Influences of seasonal flooding on macroinvertebrate abundance in wetland habitats

SUMMARY. 1. We studied the effects of seasonal flooding on macro-invertebrate abundance by manipulating water regime and detrital level within three contiguous experimental marshes in Manitoba, Canada, over 2 years. One area was seasonally flooded (standing water present through midsummer) with emergent vegetation left undisturbed throughout the study, one was semipermanently flooded (standing water present through the ice-free season) with the vegetation left undisturbed, and one was seasonally flooded with the vegetation harvested at the end of the first summer.
2. Abundances of frequent macroinvertebrate taxa were compared between the seasonally flooded-undisturbed treatment area and each of the other areas.
3. Densities of total invertebrates and of the dominant taxa (Cladocera, Ostracoda and Culicidae) were reduced dramatically by a year of semipermanent flooding, despite high levels of paniculate organic food resources and low populations of predators. Densities were not reduced by lowering the availability of detritus under seasonally flooded conditions.
4. Taxa unaffected by water regime included Dytiscidae, Corixidae, Chironomidae, Ceratopogonidae and Ephydridae.
5. Semi-permanent flooding may have eliminated environmental cues necessary for oviposition, embryonic development and hatch among dominant taxa. High invertebrate densities in temporary waters may be more dependent upon life history traits of resident fauna than upon habitat features such as food availability or predation pressure.     

Effects of seasonal flooding and grazing on the vegetation of former ricefields in the Rhône delta (Southern France)

Six management regimes were tested during 5 years in 18 abandoned ricefields in the Rh^one delta, France: two artificial floodings for 6 months (winter and summer flooding, 10 cm deep) and a control only flooded by rain, each flooding treatment either with or without grazing by cattle and horses. In the absence of artificial flooding and in presence of grazing by domestic herbivores (i.e., maintaining the initial management since the abandonment) no significant change in plant communities was recorded after 5 years. The vegetation was mainly composed of halophytes (Salicornia fruticosa and Inula crithmoides). The removal of grazing led to the dominance of a salt tolerant grass: Aeluropus littoralis. Flooding favoured the dominance of clonal plants and led to a decrease in the number of species. In the ungrazed fields, changes in plant communities were related to the height of species with Bolboschoenus maritimus and Phragmites australis becoming dominant. When grazing was combined with summer flooding, B. maritimus dominated the first two years of the experiment, but with a low cover, and was replaced in the 3rd year by Typha angustifolia. When grazing was combined with winter and early spring flooding the competitive exclusion of B. maritimus by Juncus gerardii slowed the establishment of the former. The management of former ricefields led to the establishment and dominance of emergent species common to Mediterranean wetlands. Although it is subordinate to the maintenance of artificial flooding, the project may be considered a restoration (or a rehabilitation) of seasonally flooded marshes as original functions existing before the land was put under cultivation are re-established.     

Impact of Flooding on the Species Richness, Density and Composition of Amazonian Litter-Nesting Ants

Litter-nesting ants are diverse and abundant in tropical forests, but the factors structuring their communities are poorly known. Here we present results of the first study to examine the impact of natural variation in flooding on a highly diverse (21 genera, 77 species) litter-nesting ant community in a primary Amazonian forest. Fifty-six 3 × 3 m plots experiencing strong variation in flooding and twenty-eight 3 × 3 m terra firme plots were exhaustively searched for litter-nesting ants to determine patterns of density, species richness and species composition. In each plot, flooding, litter depth, twig availability, canopy cover, plant density, percent soil nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus were measured. Degree of flooding, measured as flood frequency and flood interval, had the strongest impact on ant density in flooded forest. Flooding caused a linear decrease in ant abundance, potentially due to a reduction of suitable nesting sites. However, its influence on species richness varied: low-disturbance habitat had species richness equal to terra firme forest after adjusting for differences in density. The composition of ant genera and species varied among flood categories; some groups known to contain specialist predators were particularly intolerant to flooding. Hypoponera STD10 appeared to be well-adapted to highly flooded habitat. Although flooding did not appear to increase species richness or abundance at the habitat scale, low-flooding habitat contained a mixture of species found in the significantly distinct ant communities of terra firme and highly flooded habitat.
     

