A method to prioritize and monitor wetland restoration for water-quality improvement

Wetland restoration can improve water quality by reducing concentrations of sediment, total phosphorus, and nitrate in runoff. Managers need a simple method to choose among many possible restoration sites, particularly in large agricultural basins covering thousands of square kilometers. The purpose of this paper is to outline a method for prioritizing and monitoring wetland restoration sites in light of the factors that affect water-quality improvement by wetlands. These factors are categorized as loading factors, path factors, and process factors. The method for prioritizing wetland restoration sites depends primarily on assessing the potential effectiveness of the wetland for improving water quality. Three types of effectiveness are considered: problem effectiveness (is the site in an area with known water-quality problems?), function effectiveness (is the site likely to improve water quality more or less than other sites?), and information effectiveness (does the site fit within an overall research plan to gain information on how wetlands improve water quality?). The variables of hydraulic residence time, hydraulic flux, and wetland area, volume, and average depth are combined into a single variable termed and used as a proxy for estimating the relative function effectiveness of potential restoration sites. Monitoring restoration sites is targeted at establishing a minimum data set that can be collected consistently at different sites over time, and that can be used for inter-site comparison with simple statistical techniques. The Minnesota River Basin is used as an example throughout to demonstrate the types of data that are available to plan wetland restoration. While this paper focuses on the water-quality benefits, wetland restoration should be a multi-disciplinary effort to integrate other benefits of restoration, such as improvement of wildlife habitat and flood abatement.     

Climate and human water use diminish wetland networks supporting continental waterbird migration

Migrating waterbirds moving between upper and lower latitudinal breeding and wintering grounds rely on a limited network of endorheic lakes and wetlands when crossing arid continental interiors. Recent drying of global endorheic water stores raises concerns over deteriorating migratory pathways, yet few studies have considered these effects at the scale of continental flyways. Here, we investigate the resiliency of waterbird migration networks across western North America by reconstructing long‐term patterns (1984–2018) of terminal lake and wetland surface water area in 26 endorheic watersheds. Findings were partitioned regionally by snowmelt‐ and monsoon‐driven hydrologies and combined with climate and human water‐use data to determine their importance in predicting surface water trends. Nonlinear patterns of lake and wetland drying were apparent along latitudinal flyway gradients. Pervasive surface water declines were prevalent in northern snowmelt watersheds (lakes ?27%, wetlands ?47%) while largely stable in monsoonal watersheds to the south (lakes ?13%, wetlands +8%). Monsoonal watersheds represented a smaller proportion of total lake and wetland area, but their distribution and frequency of change within highly arid regions of the continental flyway increased their value to migratory waterbirds. Irrigated agriculture and increasing evaporative demands were the most important drivers of surface water declines. Underlying agricultural and wetland relationships however were more complex. Approximately 7% of irrigated lands linked to flood irrigation and water storage practices supported 61% of all wetland inundation in snowmelt watersheds. In monsoonal watersheds, small earthen dams, meant to capture surface runoff for livestock watering, were a major component of wetland resources (67%) that supported networks of isolated wetlands surrounding endorheic lakes. Ecological trends and human impacts identified herein underscore the importance of assessing flyway‐scale change as our model depictions likely reflect new and emerging bottlenecks to continental migration.     

Effects of fathead minnows and restoration on prairie wetland ecosystems

SUMMARY 1. Research has shown that fish influence the structure and processes of aquatic ecosystems, but replicated studies at the ecosystem level are rare as are those involving wetlands. Some wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America support fish communities dominated by fathead minnows ( Pimephales promelas ) while others are fishless, providing an opportunity to assess the influence of these fish on wetland ecosystems. Additionally, many wetlands have previously been drained and subsequently restored, but the success of these efforts is poorly known and restoration may be impeded by the presence of fish.
2. We assessed the effects of fathead minnows and drainage by studying 20 semipermanent, prairie wetlands in Minnesota from 1996 to 1999. We used a 2 × 2 factorial design to examine the effects of presence and absence of minnows and drainage history (restored/never drained) on the abundance of aquatic invertebrates and amphibians, as well as on the concentrations of chlorophyll a , total phosphorus, total nitrogen and turbidity in the water column.
3. Results showed that fathead minnows are an important determinant of many biotic and abiotic characteristics of wetlands in the eastern PPR. Wetlands with fathead minnows had fewer aquatic insects, large- and small-bodied cladocerans, calanoid copepods, ostracods and larval tiger salamanders, as well as a higher abundance of corixids and greater turbidity and chlorophyll a . A higher concentration of phosphorus in restored basins was the only consistent effect of past management.
4. Fathead minnows usually dominate fish communities in eastern PPR wetlands where fish are present, and can have several strong ecosystem effects. While abiotic variables are important determinants of ecosystem structure in prairie wetlands, they can be strongly influenced by biotic factors.     

