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Liu Z, Fagherazzi S, He Q, Gourgue O, Bai J, Liu X, Miao C, Hu Z, Cui B. A global meta-analysis on the drivers of salt marsh planting success and implications for ecosystem services. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3643. [PMID: 38684646 PMCID: PMC11059165 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47769-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Planting has been widely adopted to battle the loss of salt marshes and to establish living shorelines. However, the drivers of success in salt marsh planting and their ecological effects are poorly understood at the global scale. Here, we assemble a global database, encompassing 22,074 observations reported in 210 studies, to examine the drivers and impacts of salt marsh planting. We show that, on average, 53% of plantings survived globally, and plant survival and growth can be enhanced by careful design of sites, species selection, and novel planted technologies. Planting enhances shoreline protection, primary productivity, soil carbon storage, biodiversity conservation and fishery production (effect sizes = 0.61, 1.55, 0.21, 0.10 and 1.01, respectively), compared with degraded wetlands. However, the ecosystem services of planted marshes, except for shoreline protection, have not yet fully recovered compared with natural wetlands (effect size = -0.25, 95% CI -0.29, -0.22). Fortunately, the levels of most ecological functions related to climate change mitigation and biodiversity increase with plantation age when compared with natural wetlands, and achieve equivalence to natural wetlands after 5-25 years. Overall, our results suggest that salt marsh planting could be used as a strategy to enhance shoreline protection, biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zezheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Sergio Fagherazzi
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Massachusetts, 02215, USA
| | - Qiang He
- Coastal Ecology Lab, MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Olivier Gourgue
- Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Junhong Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
- Yellow River Estuary Wetland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Education, Shandong, 257500, China
| | - Xinhui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
- Research and Development Center for Watershed Environmental Eco-Engineering, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai, 519087, China
| | - Chiyuan Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Zhan Hu
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519000, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Guangzhou, 510000, China.
- Pearl River Estuary Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Ministry of Education, Zhuhai, 519000, China.
| | - Baoshan Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
- Yellow River Estuary Wetland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Education, Shandong, 257500, China.
- Research and Development Center for Watershed Environmental Eco-Engineering, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai, 519087, China.
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McAtee KJ, Thorne KM, Whitcraft CR. Short-term impact of sediment addition on plants and invertebrates in a southern California salt marsh. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240597. [PMID: 33151998 PMCID: PMC7644084 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The implementation and monitoring of management strategies is integral to protect coastal marshes from increased inundation and submergence under sea-level rise. Sediment addition is one such strategy in which sediment is added to marshes to raise relative elevations, decrease tidal inundation, and enhance ecosystem processes. This study looked at the plant and invertebrate community responses over 12 months following a sediment addition project on a salt marsh located in an urbanized estuary in southern California, USA. This salt marsh is experiencing local subsidence, is sediment-limited from landscape modifications, has resident protected species, and is at-risk of submergence from sea-level rise. Abiotic measurements, invertebrate cores, and plant parameters were analyzed before and after sediment application in a before-after-control-impact (BACI) design. Immediately following the sediment application, plant cover and invertebrate abundance decreased significantly, with smothering of existing vegetation communities without regrowth, presumably creating resulting harsh abiotic conditions. At six months after the sediment application treatment, Salicornia bigelovii minimally colonized the sediment application area, and Spartina foliosa spread vegetatively from the edges of the marsh; however, at 12 months following sediment application overall plant recovery was still minimal. Community composition of infaunal invertebrates shifted from a dominance of marsh-associated groups like oligochaetes and polychaetes to more terrestrial and more mobile dispersers like insect larvae. In contrast to other studies, such as those with high organic deposition, that showed vegetation and invertebrate community recovery within one year of sediment application, our results indicated a much slower recovery following a sediment addition of 32 cm which resulted in a supratidal elevation with an average of 1.62 m (NAVD88) at our sampling locations. Our results indicate that the site did not recover after one year and that recovery may take longer which illustrates the importance of long-term monitoring to fully understand restoration trajectories and inform adaptive management. Testing and monitoring sea-level rise adaptation strategies like sediment addition for salt marshes is important to prevent the loss of important coastal ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaelin J. McAtee
