The impact of a severe drought on the vegetation of a subtropical estuary

Visser, Jenneke M.; Sasser, Charles E.; Chabreck, Robert H.; Linscombe, R. G.

doi:10.1007/bf02692215

Cited by 62 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…We defined marsh types based on plant community composition and salinity values (sensu Visser et al 2002). Each marsh type (fresh, intermediate, brackish, and saline, Chabreck 1972) was associated with a particular salinity range (Cowardin et al 1979;Odum 1984).…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships Between Salinity and Short-Term Soil Carbon Accumulation Rates from Marsh Types Across a Landscape in the Mississippi River Delta

et al. 2017

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Salinity alterations will likely change the plant and environmental characteristics in coastal marshes thereby influencing soil carbon accumulation rates. Coastal Louisiana marshes have been historically classified as fresh, intermediate, brackish, or saline based on resident plant community and position along a salinity gradient. Short-term total carbon accumulation rates were assessed by collecting 10-cm deep soil cores at 24 sites located in marshes spanning the salinity gradient. Bulk density, total carbon content, and the short-term accretion rates obtained with feldspar horizon markers were measured to determine total carbon accumulation rates. Despite some significant differences in soil properties among marsh types, the mean total carbon accumulation rates among marsh types were not significantly different (mean ± std. err. of 190 ± 27 g TC m −2 year −1 ). However, regression analysis indicated that mean annual surface salinity had a significant negative relationship with total carbon accumulation rates. Based on both analyses, the coastal Louisiana total marsh area (1,433,700 ha) accumulates about 2.7 to 3.3 Tg C year −1 .Changing salinities due to increasing relative sea level or resulting from restoration activities may alter carbon accumulation rates in the short term and significantly influence the global carbon cycle.

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Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships Between Salinity and Short-Term Soil Carbon Accumulation Rates from Marsh Types Across a Landscape in the Mississippi River Delta

et al. 2017

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“…The landscape gradient included four wetland types defined by salinity range and dominant macrophyte species (Visser et al 2002). Fresh marshes (0-0.5 PSU) were dominated by Panicum hemitomon and Typha latifolia, intermediate marshes (0.5-5 PSU) were dominated by Sagittaria lancifolia and Schoenoplectus americanus, brackish marshes (5-12 PSU) were dominated by Spartina patens and S. americanus, and saline marshes (12-20 PSU) were dominated by Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus.…”

Section: Study Site and Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coastal wetland community composition is regulated by salinity and flooding regimes that create clear zonation patterns along landscape-scale salinity gradients (Snow and Vince 1984;Pennings et al 2005;Silvestri et al 2005). Therefore, as sea level rises, changes to salinity and flooding regimes will result in community restructuring (Warren and Niering 1993;Visser et al 2002), and anthropogenic and geologic limits on transgression (Cahoon et al 1999) will likely result in significant range contraction with an overall shift to more saline wetlands (Williams et al 1999;Visser et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Landscape-Scale Assessment of Above- and Belowground Primary Production in Coastal Wetlands: Implications for Climate Change-Induced Community Shifts