Persistence and colonization strategies of playa wetland invertebrates

Wetland invertebrates have evolved numerous means of inhabiting spatially and temporally flooded wetland environments. The ability of invertebrates to either colonize from other sources and/or to persist in dry wetlands through diapause has seldom been simultaneously studied. We compared strategies of colonization and persistence by invertebrates in variable environments (playa wetlands on the Southern High Plains of Texas). We also examined emergence response time, following flooding, of taxa that persist in playa soil using field experiments and microcosms. At least 26 of 87 invertebrate taxa survive seasonal drying of playas through aestivation in soil. More invertebrate taxa only colonized flooded playas (70.1%) than only persisted in dry soil (29.9%) (P < 0.05). Of the invertebrate taxa that persisted in dry soil, more (P < 0.05) of these were active colonists or relied strictly on diapause rather than a combination of aestivation and colonization. Invertebrate densities were not statistically different among taxa that practiced colonization and persistence (5.2 invertebrates/m², SE = 2.0) or that only persisted (1.5 invertebrates/m², SE = 0.5) in playas (P=0.918). The average amount of time for a taxon to first appear in a microcosm was about 3 weeks less in 1995–96 than 1994–95, which was likely due to greater precipitation during 1995–96. We found that both colonization and persistence was practiced more often than a single strategy for those invertebrates sampled in microcosms. Conservation efforts for playa invertebrates should be implemented at the landscape level and focus on playas with intact watersheds, because these playas have relatively undisturbed hydroperiods.     

Response of wetland plant communities to inundation within floodplain landscapes

Summary Many floodplain wetlands in south‐eastern Australia have become isolated from the main river channel as a consequence of reduced high flows and associated flood events following river regulation. In the Central Murray region of south‐eastern Australia, many temporary wetlands would have received water once every five years or so, with large floods maintaining floodplain connectivity every decade, under natural conditions. Now, the River Murray is highly regulated and many of these wetland areas have not been flooded for periods of up to 30 years. Consequently, these wetlands are becoming degraded and the biodiversity of the area is in decline. From 2001–2003, 21 Black Box depression wetlands in the Central Murray region were each watered once. Plant communities in each wetland were monitored for changes in abundance (assessed as percentage cover) before and during the wetting and drying phases. Wetlands were watered during spring or early summer with the length of inundation ranging from 6 to 19 weeks. After watering, the percentage cover of native plant taxa and native plant functional groups in most wetlands increased. In general, there was a decrease in the percentage number of terrestrial plants present and an increase in the percentage cover of aquatic plants. Introduced species were a minor component. Although these wetlands are all located in the Central Murray region, individual wetlands developed plant communities that contained taxa specific to individual wetlands despite initial similarities. These results indicate that wetland plant biodiversity within the landscape can be promoted and maintained by ensuring there is a diversity of wetlands with varying flood regimes within the landscape.     

Empirical evidence linking increased hydrologic stability with decreased biotic diversity within wetlands

Competing demands for water have resulted in many wetlands becoming either more permanently flooded or more permanently dry. It has been stated that such changes may lead to a loss of diversity in wetland communities; yet to date, this has not been tested experimentally. In this study, we experimentally test the hypothesis that increasing the hydrologic stability of wetlands results in reduced abundance, richness and diversity of aquatic biota emerging from wetland sediments. Sediment was collected from 19 wetlands that were divided into five groups (permanently flooded and wetlands that had been dry for 2, 7, 11 and 30 years). Aquatic plant communities germinating from the sediment of wetlands that had been permanently inundated and those that had been dry for 30 years had lower species richness and number of individuals than wetlands with intermediate flooding histories. For microfaunal communities, significantly less individuals but more taxa hatched from wetlands that had been permanently flooded or dry for 2 years than the other wetland groups. These results provide evidence of reduced biotic diversity as hydrological stability is increased under the common management scenarios of making wetlands more permanently wet or dry.     