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, United States of America
| | - Karen M. Thorne
- United States Geological Survey (USGS), Western Ecological Research Center, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Christine R. Whitcraft
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Wong JXW, Van Colen C, Airoldi L. Nutrient levels modify saltmarsh responses to increased inundation in different soil types. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2015; 104:37-46. [PMID: 25594372 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2014] [Revised: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 12/24/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Saltmarshes have been depleted historically, and cumulative stressors threaten their future persistence. We examined experimentally how nutrient availability (high vs. low) affects the responses of Spartina maritima to increased inundation in two mineral soil types (low vs. medium organic). Increased inundation, one of the effects of accelerated sea level rise, had negative effects on most plant growth parameters, but the magnitude varied with soil and nutrient levels, and between plants from different locations. Average differences between inundation treatments were largest at high nutrient conditions in low organic matter soils. We conclude that saltmarsh vegetation would be more drastically affected by increased inundation in low than in medium organic matter soils, and especially in estuaries already under high nutrient availability. This knowledge enhances the prediction of changes at the foreshore of saltmarshes related to sea level rise, and the development of site-specific conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne X W Wong
- Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche ed Ambientali (BiGeA), Italy; Ghent University, Research Group of Marine Biology (MARBIOL), Belgium
| | - Carl Van Colen
- Ghent University, Research Group of Marine Biology (MARBIOL), Belgium
| | - Laura Airoldi
- Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche ed Ambientali (BiGeA), Italy.
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Curado G, Rubio-Casal AE, Figueroa E, Grewell BJ, Castillo JM. Native plant restoration combats environmental change: development of carbon and nitrogen sequestration capacity using small cordgrass in European salt marshes. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2013; 185:8439-8449. [PMID: 23591677 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-013-3185-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2013] [Accepted: 03/26/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Restoration of salt marshes is critical in the context of climate change and eutrophication of coastal waters because their vegetation and sediments may act as carbon and nitrogen sinks. Our primary objectives were to quantify carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks and sequestration rates in restored marshes dominated by Spartina maritima to provide support for restoration and management strategies that may offset negative aspects of eutrophication and climate change in estuarine ecosystems. Sediment C content was between ca. 13 mg C g(-1)and sediment N content was ca. 1.8 mg N g(-1). The highest C content for S. maritima was recorded in leaves and stems (ca. 420 mg C g(-1)) and the lowest in roots (361 ± 4 mg C g(-1)). S. maritima also concentrated more N in its leaves (31 ± 1 mg N g(-1)) than in other organs. C stock in the restored marshes was 29.6 t C ha(-1); ca. 16 % was stored in S. maritima tissues. N stock was 3.6 t N ha(-1), with 8.3 % stored in S. maritima. Our results showed that the S. maritima restored marshes, 2.5 years after planting, were sequestering atmospheric C and, therefore, provide some mitigation for global warming. Stands are also capturing nitrogen and reducing eutrophication. The concentrations of C and N contents in sediments, and cordgrass relative cover of 62 %, and low below-ground biomass (BGB) suggest restored marshes can sequester more C and N. S. maritima plantations in low marshes replace bare sediments and invasive populations of exotic Spartina densiflora and increase the C and N sequestration capacity of the marsh by increasing biomass production and accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Curado
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Sevilla, Ap. 1095, 41080, Sevilla, Spain