Factors Affecting Wetland Use by Spring Migrating Ducks in the Southern Prairie Pothole Region

There is increasing recognition of the importance of wetlands in the prairie pothole region (PPR) of the northern United States for stopover habitat for spring-migrating waterfowl. The quality and quantity of stopover habitat found near breeding areas can affect speed and success of migration and subsequent breeding events. Conservation and management of wetlands in the region has traditionally focused narrowly on reproductive phases of the life cycle, and little to no research has examined how ducks use a diversity of available wetlands in the region during migration. We conducted weekly surveys on 1,061 wetlands during spring 2018 and 2019 to examine factors affecting duck use of wetlands in the intensively modified southern PPR landscape of Iowa, USA, for wetland restoration and conservation strategies. We compared wetland types, which included farmed, seasonal, and semi-permanent wetlands, and lakes. The highest duck use per unit area occurred on semi-permanent wetlands, followed by seasonal, and then farmed wetlands, and lakes. Ducks were highly clustered in our study, with 75% of all use-days occurring on only 37 wetlands comprising 41% of all wetland area surveyed. We used hurdle models to examine how local and landscape factors measured within and around wetlands influenced duck use during spring migration. Multiple factors related to duck use at local and landscape scales, such as wetland area, vegetation abundance, and number of wetlands in the surrounding landscape. Among semi-permanent wetlands, local factors within wetlands were more important than landscape factors in determining duck use. Collectively, our findings suggest semi-permanent wetlands within the PPR play a key role in transitioning birds from wintering areas to breeding areas and that management of semi-permanent wetlands should promote interspersion of emergent vegetation and open water and growth of submersed aquatic plants to improve their function for migrants. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Wildlife Society.     

Linkages between organic matter mineralization and denitrification in eight riparian wetlands

Denitrification (N₂ production) and oxygen consumption rates were measured at ambient field nitrate concentrations during summer in sediments from eight wetlands (mixed hardwood swamps, cedar swamps, heath dominated shrub wetland, herbaceous peatland, and a wetland lacking live vegetation) and two streams. The study sites included wetlands in undisturbed watersheds and in watersheds with considerable agricultural and/or sewage treatment effluent input. Denitrification rates measured in intact cores of water-saturated sediment ranged from 20 to 260 mol N m^-2 h^-1 among the three undisturbed wetlands and were less variable (180 to 260 mol N M^-2 h^-1) among the four disturbed wetlands. Denitrification rates increased when nitrate concentrations in the overlying water were increased experimentally (1 up to 770 M), indicating that nitrate was an important factor controlling denitrification rates. However, rates of nitrate uptake from the overlying water were not a good predictor of denitrification rates because nitrification in the sediments also supplied nitrate for denitrification. Regardless of the dominant vegetation, pH, or degree of disturbance, denitrification rates were best correlated with sediment oxygen consumption rates (r ² = 0.912) indicating a relationship between denitrification and organic matter mineralization and/or sediment nitrification rates. Rates of denitrification in the wetland sediments were similar to those in adjacent stream sediments. Rates of denitrification in these wetlands were within the range of rates previously reported for water-saturated wetland sediments and flooded soils using whole core¹⁵N techniques that quantify coupled nitrification/denitrification, and were higher than rates reported from aerobic (non-saturated) wetland sediments using acetylene block methods.     

Is consolidation drainage an indirect mechanism for increased abundance of cattail in northern prairie wetlands?