Seasonal flooding,topography, and organic debris interact to influence the emergence and distribution of seedlings in a tropical grassland

In seasonally flooded wetlands, inundation and associated organic debris deposition followed by a drawdown period can promote plant community diversity across space and time. Post‐flood regeneration might be influenced by the direct effect of flooding on seed dispersal and seedling emergence, as well as the indirect effect of organic debris on seed trapping and germination. Our objective was to examine the influence of seasonal flooding, topography, and organic debris cover on seedling distribution in a seasonally flooded grassland. We measured species richness, seedling abundance, and organic debris cover for 3 yr in a seasonally flooded grassland in the Pantanal, Brazil, at three topographic levels at the end of the flood season and during the dry season when there was no debris deposition. A total of 43 species were recorded, with no difference in species richness detected between seasons. However, the abundance of some species was higher post‐flood than during the dry period. The greatest seedling abundance and richness were found post‐flood at intermediate elevations, followed by high and the lowest elevations. Seed germination and seedling establishment were likely suppressed at low topographic positions due to shading from organic debris and poor drainage. Therefore, areas with predictable annual floods promote diversity by creating spatial and temporal variations in environmental conditions.     

Invasive reed effects on benthic community structure in Lake Erie coastal marshes

We examined how dominance (% canopy cover) and invasion history of common reed, Phragmites australis, affected benthic macroinvertebrate diversity and density in 8 marshes along Lake Erie’s southern shoreline. We also compared macroinvertebrate densities among patches (0.25 m²) of reed, cattail (Typha spp.), and native flora (e.g., Sagittaria, Sparganium) and epiphytic algal communities on submerged stems of reed and cattail. Narrow-leaf cattail (T. angustifolia) is also a common invasive plant to these wetlands, but does not greatly change plant community composition or ecosystem conditions like reed. Macroinvertebrate diversity (Shannon–Weaver H′) was positively related to reed cover and was highest (4.6) in two marshes with ~35- and 5-year invasion histories. Shading from high reed cover increased H′-diversity, in part, by reducing the abundance of floating duckweed, which harbored many Hyalella azteca amphipods. Percent Ephemeroptera, Odonata, and Trichoptera was low to moderate across marshes, regardless of reed cover and invasion history. Macroinvertebrate density was not affected by reed cover or average plant stem density, and did not differ among plant types. However, epiphyton densities and % diatoms were greater on reed than on cattail, suggesting reed provides a better feeding habitat for microalgal grazers than Typha. Abundance rankings of common species in these diatom-dominated communities were also typically dissimilar between these plant types. Although % grazers was unrelated to epiphyton densities and % diatoms, grazer identity (snails) differed between natural and diked marshes, which had different microalgal food supplies. Our findings suggest that Phragmites does not necessarily adversely affect macroinvertebrate community structure and diversity and that invasion history alone has little effect on the H′-diversity–reed dominance relationship.     

Changes in aquatic vegetation and fish communities following 5 years of sustained low water levels in coastal marshes of eastern Georgian Bay,Lake Huron