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Peterson CH, Able KW, Dejong CF, Piehler MF, Simenstad CA, Zedler JB. Practical proxies for tidal marsh ecosystem services: application to injury and restoration. ADVANCES IN MARINE BIOLOGY 2008; 54:221-266. [PMID: 18929066 DOI: 10.1016/s0065-2881(08)00004-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Tidal marshes are valued, protected and restored in recognition of their ecosystem services: (1) high productivity and habitat provision supporting the food web leading to fish and wildlife, (2) buffer against storm wave damage, (3) shoreline stabilization, (4) flood water storage, (5) water quality maintenance, (6) biodiversity preservation, (7) carbon storage and (8) socio-economic benefits. Under US law, federal and state governments have joint responsibility for facilitating restoration to compensate quantitatively for ecosystem services lost because of oil spills and other contaminant releases on tidal marshes. This responsibility is now met by choosing and employing metrics (proxies) for the suite of ecosystem services to quantify injury and scale restoration accordingly. Most injury assessments in tidal marshes are triggered by oil spills and are limited to: (1) documenting areas covered by heavy, moderate and light oiling; (2) estimating immediate above-ground production loss (based on stem density and height) of the dominant vascular plants within each oiling intensity category and (3) sampling sediments for chemical analyses and depth of contamination, followed by sediment toxicity assays if sediment contamination is high and likely to persist. The percentage of immediate loss of ecosystem services is then estimated along with the recovery trajectory. Here, we review potential metrics that might refine or replace present metrics for marsh injury assessment. Stratifying plant sampling by the more productive marsh edge versus the less accessible interior would improve resolution of injury and provide greater confidence that restoration is truly compensatory. Using microphytobenthos abundance, cotton-strip decomposition bioassays and other biogeochemical indicators, or sum of production across consumer trophic levels fails as a stand-alone substitute metric. Below-ground plant biomass holds promise as a potential proxy for resiliency but requires further testing. Under some conditions, like chronic contamination by organic pollutants that affect animals but not vascular plants, benthic infaunal density, toxicity testing, and tissue contamination, growth, reproduction and mortality of marsh vertebrates deserve inclusion in the assessment protocol. Additional metrics are sometimes justified to assay microphytobenthos, use by nekton, food and habitat for reptiles, birds and mammals, or support of plant diversity. Empirical research on recovery trajectories in previously injured marshes could reduce the largest source of uncertainty in quantifying cumulative service losses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles H Peterson
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Morehead City, North Carolina 28557, USA
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Tyler AC, Lambrinos JG, Grosholz ED. Nitrogen inputs promote the spread of an invasive marsh grass. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2007; 17:1886-1898. [PMID: 17974329 DOI: 10.1890/06-0822.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Excess nutrient loading and large-scale invasion by nonnatives are two of the most pervasive and damaging threats to the biotic and economic integrity of our estuaries. Individually, these are potent forces, but it is important to consider their interactive impacts as well. In this study we investigated the potential limitation of a nonnative intertidal grass, Spartina alterniflora, by nitrogen (N) in estuaries of the western United States. Nitrogen fertilization experiments were conducted in three mud-flat habitats invaded by S. alterniflora in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA, that differed in sediment N. We carried out parallel experiments in San Francisco Bay, California, USA, in three habitats invaded by hybrid Spartina (S. alterniflora x S. foliosa), in previously unvegetated mud flat, and in native S. foliosa or Salicornia virginica marshes. We found similar aboveground biomass and growth rates between habitats and estuaries, but end-of-season belowground biomass was nearly five times greater in San Francisco Bay than in Willapa Bay. In Willapa Bay, aboveground biomass was significantly correlated with sediment N content. Addition of N significantly increased aboveground biomass, stem density, and the rate of spread into uninvaded habitat (as new stems per day) in virtually all habitats in both estuaries. Belowground biomass increased in Willapa Bay only, suggesting that belowground biomass is not N limited in San Francisco Bay due to species differences, N availability, or a latitudinal difference in the response of Spartina to N additions. The relative impact of added N was greater in Willapa Bay, the estuary with lower N inputs from the watershed, than in San Francisco Bay, a highly eutrophic estuary. Nitrogen fertilization also altered the competitive interaction between hybrid Spartina and Salicornia virginica in San Francisco Bay by increasing the density and biomass of the invader and decreasing the density of the native. There was no significant effect of N on the native, Spartina foliosa. Our results indicate that excess N loading to these ecosystems enhances the vulnerability of intertidal habitats to rapid invasion by nonnative Spartina sp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Christina Tyler
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, USA.
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