Rising Tides: Assessing Habitat Vulnerability for an Endangered Salt Marsh-Dependent Species with Sea-Level Rise

Rosencranz, Jordan A.; Thorne, Karen M.; Buffington, Kevin J.; Overton, Cory T.; Takekawa, John Y.; Casazza, Michael L.; McBroom, Jennifer; Wood, Julian; Nur, Nadav; Zembal, Richard; MacDonald, Glen M.; Ambrose, Richard F.

doi:10.1007/s13157-018-1112-8

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Nevertheless, even the most well-designed restoration strategies can be subject to extrinsic factors which reduce their longevity and ability to achieve long-term objectives. Wetland habitats in the SFBE are threatened by sea-level rise (SLR) which is projected to cause the loss of at least 90% of tidal marsh in the SFBE by 2,100 (Rosencranz et al, 2019;Takekawa et al, 2006;Thorne et al, 2013Thorne et al, , 2015 and would render restoration plans ineffective. The only habitats with a chance of surviving are those with adjacent higher ground that they can migrate to, or sediment input that would allow accretion rates to keep up with SLR, but the managed wetland areas currently scheduled for restoration to tidal marsh in Suisun Marsh have low topographic gradients and are particularly at risk (Rosencranz et al, 2019;Takekawa et al, 2006;Thorne et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wetland habitats in the SFBE are threatened by sea-level rise (SLR) which is projected to cause the loss of at least 90% of tidal marsh in the SFBE by 2,100 (Rosencranz et al, 2019;Takekawa et al, 2006;Thorne et al, 2013Thorne et al, , 2015 and would render restoration plans ineffective. The only habitats with a chance of surviving are those with adjacent higher ground that they can migrate to, or sediment input that would allow accretion rates to keep up with SLR, but the managed wetland areas currently scheduled for restoration to tidal marsh in Suisun Marsh have low topographic gradients and are particularly at risk (Rosencranz et al, 2019;Takekawa et al, 2006;Thorne et al, 2015). Restored tidal marshes can take up to 50 years to be fully recovered, but SLR would eliminate habitat or reduce suitability for focal species (Rosencranz et al, 2019;Takekawa et al, 2006;Thorne et al, 2015) and threatens the very system managers and planners had focused on restoring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The only habitats with a chance of surviving are those with adjacent higher ground that they can migrate to, or sediment input that would allow accretion rates to keep up with SLR, but the managed wetland areas currently scheduled for restoration to tidal marsh in Suisun Marsh have low topographic gradients and are particularly at risk (Rosencranz et al, 2019;Takekawa et al, 2006;Thorne et al, 2015). Restored tidal marshes can take up to 50 years to be fully recovered, but SLR would eliminate habitat or reduce suitability for focal species (Rosencranz et al, 2019;Takekawa et al, 2006;Thorne et al, 2015) and threatens the very system managers and planners had focused on restoring. By contrast, the managed wetlands that are scheduled for conversion do already support some tidal marsh sp ecies, and their controlled water levels with dikes and levees (Smith & Kelt, 2019;Sommer et al, 2001Sommer et al, , 2003 may make them more resistant to SLR.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Waterfowl use of wetland habitats informs wetland restoration designs for multi‐species benefits

Casazza

McDuie

Jones

et al. 2021

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Waterfowl use of wetland habitats informs wetland restoration designs for multi‐species benefits

Casazza

McDuie

Jones

et al. 2021

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Such impacts should be most important in transition zones in salt marshes where dominant marsh plant species overlap in areas that often contain burrowing crabs (Zedler 1982, Costa et al 2003, Alberti et al 2008). These transition zones provide refugia for native and endangered species (e.g., Ridgway's Rail; Rosencranz et al 2019), and increase local plant species richness (Traut 2005). Unfortunately, these zones are more sensitive to sea‐level rise due to restrictions on salt marsh transgression (Thorne et al 2018, Rosencranz et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These transition zones provide refugia for native and endangered species (e.g., Ridgway's Rail; Rosencranz et al 2019), and increase local plant species richness (Traut 2005). Unfortunately, these zones are more sensitive to sea‐level rise due to restrictions on salt marsh transgression (Thorne et al 2018, Rosencranz et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local and regional variation in effects of burrowing crabs on plant community structure