Aquatic vegetation in the relatively pristine coastal wetlands of eastern Georgian Bay provides critical habitat for a diverse fish community. Declining water levels in Lake Huron over the past decade, however, have altered the wetland plant assemblages in favour of terrestrial (emergent and meadow) taxa and have thus reduced or eliminated this important ecosystem service. In this study, we compared IKONOS satellite images for two regions of eastern Georgian Bay (acquired in 2002 and 2008) to determine significant changes in cover of four distinct wetland vegetation groups [meadow (M), emergent (E), high‐density floating (HD) and low‐density floating (LD)] over the 6 years. While LD decreased significantly (mean ?2995.4 m²), M and HD increased significantly (mean +2020.9 m² and +2312.6 m², respectively) between 2002 and 2008. Small patches of LD had been replaced by larger patches of HD. These results show that sustained low water levels have led to an increasingly homogeneous habitat and an overall net loss of fish habitat. A comparison of the fish communities sampled between 2003 and 2005 with those sampled in 2009 revealed that there was a significant decline in species richness. The remaining fish communities were also more homogeneous. We suggest that the observed changes in the wetland plant community due to prolonged low water levels may have resulted in significant changes in the fish communities of coastal wetlands in eastern Georgian Bay.     

Effects of Soil Properties and Flooding on the Mobility and Transformation of Mercury in a Temperate Riparian Wetland

Three fractions of mercury (mobile, semi-mobile, and non-mobile mercury) were detected in the soil of an estuarine wetland in Nansi Lake, which is on the east route of China's South-to-North Water Transfer Project. The correlations between these mercury fractions and soil properties were examined under different levels of toxicity. Furthermore, the effects of two flooding conditions (permanent flooding and seasonal flooding) on mercury mobility were analyzed. Results showed that soil pH was negatively correlated with mobile mercury, whereas semi-mobile mercury was positively correlated with total aluminum, iron, and manganese. Moreover, free alumina was positively correlated with all three fractions of mercury. Our study suggests that high contents of soil acid and free alumina might promote wetlands as “sinks” for mercury sequestration, along with low concentrations of organic matter and manganese. In addition, seasonally flooded wetland might limit the production of toxic mobile mercury more than permanently flooded wetland. Large areas of seasonally flooded wetlands in the watershed are permanently flooded by the water transfer project, which elevates the water level during the dry season. As a result, the potential toxicity of mercury may increase in the watershed during water transfer, which should gain more attention.     

Crab herbivory regulates re‐colonization of disturbed patches in a southwestern Atlantic salt marsh

Recent work exploring the effects of physical stress and herbivory on secondary succession in estuarine plant communities agrees with basic stress models and reveal that herbivory is an important force in brackish and oligohaline marshes but negligible in physically stressful salt marshes. In these systems, herbivores are terrestrial, and thus negatively affected by the same stressful factors that affect marsh plants (i.e. frequent flooding or high salinities). We evaluated the effects of a marine herbivore (i.e. the crab Neohelice granulata) on plant secondary succession in a southwestern Atlantic salt marsh. Field surveys revealed that disturbance‐generated bare patches have harsh physical conditions and that their edges suffer higher herbivore pressure compared to the marsh matrix. A factorial experiment demonstrated that asexual expansion of the surrounding plants is the only possible mechanism to re‐colonize disturbed patches and that crab exclusion can increase this colonization rate by more than 30 times. Our results show that even in highly stressful environments, herbivores strongly impact marsh structure by regulating patch recovery. The synergism of physical stress and herbivory may make plant succession an extremely slow process and lead to the prevalence of bare areas.     

Hydrologic control of litter decomposition in seasonally flooded prairie marshes

The effect of seasonal inundation on the decomposition of emergent macrophyte litter (Scolochloa festucacea) was examined under experimental flooding regimes in a northern prairie marsh. Stem and leaf litter was subjected to six aboveground inundation treatments (ranging from never flooded to flooded April through October) and two belowground treatments (nonflooded and flooded April to August). Flooding increased the rate of mass loss from litter aboveground but retarded decay belowground. Aboveground, N concentration decreased and subsequently increased earlier in the longer flooded treatments, indicating that flooding decreased the time that litter remained in the leaching and immobilization phases of decay. Belowground, both flooded and nonflooded litter showed an initial rapid loss of N, but concentration and percent of original N remaining were greater in the nonflooded marsh throughout the first year. This suggested that more N was immobilized on litter under the nonflooded, more oxidizing soil conditions. Both N concentration and percent N remaining of belowground litter were greater in the flooded than the nonflooded marsh the second year, suggesting that N immobilization was enhanced after water-level drawdown. These results suggest different mechanisms by which flooding affects decomposition in different wetland environments. On the soil surface where oxygen is readily available, flooding accelerates decomposition by increasing moisture. Belowground, flooding creates anoxic conditions that slow decay. The typical hydrologic pattern in seasonally flooded prairie marshes of spring flooding followed by water-level drawdown in summer may maximize system decomposition rates by allowing rapid decomposition aboveground in standing water and by annually alleviating soil anoxia.     