Stagg

Schoolmaster

Piazza

et al. 2016

Estuaries and Coasts

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Above-and belowground production in coastal wetlands are important contributors to carbon accumulation and ecosystem sustainability. As sea level rises, we can expect shifts to more salt-tolerant communities, which may alter these ecosystem functions and services. Although the direct influence of salinity on species-level primary production has been documented, we lack an understanding of the landscapelevel response of coastal wetlands to increasing salinity. What are the indirect effects of sea-level rise, i.e., how does primary production vary across a landscape gradient of increasing salinity that incorporates changes in wetland type? This is the first study to measure both above-and belowground production in four wetland types that span an entire coastal gradient from fresh to saline wetlands. We hypothesized that increasing salinity would limit rates of primary production, and saline marshes would have lower rates of above-and belowground production than fresher marshes. However, along the Northern Gulf of Mexico Coast in Louisiana, USA, we found that aboveground production was highest in brackish marshes, compared with fresh, intermediate, and saline marshes, and belowground production was similar among all wetland types along the salinity gradient. Multiple regression analysis indicated that salinity was the only significant predictor of production, and its influence was dependent upon wetland type. We concluded that (1) salinity had a negative effect on production within wetland type, and this relationship was strongest in the fresh marsh (0-2 PSU) and (2) along the overall landscape gradient, production was maintained by mechanisms at the scale of wetland type, which were likely related to plant energetics. Regardless of wetland type, we found that belowground production was significantly greater than aboveground production. Additionally, inter-annual variation, associated with severe drought conditions, was observed exclusively for belowground production, which may be a more sensitive indicator of ecosystem health than aboveground production.

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“…Changing fresh water inflow, for example, will probably be a persistent issue, and has had documented effects on many ecosystems globally (Visser et al 2002, Buzan et al 2009, Elsdon et al 2009, Govender et al 2011, Bucater et al 2013. Although some stresses, e.g., oil spills, may not soon be repeated (although the risk may be increasing with expanded oil development in the Gulf of Mexico), other one-off and http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol20/iss3/art45/ inherently unpredictable disturbances, e.g., economic depressions or hurricanes, are certain to occur (Carpenter et al 1999).…”

Section: Changes and Stressors To The Apalachicola Bay Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among aquatic ecosystems, estuaries are particularly sensitive to change because relatively small alterations in salinity can affect rates of predation, disease, and physiology of the estuarine biota, which are adapted to intermediate levels of salinity (Visser et al 2002, Buzan et al 2009, Petes et al 2012. Maintenance of estuary ecosystem services depends on the resilience of the socialecological system: how natural resources, their users, and the governance systems respond to (often unexpected) change (Berkes and Folke 1998, Olsson et al 2004, Gunderson 2010.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collapse of a historic oyster fishery: diagnosing causes and identifying paths toward increased resilience

Camp¹,

Pine²,

Havens³

et al. 2015

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Diagnosing causal factors of change at the ecosystem level is challenging because multiple drivers often interact at various spatial and temporal scales. We employ an integrated natural and social science approach to assess potential mechanisms leading to the collapse of an estuarine social-ecological system, and recommend future paths to increased system resilience. Our case study is the collapse of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) fishery in Apalachicola Bay, Florida, USA, and the associated impacts on local resource dependent communities. The oyster fishery collapse is the most recent in a series of environmental stressors to this region, which have included hurricanes and tropical storms, drought, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We found it likely that the oyster collapse was not related to contamination from the recent oil spill, but rather to factors affecting oyster recruitment and survival, which may have been mediated by both human, e.g., fishing-related habitat alteration, and environmental, e.g., increased natural mortality from predators and disease, factors. The relative impact of each of these factors is likely to increase in the future because of changing climate and increased demand for fishery, water, and petroleum resources. Successful restoration and persistence of a viable oyster fishery will depend on: (1) implementation of some minimal best management practices, e.g., extensive habitat restoration via shell addition, and some spatial closures to harvest, (2) improving environmental knowledge and promoting episodic learning through enhanced monitoring and experimental management, and (3) continued community engagement necessary to produce adaptable governance suitable to responding to future unexpected challenges.

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The impact of a severe drought on the vegetation of a subtropical estuary

Cited by 62 publications

References 14 publications

Relationships Between Salinity and Short-Term Soil Carbon Accumulation Rates from Marsh Types Across a Landscape in the Mississippi River Delta

Relationships Between Salinity and Short-Term Soil Carbon Accumulation Rates from Marsh Types Across a Landscape in the Mississippi River Delta

A Landscape-Scale Assessment of Above- and Belowground Primary Production in Coastal Wetlands: Implications for Climate Change-Induced Community Shifts

Collapse of a historic oyster fishery: diagnosing causes and identifying paths toward increased resilience

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