Do predators have a role to play in wetland ecosystem functioning? An experimental study in New England salt marshes

Moore, Alexandria C.; Schmitz, Oswald J.

doi:10.1002/ece3.7880

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Hydrology is a sensitive and fundamental driver of freshwater wetland function and ecosystem service provision. It is, therefore, unsurprising that bottom‐up controls have been considered dominant in wetland systems (Moore & Schmitz, 2021 and references therein). Inundation duration, depth and frequency influence root hypoxia, plant zonation and ultimately species composition (Blom & Voesenek, 1996; Campbell et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of hydrological change in fire‐prone wetland vegetation: An empirical simulation

et al. 2023

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Upland swamps are peat‐accumulating, groundwater‐dependent and fire‐prone wetland ecosystems. Drying caused by anthropogenic processes such as underground mining, ditching and climate change may disrupt surface and groundwater flows and result in bottom‐up controls on wetland expression. Fire is an endogenous, recurring disturbance that drives a top‐down consumptive force in many upland swamp systems. When compounded with drying, fire may facilitate permanent community transitions. A dearth of ecological data and temporal lags have hampered our ability to predict risks associated with multiple disturbances in wetland plant communities. We collected intact wetland mesocosms from valley floors and lower slopes of four undisturbed swamp sites. We transferred the mesocosms to a glasshouse and established three different soil moisture availability levels to simulate wetland drainage. After 20 months of the hydrological treatment, we simulated a fire event by sequentially applying biomass removal (clipping), heat and smoke to half of the mesocosms. We monitored species biomass, richness and composition over a 3.5‐year time frame. We found evidence of a temporal lag in biomass response to low water availability and synergistic hydrological and fire effects on species richness. In unburnt conditions, richness declined with low water availability but was maintained under high and medium water availability. After simulated fire under medium water availability, however, richness also declined and converged with depauperate low‐water mesocosm richness. Representation by many obligate swamp species declined in low compared with high water availability mesocosms over time, an effect that was amplified by the fire treatment. Synthesis. Our evidence of lagged effects of hydrological change on wetland vegetation and compounding effects of fire should be considered in impact assessments, monitoring programs and ecosystem management to avoid irreversible wetland change in drying environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of hydrological change in fire‐prone wetland vegetation: An empirical simulation

et al. 2023

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“…To date, the landscape of long-term research (defined here as a study conducted over a minimum five-year period) on global change in coastal environments has emphasized impacts on abiotic features and habitat-forming species, such as oysters and corals (Iwaniec et al 2021, Rastetter et al 2021, Zinnert et al 2021. However, research over the last 30 years has increasingly highlighted the importance of other biotic factors, such as herbivory and trophic interactions, in the maintenance of ecosystem properties and functions within coastal wetlands (Cannicci et al 2008, Hughes et al 2013, Bertness et al 2014, Moore 2018, Moore and Schmitz 2021, Sievers et al 2022. He and Silliman (2016), for example, synthesized data from 443 studies and found that salt marsh and mangrove herbivores strongly influence plant survival, reproduction, and growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A call to expand global change research in LTER coastal wetlands

Moore¹

2023

Preprint

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Global change stressors are altering the structure of ecological communities with significant implications for the functions and services that ecosystems provide. Coastal zones are particularly susceptible to such stressors, yet our collective understanding of the long-term effects of global change on these systems and, in particular, the consumer species found within them, is limited. The US Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network provides an opportunity to address this research need. Leveraging publicly available LTER data, I summarize ongoing LTER research in coastal wetlands with an emphasis on studies assessing how global change variables impact consumer species and trophic interactions; identifies research gaps; and introduces a framework for future long-term global change research in coastal LTER sites. In so doing, this piece highlights important new directions for long-term ecological studies in coastal ecosystems and provides an impetus for future research to fill in crucial knowledge gaps.

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“…This idea of top-down regulation of ecosystem function with predation keeping herbivores in check, and the world green, was famously advanced by Hairston, Smith and Slobodkin (Hairston et al, 1960). The role of bottom-up versus top-down control of ecosystem function has been vigorously studied, analyzed and debated (Worm et al, 2002;Hatton et al, 2015;Moore and Schmitz, 2021;Renzi and Silliman, 2021). Not surprising, both are important, and the strength of trophic cascades varies widely and may be influenced by climate, ecosystem productivity and even biotic legacy effects (Borer et al, 2005;Melis et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Myths, Wishful Thinking, and Accountability in Predator Conservation and Management in the United States

Blossey

Hare

2022

Front. Conserv. Sci.

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Large predators are thought of as ecological keystone species, posterchildren of conservation campaigns, and sought-after targets of tourists and photographers. At the same time, predators kill livestock and huntable animals, and occasionally people, triggering fears and antipathy among those living alongside them. Until the 1960’s government-sponsored eradication and persecution campaigns in the United States prioritized interests of livestock producers and recreational hunters, leading to eradication of wolves and bears over much of their range. Without large predators, subsidized by changes in agricultural practices and milder winters, ungulate populations erupted, triggering negative ecological impacts, economic damage, and human health crises (such as tick-borne diseases). Shifting societal preferences have ushered in more predator-friendly, but controversial wildlife policies, from passively allowing range expansion to purposeful reintroductions (such as release of wolves in Yellowstone National Park). Attempts to restore wolves or mountain lions in the U.S. and protecting coyotes appear to enjoy strong public support, but many state wildlife agencies charged with managing wildlife, and recreational hunters continue to oppose such efforts, because they perceive predators as competitors for huntable animals. There may be compelling reasons for restoring predators or allowing them to recolonize their former ranges. But if range expansion or intentional releases of large predators do not result in ecosystem recovery, reduced deer populations, or Lyme disease reductions, conservationists who have put their reputation on the line and assured decision makers and the public of the important functional role of large predators may lose public standing and trust. Exaggerated predictions by ranchers and recreational hunters of greatly reduced ungulate populations and rampant livestock killing by large carnivores may lead to poaching and illegal killing threatening recovery of predator populations. How the return of large carnivores may affect vegetation and successional change, ungulate population size, other biota, livestock and human attitudes in different landscapes has not been appropriately assessed. Societal support and acceptance of living alongside predators as they expand their range and increase in abundance requires development and monitoring of social, ecological and economic indicators to assess how return of large predators affects human and animal and plant livelihoods.

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Do predators have a role to play in wetland ecosystem functioning? An experimental study in New England salt marshes

Cited by 4 publications

References 56 publications

Effects of hydrological change in fire‐prone wetland vegetation: An empirical simulation

Effects of hydrological change in fire‐prone wetland vegetation: An empirical simulation

A call to expand global change research in LTER coastal wetlands

Myths, Wishful Thinking, and Accountability in Predator Conservation and Management in the United States

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