Vegetation Similarity and Avifaunal Food Value of Restored and Natural Marshes in Northern New York

Measuring the success of wetland restoration efforts requires an assessment of the wetland plant community as it changes following restoration. But analyses of restored wetlands often include plant community data from only one time period. We studied the development of plant communities at 13 restored marshes in northern New York for 4 years, including 1 year prior to restoration and 3 years afterwards. Restored wetlands ranged in size from 0.23 to 1.70 ha. Four reference wetlands of similar basin morphology, soil type, and size (0.29–0.48 ha) that occurred naturally in the same area were studied as comparisons. Dike construction to restore hydrology disturbed the existing vegetation in some parts of the restored sites, and vegetation was monitored in both disturbed and undisturbed areas. Undisturbed areas within the restored sites, which were dominated by upland field grasses before restoration, developed wetland plant communities with lower wetland index values but comparable numbers of wetland plant species than the reference wetlands, and they lagged behind the reference sites in terms of total wetland plant cover. There were significantly more plant species valuable as food sources for wetland birds, and a significantly higher percent cover of these species, at the undisturbed areas of the restored sites than at the reference wetlands. Areas of the restored sites that were disturbed by dike construction, however, often developed dense, monospecific cattail stands. In general, the plant communities at restored sites became increasingly similar to those at the reference wetlands over time, but higher numbers of herbaceous plants developed at the restored sites, including food plants for waterfowl, rails, and songbirds. Differences in shrub cover will probably lessen as natural recolonization increases shrub cover at the restored sites. Natural recolonization appears to be an effective technique for restoring wetlands on abandoned agricultural fields with established plant cover, but it is less successful in areas where soil has been exposed by construction activity.     

Can hydrologic management practices of rice fields contribute to macroinvertebrate conservation in southern Brazil wetlands?

The expansion of rice fields is one of the main human activities responsible for the decline of natural wetlands throughout the world. However, rice fields have been recognized as having considerable potential value for many aquatic species. In this sense, an important question from the point of view of biodiversity conservation is the adequacy of these agricultural wetlands as an integrated managed landscape that contributes to maintain a rich biodiversity. The two main questions of this study were: (1) Do richness, density, and composition of macroinvertebrates differ in rice fields with different management practices (flooded and dry)?; and, (2) Do richness, density and composition of macroinvertebrates change in rice fields over the rice cultivating phases? Six collections were carried out in six rice fields with different management practices after cultivation (three dry and three flooded during the fallow phase). The macroinvertebrates were sampled using a corer (7.5-cm diameter) inserted 10 cm into the substratum of the rice fields. We recorded 6,425 macroinvertebrates, comprising 71 macroinvertebrate taxa. Macroinvertebrate richness and density varied over the rice cultivating cycle. The different management practices adopted after cultivation did not influence the macroinvertebrate richness and density; however, they influenced composition. Thus, the mosaic created by the variation of flooded and dry rice fields would provide the setting for a greater number of taxa within the agricultural landscape. The difference in taxa composition between flooded and dry rice fields is an interesting result in terms of biodiversity conservation. Rice producers could maintain part of their agricultural land flooded during the fallow phase. These management practices adopted could be an important strategy for biodiversity conservation in areas where the natural wetlands were converted into rice fields.     

