics related to marsh structure or position, and dynamic metrics related to seasonal changes in flow, salinity, and temperature.…”

Section: Environmental Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Macroinvertebrate Prey Availability and Fish Diet Selectivity in Relation to Environmental Variables in Natural and Restoring North San Francisco Bay Tidal Marsh Channels

Howe¹,

Simenstad²,

Toft³

et al. 2014

SFEWS

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Tidal marsh wetlands provide important foraging habitat for a variety of estuarine fishes. Prey organisms include benthic/epibenthic macroinvertebrates, neustonic arthropods, and zooplankton. Little is known about the abundance and distribution of interior marsh macroinvertebrate communities in the San Francisco Estuary (estuary). We describe seasonal, regional, and site variation in the composition and abundance of neuston and benthic/epibenthic macroinvertebrates that inhabit tidal marsh channels, and relate these patterns to environmental conditions. We also describe spatial and temporal variation in diets of marsh-associated inland silverside, yellowfin goby, and western mosquitofish. Fish and invertebrates were sampled quarterly from October 2003 to June 2005 at six marsh sites located in three river systems of the northern estuary: Petaluma River, Napa River, and the west Delta. Benthic/epibenthic macroinvertebrates and neuston responded to environmental variables related to seasonal changes (i.e., temperature, salinity), as well as those related to marsh structure (i.e., vegetation, channel edge). The greatest variation in abundance occurred seasonally for neuston and spatially for benthic/epibenthic organisms, suggesting that each community responds to different environmental drivers. Benthic/epibenthic invertebrate abundance and diversity was lowest in the west Delta, and increased with increasing salinity. Insect abundance increased during the spring and summer, while Collembolan (springtail) abundance increased during the winter. Benthic/epibenthic macroinvertebrates dominated fish diets, supplemented by insects, with zooplankton playing a minor role. Diet compositions of the three fish species overlapped considerably, with strong selection indicated for epibenthic crustaceans-a surprising result given the typical classification of Menidia beryllina as a planktivore, Acanthogobius flavimanus as a benthic predator, and Gambusia affinis as a larvivorous surface-feeder. Fish diets were influenced by position along the estuarine gradient and season. Overall, our data show that local-scale site effects and marsh position within the estuary influence invertebrate community composition and abundance. Additionally, we show that restoring marsh ecosystems can subsidize fishes similarly to reference marshes. We thus recommend that managers focus on the ability of restoring marshes to produce food subsidies for target species when planning and designing tidal marsh restoration projects, especially those targeted for food web support.

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“…The relative monospecificity and size of some salt marshes and aquatic nature of the substrate make it possible to map them from satellites. Multispectral medium resolution satellite imagers, such as Landsat TM and Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT), and high resolution satellites, such as IKONOS® and QuickBird, have been effective primarily for mapping wetland location and extent, at local or regional scales (Gilmore et al, 2010;Jensen et al, 1998;Klemas, 2011;Lunetta & Balogh, 1999;Lyon & McCarthy, 1995;Wang, 2010), as well as vegetation pattern and condition (Kelly, Tuxen, & Stralberg, 2011;Ramsey & Rangoonwala, 2005;Tuxen, Schile, Kelly, & Siegel, 2008;Tuxen et al, 2011).…”

Section: Tidal Marsh Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospective HyspIRI global observations of tidal wetlands

Turpie

Klemas

Byrd

et al. 2015

Remote Sensing of Environment

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a b s t r a c tTidal wetlands are highly productive and act as critical habitat for a wide variety of plants, fish, shellfish, and other wildlife. These ecotones between aquatic and terrestrial environments also provide protection from storm damage, run-off filtering, and recharge of aquifers. Many wetlands along coasts have been exposed to stress-inducing alterations globally, including dredge and fill operations, hydrologic modifications, pollutants, impoundments, fragmentation by roads/ditches, and sea level rise. For wetland protection and sensible coastal development, there is a need to monitor these ecosystems at global and regional scales. Recent advances in satellite sensor design and data analysis are providing practical methods for monitoring natural and man-made changes in wetlands. However, available satellite remote sensors have been limited to mapping primarily wetland location and extent. This paper describes how the HyspIRI hyperspectral and thermal infrared sensors can be used to study and map key ecological properties, such as species composition, biomass, hydrology, and evapotranspiration of tidal salt and brackish marshes and mangroves, and perhaps other major wetland types, including freshwater marshes and wooded/shrub wetlands.

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Mapping changes in tidal wetland vegetation composition and pattern across a salinity gradient using high spatial resolution imagery

Cited by 47 publications

References 36 publications

Salinity affects microbial activity and soil organic matter content in tidal wetlands

Salinity affects microbial activity and soil organic matter content in tidal wetlands

Macroinvertebrate Prey Availability and Fish Diet Selectivity in Relation to Environmental Variables in Natural and Restoring North San Francisco Bay Tidal Marsh Channels

Prospective HyspIRI global observations of tidal wetlands

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