Marsh elevation was measured with a Surface Elevation Table (SET) as a component of a long-term project seeking to understand how salt marsh primary production and sediment chemistry respond to anthropogenic (e.g. eutrophication) and natural (e.g. sea-level rise) environmental change. Feedbacks between plants, sediments, nutrients and flooding were investigated with particular attention to mechanisms that keep marshes in equilibrium with sea level. Other data collected as part of the project include aboveground annual primary productivity, plant biomass, plant density and porewater nutrient concentrations. These data have been used to develop the Marsh Equilibrium Model, an important tool for coastal resource managers. Sampling occurred at 7 Spartina alterniflora-dominated salt marsh sites in North Inlet, a relatively pristine estuary near Georgetown, SC on the SE coast of the United States. North Inlet is a tidally-dominated, bar-built estuary, with a semi-diurnal mixed tide and a tidal range of 1.4m. The 25-km2 estuary is comprised of about 20.5 km2 of intertidal salt marsh and mudflats, and 4.5 km2 of open water. Marsh elevation sampling began in 1990, 1991, 1996 or 2000, depending on the site. Sampling occurred approximately monthly or approximately annually through 2022. The study is on-going. Additionally, some plots were fertilized with nitrogen and phosphorus.
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Interspecific Competition is Prevalent and Stabilizes Plant Production in a Brackish Marsh Facing Sea Level Rise
Tidal marsh plant species commonly zonate along environmental gradients such as elevation, but it is not always clear to what extent plant distribution is driven by abiotic factors vs. biotic interactions. Yet, the distinction has importance for how plant communities will respond to future change such as higher sea level, particularly given the distinct flooding tolerances and contributions to elevation gain of different species. We used observations from a 33-year experiment to determine co-occurrence patterns for the sedge, Schoenoplectus americanus, and two C4 grasses, Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata, to infer functional group interactions. Then, we conducted a functional group removal experiment to directly assess the interaction between sedge and grasses throughout the range in which they cooccur. The observational record suggested negative interactions between sedge and grasses across sedge- and grass-dominated plots, though the relationship weakened in years with greater flooding stress. The removal experiment revealed mutual release effects, indicating competition was the predominant interaction, and here, too, competition tended to weaken, though nonsignificantly, in more flooded, lower elevation zones. Whereas zonation patterns in undisturbed portions of marsh suggest that the sedge will dominate this marsh as flooding stress increases with sea level rise, we propose that grasses may exhibit a competition release effect and contribute to biomass and elevation gain even in sedge-dominated communities as sea level continues to rise. Even as abiotic stresses drive changes in the relative contributions of sedges and grasses, competition among them moderates fluctuations in total plant biomass production through time.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2051343
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10314484
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Estuaries and Coasts
- ISSN:
- 1559-2723
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Aboveground biomass and plant density were measured non-destructively as a component of a long-term project seeking to understand how salt marsh primary production and sediment chemistry respond to anthropogenic (e.g. eutrophication) and natural (e.g. sea-level rise) environmental change. Feedbacks between plants, sediments, nutrients and flooding were investigated with particular attention to mechanisms that keep marshes in equilibrium with sea level. Biomass was calculated from plant height measurements using allometric equations. Annual productivity was calculated from approximately-monthly biomass estimates. In addition to plant height measurements, observations of snails in sample plots were recorded. Other data collected as part of the project include marsh surface elevation and porewater nutrient concentrations. These data have been used to develop the Marsh Equilibrium Model, an important tool for coastal resource managers. Sampling occurred at Spartina alterniflora-dominated salt marsh sites in North Inlet, a relatively pristine estuary near Georgetown, SC on the SE coast of the United States. North Inlet is a tidally-dominated, bar-built estuary, with a semi-diurnal mixed tide and a tidal range of 1.4m. The 25-km2 estuary is comprised of about 20.5 km2 of intertidal salt marsh and mudflats, and 4.5 km2 of open water. Sampling began at one location in 1984, and at three additional locations in 1986. Sampling occurred approximately monthly through 2022. The study is on-going. There are four sampling locations at two sites. Two locations are in the low marsh; two locations are in the high marsh. One high marsh location had control sampling plots in addition to plots fertilized with nitrogen and phosphorus.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-021-01043-9