In the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, disturbances to wetlands that disrupt water-level fluctuations in response to wet–dry climatic conditions have the potential to alter natural vegetative communities in favor of species that proliferate in stable environments, such as cattail (Typha spp.). We evaluated the effect of water-level dynamics during a recent fluctuation in wet–dry conditions on cattail coverage within semipermanently and permanently ponded wetlands situated in watersheds with different land use and amounts of wetland drainage. We found that ponded water depth increase was significantly greater in wetlands where water levels were not near the spill point of the topographic basin, where banks were steeper, and in larger wetlands where past dry conditions had less influence on change in pond area. Proportion of the wetland covered by cattail was negatively correlated with increased water depth, bank slope and pond area. Our observations provide evidence that cattail coverage in prairie wetlands is regulated by water-level fluctuations and that land use surrounding the wetland might have an indirect effect on cattail coverage by altering water-level response to wet–dry climate conditions. For example, drainage of smaller wetlands into larger wetlands that are characterized by more permanent hydroperiods, leads to stabilized water levels near their spill point and is therefore a potential mechanism for increased cattail abundance in the northern prairie region.     

普者黑岩溶湖泊湿地湖滨带景观格局演变对水质的影响

湖滨带作为湖泊与陆地之间的过渡带,是健康湖泊生态系统的重要组成部分。湖滨带景观格局的演变会对湿地水质产生重要影响,因此探究影响岩溶湿地水质变化的湖滨带关键景观因子,对深入了解景观格局对岩溶湿地水质的影响过程与机制具有重要意义。选择普者黑岩溶湖泊湿地为研究对象,以2005、2007、2009、2011年共4年的Landsat遥感影像及水质监测数据为基础,通过划定湖泊湿地湖滨带缓冲区域,运用秩相关分析和冗余分析研究湖滨带景观格局对普者黑岩溶湖泊湿地水质的影响。结果表明,湖滨带不同缓冲区内景观结构类型比例差异较大;枯水期水质与土地利用类型和景观格局指数的影响大于丰水期;景观格局在不同缓冲区尺度对岩溶湿地的水质具有不同的效应;随着监测点缓冲距离的增加,个别景观指数可较好的揭示湖滨带景观格局演变对岩溶湿地水质的影响,其中,蔓延度指数(CONTAG)、斑块结合度指数(COHSION)、均匀度指数(SHEI)对水质参数的影响较大,边界密度(ED)、聚集度(AI)对水质参数的影响随缓冲距离的增加逐渐减弱,其他景观指数对水质影响差异并不明显,最大斑块指数(LPI)在缓冲距离≤300m的区域内与水质的关系较密切,面积加权平均斑块分维数(AWMPFD)与水质参数有显著负相关性,多样性指数(SHDI)对水质的影响具有不确定性;另外,大部分水质参数与土地利用面积比例有较好的相关性,且湿地面积比例是表征岩溶湖泊湿地水环境质量的主要指标。     

Upland–wetland linkages: relationship of upland and wetland characteristics with watersnake abundance

Land-use practices surrounding a wetland may be as important for maintaining wildlife populations as the wetland itself. Although imperiled species may appear to be more impacted than ubiquitous species from changes in the landscape surrounding wetlands, studies of common wetland species are useful for conservation because they provide insight into why some species persist despite landscape changes. We therefore investigated the relationship between connectivity, measured as the wetland distance to other wetlands; connectivity quality, implied by wetland distance to roads and forest area within 30, 125, 250, 500 and 1000 m buffer zones around the wetland; and patch size as indicated by wetland size with northern watersnake Nerodia sipedon sipedon abundance. Our results suggest that both upland and wetland characteristics influence the abundance of N. s. sipedon , as wetland size and wetland connectivity to other wetlands were significantly associated with abundance. Abundance was positively correlated with increasing wetland size and wetland connectivity. We were not able to find a significant relationship between abundance and connectivity quality, and wetland distance to road or forest area within 30, 125, 250, 500 and 1000 m buffer zones. We conclude that wetland conservation should focus on wetland complexes as well as individual wetlands. In addition, common wetland species such as the northern watersnake do not appear to be negatively impacted by modifications to nearby terrestrial habitats, such as deforestation and roads, and may benefit from the creation of larger, permanent wetlands.     