How do depth,duration and frequency of flooding influence the establishment of wetland plant communities?

In many temporary wetlands such as those on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales Australia, the development of plant communities is largely the result of germination and establishment from a long-lived, dormant seed bank, and vegetative propagules that survive drought. In these wetlands the pattern of plant zonation can differ from year to year and season to season, and depth is not always a good indicator of the plant community composition in different zones. In order to determine which aspects of water regime (depth, duration or frequency of flooding) were important in the development of plant communities an experiment using seed bank material from two wetlands was undertaken over a 16 week period in late spring–early summer 1995–1996. Seed bank samples were exposed to 17 different water-level treatments with different depths, durations and frequencies of flooding. Species richness and biomass of the communities that established from the seed bank were assessed at the end of the experiment and the data were examined to determine which aspects of water regime were important in the development of the different communities. It was found that depth, duration and frequency of inundation influenced plant community composition, but depth was least important, and also that the duration of individual flooding events was important in segregating the plant communities. Species were grouped according to their ability to tolerate or respond to fluctuations in flooding and drying. The highest biomass and species richness developed in pots that were never flooded. Least biomass and species richness developed in pots that were continuously flooded. Short frequent floods promoted high species richness and biomass especially of Amphibious fluctuation-tolerator species and Amphibious fluctuation-responder species that have heterophylly. Terrestrial species were able to establish during dry phases between short floods. Depth was important in determining whether Amphibious fluctuation-tolerator or Amphibious fluctuation-responder species had greater biomass. Longer durations of flooding lowered species richness and the biomass of terrestrial species. Experiments of this kind can assist in predicting vegetation response to water-level variation in natural and modified wetlands.     

Wetland Selection by Mallard Broods in Canada's Prairie-Parklands

ABSTRACT Although brood survival has a pronounced effect on population growth in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), knowledge of brood ecology is more limited than for other vital rates. During 1993–1997 we collected wetland selection data from 210 radiomarked mallard broods on 15 study areas located throughout the Canadian Prairie-Parklands. We used information-theoretic approaches to select the best-approximating model of habitat selection in relation to wetland characteristics. Wetland permanence, cover type, width of flooded emergent vegetation, and interactions between these variables and date, moisture level, and dominant species of emergent vegetation were all important predictors of wetland selection. Mallard broods selected deeper wetlands, especially later in the brood-rearing season. Mallard broods also selected wetlands with large central expanses of open water and wide peripheral zones of flooded emergent cover. These habitat characteristics can most easily be met in landscapes that already contain an abundance and diversity of natural wetland habitats. Where such wetlands are unavailable, restoration or management of deeper wetlands may be necessary to meet the habitat requirements of mallard ducklings.     

Plant community,primary productivity,and environmental conditions following wetland re-establishment in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta,California

Wetland restoration can mitigate aerobic decomposition of subsided organic soils, as well as re-establish conditions favorable for carbon storage. Rates of carbon storage result from the balance of inputs and losses, both of which are affected by wetland hydrology. We followed the effect of water depth (25 and 55 cm) on the plant community, primary production, and changes in two re-established wetlands in the Sacramento San-Joaquin River Delta, California for 9 years after flooding to determine how relatively small differences in water depth affect carbon storage rates over time. To estimate annual carbon inputs, plant species cover, standing above- and below-ground plant biomass, and annual biomass turnover rates were measured, and allometric biomass models for Schoenoplectus (Scirpus) acutus and Typha spp., the emergent marsh dominants, were developed. As the wetlands developed, environmental factors, including water temperature, depth, and pH were measured. Emergent marsh vegetation colonized the shallow wetland more rapidly than the deeper wetland. This is important to potential carbon storage because emergent marsh vegetation is more productive, and less labile, than submerged and floating vegetation. Primary production of emergent marsh vegetation ranged from 1.3 to 3.2 kg of carbon per square meter annually; and, mid-season standing live biomass represented about half of the annual primary production. Changes in species composition occurred in both submerged and emergent plant communities as the wetlands matured. Water depth, temperature, and pH were lower in areas with emergent marsh vegetation compared to submerged vegetation, all of which, in turn, can affect carbon cycling and storage rates.     

