Carbon accumulation and vertical accretion in a restored versus historic salt marsh in southern Puget Sound,Washington, United States

Few comparisons exist between vertical accretion (VA) and carbon accumulation rates (CARs) in restored versus historic (i.e. reference) marshes. Here, we compare these processes in a formerly diked, sparsely vegetated, restored salt marsh (Six Gill Slough, SG), whose surface is subsided relative to the tidal frame, to an adjacent, relatively pristine, historic salt marsh (Animal Slough, AS). Six sediment cores were collected at both AS and SG approximately 6 years after restoration. Cores were analyzed for bulk density (BD), % loss of ignition, % organic carbon, and ²¹⁰Pb. We found that sharp changes in BD in surface layers of SG cores were highly reliable markers for the onset of restoration. The mean VA since restoration at SG (0.79 [SD = 0.29] cm/year) was approximately twice that of AS (0.41 [SD = 0.16] cm/year). In comparison, the VA at AS over 50 years was 0.30 (SD = 0.09) cm/year. VA consisted almost entirely of inorganic sediment at SG whereas at AS it was approximately 55%. Mean CARs at SG were somewhat greater than at AS, but the difference was not significant due to high variability (SG: 81–210 g C m^?2 year^?1; AS: 115–168 g C m^?2 year^?1). The mean CAR at AS over the past 50 years was 118 (SD = 23) g C m^?2 year^?1. This study demonstrates that a sparsely vegetated, restored salt marsh can quickly begin to accumulate carbon and that historic and restored marshes can have similar CARs despite highly divergent formation processes.     

Adaptive management assists reintroduction as higher tides threaten an endangered salt marsh plant

In theory, extirpated plant species can be reintroduced and managed to restore sustainable populations. However, few reintroduced plants are known to persist for more than a few years. Our adaptive‐management case study illustrates how we restored the endangered hemiparasitic annual plant, Chloropyron maritimum subsp. maritimum (salt marsh bird's beak), to Sweetwater Marsh, San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, California, United States, and used monitoring and experimentation to identify the factors limiting the reintroduced population. After extirpation in 1988, reintroduction starting that year led to a resilient, genetically diverse population in 2016 (a “boom” of approximately 14,000) that rebounded from a “bust” (62 in 2014). Multiple regressions attributed 82% of the variation in population counts to tidal amplitude, rainfall, and temperature. Populations of salt marsh bird's beak crashed when the diurnal tide range peaked during the 18.6‐year lunar nodal cycle (a rarely considered factor that periodically added approximately 12 cm to tidal ranges). We explain booms as follows: During smaller tidal amplitudes, above‐average rainfall could desalinize upper intertidal soils and stimulate salt marsh bird's beak germination. Then, moderate temperature in May favors growth to reproduction in June. In addition, salt marsh bird's beak needs a short and open canopy of native perennial plants, with roots to parasitize (not non‐native annual grass pseudohosts) and nearby upland soil for a preferred pollinator, ground‐burrowing bees. Although our reintroduced salt marsh bird's beak population is an exceptional case of persistence, this rare species‐specific environmental and biological requirement makes it vulnerable to rising sea levels and global warming.     

管网雨水补给河道用水的人工湿地水质净化流程研究

中国北方部分地区水资源短缺,河道干涸,但夏季雨水资源潜力丰富。虽径流受到一定污染,但较于生活污水和工业废水,其污染程度更低,成分更简单。雨水通过低运行成本的人工湿地净化系统,可以实现较好的净化效果,满足河道景观需求和生态补水。城市管网雨水承载能力过重的城市边缘区,建设更新过程中进行雨污分流制度,更适于采用人工水质净化的方式将城市雨水管网中的雨水进行就近消纳,减轻城市雨水管网压力,并利用表面负荷率（ALR）来确定并校核人工湿地面积。在综合现在人工水质净化主流程预处理单元、人工湿地单元和消毒存储单元3个环节的基础上,以低运营成本、低管理成本、最优净水量为指向,引入物联网技术智能管控系统,行程具有能控制各级出水水质监测、多级管控、净水生态功能与游览景观功能相结合等多重优点的人工水质净化全流程,达到符合河道水质标准的净化效果。该流程为缓解北方城镇河道缺水现状、解决城市雨洪问题提供新思路。     