Vertical characteristics of the Hani terrace paddyfield ecosystem in Yunnan,China

The Hani terrace paddyfield in Yunnan Province,China is categorized as a 'constructed wetland' under the Lamsar Convention classification.The Hani terrace paddyfield ranges from an altitude of 144 to 2000 m above sea level (ASL) in the southern slopes of the Ailao Mountains,angling down at a range of 15°to 75°.In this study,we investigated the ecosystem of the terrace paddyfields in the Mengpin and Quanfuzhuang administrative villages located at the center of the cultural heritage conservation district in the Hani terrace paddy-field.The Hani terrace paddyfield ecosystem structure is "forest-village-terrace paddyfield-river" in the order of descending altitude.Soil and water samples were sequen-tially taken from forests,villages and the terrace paddy-fields to be able to study the vertical characteristics of Hani's terrace paddyfields.PO4-P and NH3-N in water were measured to test for water contamination.Seven soil nutrient factors were tested,including organic material (OM),char and nitrogen ratio (C/N),pH,total nitrogen (TN),total phosphorus (TP),available phosphorus (AP),and available potassium (AK).Soil quality was also eval-uated using the characteristics of the soil nutrient factors.Vertical changes in the landscape,wetland types,wetland plants,hydrology and soil nutrients were characterized.Results showed that:(1) Hani's terrace paddyfield can be divided into five types of wetlands; the rice varieties and cultivation patterns vary in each type of wetland.(2) Hani's terrace paddyfield has a great capacity for water conservation and a strong ability to purify contaminants.The impoundage of Hani's terrace paddyfield is about 5050 m3/hm2.Contaminants in the terrace paddyfield soils decrease exponentially with the decline in altitude.(3) Comparison of soil quality in five different land use types indicates decreasing soil quality from forest to ter-race land to terrace paddyfield to water source.Except for headwater soil,single factors such as OM,TN and TP,and the comprehensive soil quality in individual sampling zones tend to increase with altitude elevation.Comprehensive soil quality in the Quanfuzhuang sam-pling zone is better than in the Mengpin sampling zone.Finally,a comparison of Hani's terrace paddyfield with plain paddyfields and natural wetlands highlighted the vertical characteristics of Hani's terrace paddyfield.     

RS和GIS支持的洪河地区湿地生态健康评价

洪泛平原淡水自然湿地对于生态多样性保护具有重要意义。当前自然湿地普遍面临气候变化与人类活动干扰和影响,其生态健康的状况令人担忧,结合新的地学信息技术探索自然湿地生态健康评价分析方法具有重要意义。本研究选择位于三江平原东北部的洪河国家级自然保护区湿地及其周边农场湿地为研究区,依据遥感和地理信息系统技术支持,结合野外生态调查与水文气象监测数据,从水文地貌特征、景观特征和人类扰动3方面选取一系列评价指标因子,利用层次分析法和综合指数方法,对研究区湿地进行了定量生态健康分析评价。研究结果表明：（1）洪河自然保护区的湿地生态健康状况是最好的,其周边农场从鸭绿河农场、前锋农场到洪河农场的湿地生态健康状况依次递减。（2）洪河自然保护区功能分区生态健康状况由好到差的顺序为：核心区>缓冲区>实验区,与实际野外调查情况一致。（3）本研究建立的评价指标体系和相应分析方法能够科学的评价湿地生态健康。评价分析结果显示水文地貌要素是影响湿地生态健康的关键性因素。本研究利用RS和GIS技术与传统生态学评价分析方法结合,以栅格为单位基于区域生境特征进行湿地生态健康综合评价具有一定的方法先进性。     

基于遥感生态指数的新疆玛纳斯湖湿地生态变化评价

以2000、2006和2016年3期的Landsat遥感影像为基础数据源,结合前人研究成果和实地考察,借助RSEI指数,对玛纳斯湖湿地生态环境进行监测和评价。结果表明:利用主成分分析技术集成植被指数、湿度分量、地表温度和土壤指数建立的RSEI指数具有一定的适用性,可较好的对玛纳斯湖湿地生态环境质量状况及其时空变化进行监测和评价。2000、2006和2016年RSEI指数均值分别为0.227、0.183、0.234,对RSEI指数进行分级处理后,发现流域生态环境质量"较差"等级居于主导地位,"优"等级有所增加,湿地生态环境质量向好的方向发展。气候变化和人类活动共同作用于玛纳斯湖湿地产生的生态环境效应,日益增强的人类活动是湿地退化的主要原因,多年来粗放型的农业发展使玛纳斯河流域人口、经济与生态环境之间的关系严重失调。从优化水资源配置角度提出对主要源流流域水土资源大规模开发的同时,应重视尾闾湖泊湿地的生态价值与可持续发展。     

