Salt marsh vegetation change after a short-term tidal restriction in the Changjiang estuary

Wetlands ◽  
10.1672/5-20 ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shucun Sun ◽  
Yongli Cai ◽  
Xingjun Tian
1984 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles T. Roman ◽  
William A. Niering ◽  
R. Scott Warren

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 3763-3779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Kelleway ◽  
Neil Saintilan ◽  
Peter I. Macreadie ◽  
Jeffrey A. Baldock ◽  
Peter J. Ralph

Abstract. Coastal salt marshes are dynamic, intertidal ecosystems that are increasingly being recognised for their contributions to ecosystem services, including carbon (C) accumulation and storage. The survival of salt marshes and their capacity to store C under rising sea levels, however, is partially reliant upon sedimentation rates and influenced by a combination of physical and biological factors. In this study, we use several complementary methods to assess short-term (days) deposition and medium-term (months) accretion dynamics within a single marsh that contains three salt marsh vegetation types common throughout southeastern (SE) Australia.We found that surface accretion varies among vegetation assemblages, with medium-term (19 months) bulk accretion rates in the upper marsh rush (Juncus) assemblage (1.74 ± 0.13 mm yr−1) consistently in excess of estimated local sea-level rise (1.15 mm yr−1). Accretion rates were lower and less consistent in both the succulent (Sarcocornia, 0.78 ± 0.18 mm yr−1) and grass (Sporobolus, 0.88 ± 0.22 mm yr−1) assemblages located lower in the tidal frame. Short-term (6 days) experiments showed deposition within Juncus plots to be dominated by autochthonous organic inputs with C deposition rates ranging from 1.14 ± 0.41 mg C cm−2 d−1 (neap tidal period) to 2.37 ± 0.44 mg C cm−2 d−1 (spring tidal period), while minerogenic inputs and lower C deposition dominated Sarcocornia (0.10 ± 0.02 to 0.62 ± 0.08 mg C cm−2 d−1) and Sporobolus (0.17 ± 0.04 to 0.40 ± 0.07 mg C cm−2 d−1) assemblages.Elemental (C : N), isotopic (δ13C), mid-infrared (MIR) and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses revealed little difference in either the source or character of materials being deposited among neap versus spring tidal periods. Instead, these analyses point to substantial redistribution of materials within the Sarcocornia and Sporobolus assemblages, compared to high retention and preservation of organic inputs in the Juncus assemblage. By combining medium-term accretion quantification with short-term deposition measurements and chemical analyses, we have gained novel insights into above-ground biophysical processes that may explain previously observed regional differences in surface dynamics among key salt marsh vegetation assemblages. Our results suggest that Sarcocornia and Sporobolus assemblages may be particularly susceptible to changes in sea level, though quantification of below-ground processes (e.g. root production, compaction) is needed to confirm this.


Vegetatio ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 61 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Dalby

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 267-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Haacks ◽  
Dietbert Thannheiser

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Ludewig ◽  
Antonia Wanner ◽  
Kai Jensen

Biologia ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saverio Sciandrello ◽  
Valeria Tomaselli

AbstractAn overview of the salt-marsh herbland and scrub vegetation belonging to the class Salicornietea fruticosae Br.-Bl. et Tx. ex A. Bolòs y Vayreda 1950 in Apulia is presented. Data available from literature have been supplemented with original relevés performed in different locations of the Apulia region. On the basis of a total of 297 relevés, fifteen communities have been defined, according to the traditional phytosociological system based on dominant and/or diagnostic taxa. For comparison purposes, the salt-marsh vegetation has been classified using numerical methods. The results obtained show that most of the clusters correspond to specific associations, and confirm the division into vegetation alliances and orders. Numerical analysis also allowed us to assign the proper allocation of some associations and plant communities drawn from literature. Five alliances, with plant communities characterized by specific ecological features, have been discriminated: Sarcocornion alpini and Arthrocnemion glauci (lower marshes), Salicornion fruticosae (middle marshes), Inulion crithmoidis and Suaedion brevofoliae (upper marshes). In addition, during the field work, a population of Halocnemum strobilaceum (Arthrocnemo-Halocnemetum strobilacei), new record for the Apulia region, has been found.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document