Walker

Rinehart

White

et al. 2020

Ecology

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Burrowing animals can profoundly influence the structure of surrounding communities, as well as the performance of individual species. Changes in the community structure of burrowing animals or plants together with changing abiotic parameters could shift the influence of burrowers on surrounding habitats. For example, prior studies in salt marshes suggest that fiddler crabs stimulate cordgrass production, but leaf‐grazing crabs suppress cordgrass production. Unfortunately, testing this prediction and others are impeded because few studies have examined crab impacts on the plant community and across multiple sites, multiple years, or both. This challenges our ability to predict how burrowing animals will influence plant community structure, and when and where these impacts will occur. We manipulated the densities of the dominant burrowing crabs in plant assemblages dominated by Pacific cordgrass (Spartina foliosa) and perennial pickleweed (Sarcocornia pacifica) at three sites in southern California for three years (2016, 2017, 2018). Crab impacts on plant community structure differed among each of our three sites. In contrast to our predictions, (1) leaf‐grazing crabs (Pachygrapsus crassipes) had positive effects on cordgrass cover at one site and no effect on cordgrass production at a nearby site in the same marsh and (2) fiddler crabs (Uca crenulata) did not stimulate cordgrass production at another marsh. Because crabs affected traits of cordgrass, but not pickleweed, in the direction consistent with changes in cordgrass cover, we propose that marsh‐specific crab effects on community structure were largely mediated through changes in cordgrass, as opposed to pickleweed. Importantly, crabs facilitated cordgrass during marsh‐wide cordgrass loss, suggesting that crabs may mitigate environmental stress for this ecologically important plant. Because cordgrass abundance can be a critical measure of marsh functioning and is often a restoration target, we suggest that managing cordgrass populations would benefit from additional information about crab populations and their impacts among years, and among and within marshes.

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Application of lidar to assess the habitat selection of an endangered small mammal in an estuarine wetland environment

Hagani,

Takekawa,

Skalos

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Light detection and ranging (lidar) has emerged as a valuable tool for examining the fine‐scale characteristics of vegetation. However, lidar is rarely used to examine coastal wetland vegetation or the habitat selection of small mammals. Extensive anthropogenic modification has threatened the endemic species in the estuarine wetlands of the California coast, such as the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris; SMHM). A better understanding of SMHM habitat selection could help managers better protect this species. We assessed the ability of airborne topographic lidar imagery in measuring the vegetation structure of SMHM habitats in a coastal wetland with a narrow range of vegetation heights. We also aimed to better understand the role of vegetation structure in habitat selection at different spatial scales. Habitat selection was modeled from data compiled from 15 small mammal trapping grids collected in the highly urbanized San Francisco Estuary in California, USA. Analyses were conducted at three spatial scales: microhabitat (25 m2), mesohabitat (2025 m2), and macrohabitat (~10,000 m2). A suite of structural covariates was derived from raw lidar data to examine vegetation complexity. We found that adding structural covariates to conventional habitat selection variables significantly improved our models. At the microhabitat scale in managed wetlands, SMHM preferred areas with denser and shorter vegetation and selected for proximity to levees and taller vegetation in tidal wetlands. At the mesohabitat scale, SMHM were associated with a lower percentage of bare ground and with pickleweed (Salicornia pacifica) presence. All covariates were insignificant at the macrohabitat scale. Our results suggest that SMHM preferentially selected microhabitats with access to tidal refugia and mesohabitats with consistent food sources. Our findings showed that lidar can contribute to improving our understanding of habitat selection of wildlife in coastal wetlands and help to guide future conservation of an endangered species.

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Rising Tides: Assessing Habitat Vulnerability for an Endangered Salt Marsh-Dependent Species with Sea-Level Rise

Cited by 6 publications

References 61 publications

Waterfowl use of wetland habitats informs wetland restoration designs for multi‐species benefits

Waterfowl use of wetland habitats informs wetland restoration designs for multi‐species benefits

Local and regional variation in effects of burrowing crabs on plant community structure

Application of lidar to assess the habitat selection of an endangered small mammal in an estuarine wetland environment

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