山西桑干河流域湿地植被优势种群分布格局研究

根据野外调查的样地资料,应用方差/均值比（扩散系数）的t检验、聚集指数、平均拥挤度、聚块性指数、Green指数和负二项分布的聚集强度等方法,研究了山西桑干河流域湿地植被优势种群的分布格局并分析格局形成的原因,并用相关分析比较了6个指数间的关系,结果表明：这些植物的分布格局皆属于聚集分布,但它们的聚集强度有差异。聚集强度最大的是沙棘和柽柳,聚集强度最小的是小车前和车前,由于它们均分布于河漫滩或者河床地势较高处,土壤水分含量较低,仅仅在洪水季节短时间有积水存在,不是典型的湿地植物。典型的水生植物泽泻、莎草、轮藻、芦苇、香蒲、慈姑,湿生植物水葱、藨草等,它们的聚集强度居中,对水分有着较强的依赖性,均分布于流水较缓的河道,或者濒临河道的积水处。此外,多年生的莎草、芦苇、香蒲、水葱、藨草等主要依靠无性繁殖扩大种群分布范围和密度,这也是它们服从聚集分布的原因之一。本研究还说明方差/均值比率法是一种较好的分析种群分布格局的方法。     

Comparison of Soil Organic Matter in Created, Restored and Paired Natural Wetlands in North Carolina

Soil organic matter (SOM) content is a key indicator of soil quality and is correlated to a number of important soil processes that occur in wetlands such as respiration, denitrification, and phosphorus sorption. To better understand the differences in the SOM content of created (CW), restored (RW), and paired natural wetlands (NWs), 11 CW/RW-NW pairs were sampled in North Carolina. The site pairs spanned a range of hydrogeomorphic (HGM) subclasses common in the Coastal Plain. The following null hypotheses were tested: (1) SOM content of paired CW/RWs and NWs are similar; (2) SOM content of wetlands across different HGM subclasses is similar; and (3) interactions between wetland status (CW/RW vs. NW) and hydrogeomorphic subclass are similar. The first null hypothesis was rejected as CW/RWs had significantly lower mean SOM (11.8 ± 3.9%) than their paired NWs (28.98 ± 8.0%) on average and at 10 out of the 11 individual sites. The second and third null hypotheses were also rejected as CW/RWs and NWs in the non-riverine organic soil flat subclass had significantly higher mean SOM content (31.08 ± 14.2%) than the other three subclasses (8.18 ± 2.5, 11.18 ± 8.2, and 10.38 ± 4.2%). Individual sites within this fourth subclass also had significantly different SOM content. This indicated that it would be inappropriate to include the organic soil flat subclass with either the riverine or non-riverine mineral soil flat subclasses when considering restoration guidelines. These results also suggested that if there is a choice in mitigation options between restoration or creation, wetlands should be restored rather than created, especially those in the non-riverine organic soil flat subclass.     

Dragonfly Assemblages in Arid Tropical Environments: A Case Study from Western Namibia

Dragonflies have been proposed as indicators for the ecosystem health of freshwater wetlands. For their useful functioning as indicators it is, however, necessary to identify species compositions in specific habitats and species-habitat associations, particularly in the tropics, where such knowledge is still weak. We examined the dragonfly species composition of 133 localities in the arid environment of western Namibia. An analysis of nestedness indicated that distinct, and predictable patterns of species associations can be expected. Discriminant analyses revealed that most of the nine habitat types separated by structural and hydrological parameters are well discriminated by their dragonfly assemblages. Spring brooks in particular host a specific assemblage, which is threatened due to the habitat restriction of several species, as well as by recent habitat loss and degradation. Using a hierarchical method of several criteria we demonstrated the selection of a set of potential indicator species from the species set, most of these being useful indicators for spring brook assemblages. The conservation status of certain habitats and species is discussed. We propose that dragonflies will have a high indicator potential for threatened freshwater wetlands in such areas and may also serve as an indication of the sustainable use of water resources including evaluating measures to rehabilitate environments.     