Is there a core set of organisms that structure macroinvertebrate assemblages in freshwater wetlands?

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Energetic implications of floodplain wetland restoration strategies for waterfowl

Modifications of the Illinois River and associated tributaries have resulted in altered hydrologic cycles and persistent river‐floodplain connections during the growing season that frequently impede the establishment of hydrophytic vegetation and have reduced value for migratory waterfowl and other waterbirds. To help guide floodplain restoration, we compared energetic carrying capacity for waterfowl in two wetland complexes along the Illinois River under different management regimes during 2012–2015. The south pool of Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR) was seasonally flooded due to a partial river connection and managed for moist‐soil vegetation. Emiquon Preserve was hydrologically isolated from the Illinois River by a high‐elevation levee and managed as a semipermanently flooded emergent marsh. Semipermanent emergent marsh management at Emiquon Preserve produced 5,495 energetic use‐days (EUD)/ha for waterfowl and other waterbirds across wetland cover types and years, and seasonal moist‐soil management at CNWR produced 6,199 EUD/ha in one of 4 years. At Emiquon Preserve, the aquatic bed cover type produced 9,660 EUD/ha, followed by 5,261 EUD/ha in moist‐soil, 1,398 EUD/ha in persistent emergent, 1,185 EUD/ha in hemi‐marsh, and 12 EUD/ha in open water cover types. At CNWR, the annual grass and sedge cover type produced 7,031 EUD/ha, followed by 5,618 EUD/ha in annual broadleaf and 1,305 EUD/ha in perennial grass cover types. Restoration of floodplain wetlands in isolation from frequent flood pulses during the growing season can produce hemi‐marsh and aquatic bed vegetation communities that provide high‐quality habitat for waterfowl and which have been mostly eliminated from large river systems in the Midwest, U.S.A.     

Restoring prairie pothole wetlands: does the species pool concept offer decision‐making guidance for re‐vegetation?

Question: Do regional species pools, landscape isolation or on‐site constraints cause plants from different guilds to vary in their ability to colonize restored wetlands? Location: Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, USA. Methods: Floristic surveys of 41 restored wetlands were made three and 12 years after reflooding to determine changes in local species pools for eight plant guilds. The effect of landscape isolation on colonization efficiency was evaluated for each guild by plotting local species pools against distance to nearby natural wetlands, and the relative importance of dispersal vs. on‐site constraints in limiting colonization was explored by comparing the local species pools of restored and natural wetlands within the region. Results: Of the 517 wetland plant taxa occurring in the region, 50% have established within 12 years. The proportion of the regional species pool represented in local species pools differed among guilds, with sedge‐meadow perennials, emergent perennials and floating/submersed aquatics least represented (33‐36%) and annual guilds most represented (74‐94%). Colonization‐to‐extinction ratios suggest that floating/submersed aquatics have already reached a species equilibrium while sedge‐meadow and emergent perennials are still accumulating species. Increasing distance to nearest wetlands decreased the proportion of the regional species pool present in local pools for all guilds except native annuals and woody plants. The maximum proportion predicted, assuming no distance constraint, was comparable to the lowest‐diversity natural wetlands for most perennial guilds, and also lower than what was achieved in a planted, weeded restoration. Conclusions: A biotic constraints seem to limit the colonization of floating/submersed aquatics into natural or restored wetlands, whereas all other guilds are potentially constrained by dispersal or biotic factors (i.e. competition from invasive species). Using species pools to evaluate restoration progress revealed that immigration potential varies considerably among guilds, that local species richness does not necessarily correspond to immigration limitations, and that some guilds (e.g. sedge‐meadow perennials) will likely benefit more than others from being planted at restoration sites.