Declining Biodiversity: Why Species Matter and How Their Functions Might Be Restored in Californian Tidal Marshes

Zedler, Joy B.; Callaway, John C.; Sullivan, Gary

doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[1005:dbwsma]2.0.co;2

Cited by 125 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Plant species richness had the highest contribution, highlighting the importance of plant species diversity as previously reported (Zedler et al 2001;Long et al 2006Long et al , 2009. Based on these findings, improving biodiversity is one of the main targets of vegetation restoration.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Impact of human activities on plant species composition and vegetation coverage in the wetlands of Napahai, Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China

Zhao

Zhang

Deng

et al. 2014

International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ec

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Plant species composition and vegetation coverage are critical indicators in vegetation disturbance and restoration, but their correlations are dynamic and complex under human disturbance. Inadequate attention has been paid to the correlations between species composition and vegetation coverage associated with vegetation disturbance on plateaus. We analyze the origin of species, chorological spectra, life-forms and dominant species in the Napahai wetland of Yunnan Province, China. The correlations between species composition and vegetation coverage associated with human disturbance were then investigated by hierarchical partitioning and regression analysis. A total of 71 plant species belonging to 47 genera and 24 families were identified. Our results revealed that the plant composition of the Napahai Plateau vegetation was relatively monotonous, with the three dominant chorological types consisting of 68.4-100.0% of all genera. The wetlands studied have suffered from significant changes in species composition caused by human disturbance, and several plant species might have disappeared following such disturbance. Species richness, the most significant explanatory variable, independently contributed to 25.9% of the variance in vegetation coverage. A model constructed using the three dominant factors explained 68% of the variance in vegetation coverage. Our results highlight the dramatic changes in characteristics of plant species composition after human disturbance, and the effects of human disturbance on vegetation coverage. Several suggestions were also proposed to increase vegetation coverage in degraded wetland plateau areas of Napahai.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Impact of human activities on plant species composition and vegetation coverage in the wetlands of Napahai, Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China

Zhao

Zhang

Deng

et al. 2014

International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ec

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“…However, in many parts of the world these coastal habitats have been urbanised, converted for aquaculture or destroyed (Zedler et al 2001), which has led to a decrease in many estuarine-associated populations (Kennish 2002). In southern California, where urban development has overwhelmed a large portion of coastal habitats (Van Dyke and Wasson 2005), restoring or creating new estuarine habitats has become the preferred approach for protecting coastal species and ecosystems (Pondella et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the ecological success of restoration efforts has been difficult to assess (Zedler and Callaway 1999). Restorations in southern California have so far only been evaluated based on the structure of the ecosystem (plant, invertebrate, bird and fish species composition: Zedler et al 2001), and need to also address ecosystem functionality (how organisms use the system: Zedler et al 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Estuaries in southern California tend to have relatively low trophic complexity (3-4 trophic levels) (Zedler et al 2001), and predators have a direct influence on the entire ecosystem. The top predators of these systems are usually marine-associated fishes (West et al 2003), which can exert a strong top-down control on lower trophic levels (Peterson et al 2001;Able et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Abundance, habitat use and movement patterns of the shovelnose guitarfish (Rhinobatos productus) in a restored southern California estuary

Farrugia

Espinoza

Lowe

2011

Mar. Freshwater Res.

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Abstract. Coastal elasmobranchs such as the shovelnose guitarfish (Rhinobatos productus) seasonally use bays and estuaries for mating, pupping and feeding. However, many human-populated coastal areas have been developed, making them unavailable to coastal fish populations. The Full Tidal Basin (FTB) of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, California, USA, was completed in 2006, with the aim to restore lost estuarine habitat in southern California. Monthly abundance surveys conducted inside the FTB between June 2008 and September 2009 showed that shovelnose guitarfish were present throughout the year. Over 96% of the individuals caught were juveniles and these were most abundant in waters between 208C and 248C. Concurrently, 23 shovelnose guitarfish were fitted with coded acoustic transmitters and continuously tracked within the FTB for 16 months. Telemetry data showed individuals remained inside the FTB for, on average, 73.9 days (range 15-172 days), and made few movements between the FTB and the ocean. Tagged individuals disproportionately used mud habitats and waters at temperatures of 228C, both of which are more common in the FTB than the neighbouring coastal ocean. The present study examined the structure and functionality of a restored estuary and suggests that the FTB is important habitat for a benthic predator, a promising result three years after restoration.

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“…Fishery losses and associated changes in biodiversity along the coast of California, in conjunction with increased regulatory pressure to mitigate continued development, have resulted in increased support for estuarine wetland restoration over the last 20 years (Zedler 1996;Zedler et al 2001). However, the long-term (>10-year) recovery rates of fish populations in restoration projects are still poorly understood (Zedler 1996).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

English Sole Spawning Migration and Evidence for Feeding Site Fidelity in Puget Sound, U.S.A., with Implications for Contaminant Exposure

et al. 2013

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Declining Biodiversity: Why Species Matter and How Their Functions Might Be Restored in Californian Tidal Marshes

Cited by 125 publications

References 37 publications

Impact of human activities on plant species composition and vegetation coverage in the wetlands of Napahai, Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China

Impact of human activities on plant species composition and vegetation coverage in the wetlands of Napahai, Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province, China

Abundance, habitat use and movement patterns of the shovelnose guitarfish (Rhinobatos productus) in a restored southern California estuary

English Sole Spawning Migration and Evidence for Feeding Site Fidelity in Puget Sound, U.S.A., with Implications for Contaminant Exposure

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