青岛胶州湾四种类型湿地AM真菌多样性

对青岛胶州湾4种类型湿地（盐田、滩涂、湖泊和河口）中芦苇Phragmites communis、香蒲Typha orientalis和碱蓬Suaeda glauca 根围土壤中丛枝菌根（arbuscular mycorrhizal,AM）真菌进行孢子分离与鉴定,分析湿地生态系统中植物根围AM真菌群落特征。共分离到AM真菌5属10种,包括斗管囊霉属Funneliformis 2种、无梗囊霉属Acaulospora 3种、近明球囊霉属Claroideoglomus 2种、球囊霉属Glomus 1种、巨孢囊霉属Gigaspora 2种,其中,斗管囊霉属Funneliformis及地斗管囊霉Funneliformis geosporum的分离频度和相对多度最高,分别为湿地中AM真菌优势属和优势种。滩涂和河口湿地中植物AM真菌侵染率显著高于湖泊和盐田湿地植物,AM真菌孢子密度以滩涂湿地最高（572个/20mL）,湖泊湿地最低（220个/20mL）;滩涂湿地的种丰度和Shannon-Wiener指数最高,分别为3.8和1.2。从植物种类来看,AM真菌侵染率总体呈现出香蒲>碱蓬>芦苇,AM真菌孢子密度以香蒲最高,芦苇最低,植物种类对AM真菌种丰度和Shannon-Wiener指数影响不显著（P>0.05）。二因素方差分析和典型RDA相关分析表明,寄主植物种类对AM真菌孢子密度有一定影响,但湿地类型对AM真菌多样性的影响更为显著（P<0.05）,胶州湾湿地土壤因子Ca ²⁺、速效P含量与AM真菌孢子密度、物种丰度和多样性指数显著负相关,而速效K、Na ⁺、pH与其显著正相关。结果表明植物种类主要影响AM真菌孢子密度,AM真菌多样性受植物种类和湿地类型综合影响,滩涂湿地较丰富的AM真菌多样性可能与该湿地较良好的理化性质有关。     

Vegetation and environment changes inferred from pollen records since 3000 cal. yr BP in Kanas wetland,Xinjiang

Aims Climate change can significantly affect the vegetation worldwide. Thus, paleovegetation and paleoclimate reconstruction should consider the quantitative relationship between modern vegetation and climate. The specific objectives of this study were (i) to assess the influence of environmental variables on pollen assemblages in the Kanas region, (ii) to reconstruct the evolution of vegetation over the past 3000 years using pollen records and (iii) to quantify historical climate change (including mean annual temperature and total annual precipitation) using a weighted averaging partial least squares regression method (WAPLS) applied to fossil pollen data from the Kanas wetland in Xinjiang, China.     

An effective method for ecosystem‐scale manipulation of bird abundance and species richness

Manipulation experiments are a cornerstone of ecological research, but can be logistically challenging to execute—particularly when they are intended to isolate the ecological role of large, vagile species, like birds. Despite indirect evidence that birds are influential in many ecosystems, large‐scale, multi‐year bird manipulation experiments are rare. When these studies are conducted, they are typically realized with caged or netted exclosures, an approach that can be expensive, risky for wildlife, and difficult to maintain. In cases where caged exclosures are not appropriate, alternate approaches are needed to allow rigorous empirical studies on the ecological role of birds. Here, we present and validate a method for experimentally increasing the abundance and richness of birds at the scale of entire aquatic ecosystems. Unlike bird exclusion, this approach is experimentally tractable, appealing to land managers, and possible to deploy over large spatial scales. We tested the efficacy of our approach for increasing bird abundance and species richness at 16 central California ponds. Based on bird visitation data obtained by summer camera trapping, our approach significantly increased bird species richness and abundance at manipulated ponds compared to control ponds. Attractant treatments mitigated the negative effects of a major drought on bird species richness and generated a near doubling of bird abundance in the presence of attractants. Treatments had no effect on most mammal species, with the exception of ground squirrels, which increased in abundance in the presence of attractants. These results suggest that attractants are effective in increasing bird abundance and richness. We encourage researchers to consider this approach for experimentally isolating the ecological role of birds in aquatic and open terrestrial ecosystems, especially in cases where cost or logistical constraints preclude the use of caged or netted exclosures.     

水淹频率变化对鄱阳湖增强型植被指数的影响

水淹状况是湿地植被动态的重要影响因素。该研究基于谷歌地球引擎(GEE)平台, 利用2000-03-01至2020-02-29所有覆盖研究区域的MODIS遥感影像数据, 分析20年间水淹频率(IF)、增强型植被指数(EVI)的时空变化以及湿地植被对IF变化的响应, 得出以下结论: (1) 20年来鄱阳湖水文节律发生了明显改变, 高IF (IF > 75%)水域面积呈现下降趋势, 从2000年1 435.3 km²下降至2019年的510.25 km², 降幅为64.45%; (2)区域平均EVI呈显著上升趋势, 植被扩张主要集中在中部IF下降区域; (3)分析不同总水淹频率区域中平均EVI年际变化, 发现EVI与水淹状况的变化趋势相似, 2009年之后鄱阳湖水域面积萎缩趋势缓解, EVI增长速度出现下降; (4)鄱阳湖湿地植被主要沿水域面积萎缩方向扩张, 基于像元统计20年间IF与EVI的变化趋势, 发现它们在空间分布上高度吻合, 这种空间异质性进一步证实水淹状况起到调节植被动态变化的作用。