Tracking palustrine water seasonal and annual variability in agricultural wetland landscapes using Landsat from 1997 to 2005

Wetlands densely populate the ecoregion transecting the center of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) known as the Missouri Coteau and epicenter to the most productive waterfowl‐breeding habitat in North America. These palustrine, depressional basin waters vacillate with regional drought and deluge, so surface water fluctuations over time modulate wetland productivity, habitat, and water quality functions. Models predict formidable effects of climate change on glacial basin surface waters, yet large‐scale, long‐term observation data are lacking to compare against predicted changes. Current, optical‐based water detection models do not delineate marsh vegetation from shallow, turbid, high‐chlorophyll waters common to the region. We developed a palustrine wetland spectral model for tracking open surface waters using Landsat imagery, which we evaluated for a 2500 km² landscape that estimates seasonal and annual open water variability for thousands of individual wetlands in the Missouri Coteau ecoregion. Detection accuracy of 96% was achieved for water bodies greater than a half‐pixel in size. We identified shifts in the distribution of water permanence classes within and between years for waters emerging in spring, mid‐summer, and late summer from 1997 to 2005 and identified a maximum of 19 047 basins with open water (12% of the landscape) populating 2500 km². For the 2005 growing season, we observed only 8757 basins with open water (6% of the landscape) for the same area. Declines were greatest for water bodies detected only in spring, suggesting a loss of those wetlands functioning to recharge groundwater stores early in the season and a high sensitivity to observed reductions in snowfall. If landscape factors driving open water coverage and wetland density are similar for the entire Missouri Coteau, we estimate the number of basins containing at least a pixel of water for this region declined from 577 600 to 266 000 between 1997 and 2005.     

Creating riverine wetlands: Ecological succession, nutrient retention, and pulsing effects

Successional patterns, water quality changes, and effects of hydrologic pulsing are documented for a whole-ecosystem experiment involving two created wetlands that have been subjected to continuous inflow of pumped river water for more than 10 years. At the beginning of the growing season in the first year of the experiment (1994), 2400 individuals representing 13 macrophyte species were introduced to one of the wetland basins. The other basin was an unplanted control. Patterns of succession are illustrated by macrophyte community diversity and net aboveground primary productivity, soil development, water quality changes, and nutrient retention for the two basins. The planted wetland continued to be more diverse in plant cover 10 years after planting and the unplanted wetland appeared to be more productive but more susceptible to stress. Soil color and organic content continued to change after wetland creation and wetlands had robust features of hydric soils within a few years of flooding. Organic matter content in surface soils in the wetlands increased by approximately 1% per 3-year period. Plant diversity and species differences led to some differences in the basins in macrophyte productivity, carbon sequestration, water quality changes and nutrient retention. The wetlands continued to retain nitrate–nitrogen and soluble reactive phosphorus 10 years after their creation. There are some signs that sediment and total phosphorus retention are diminishing after 10 years of river flow. Preliminary results from the beginnings of a flood pulsing experiment in the two basins in 2003–2004 are described for water quality, nutrient retention, aboveground productivity, and methane and nitrous oxide gaseous fluxes.     

Longitudinal Poisson regression to evaluate the epidemiology of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and fecal indicator bacteria in coastal California wetlands

Fecal pathogen contamination of watersheds worldwide is increasingly recognized, and natural wetlands may have an important role in mitigating fecal pathogen pollution flowing downstream. Given that waterborne protozoa, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, are transported within surface waters, this study evaluated associations between fecal protozoa and various wetland-specific and environmental risk factors. This study focused on three distinct coastal California wetlands: (i) a tidally influenced slough bordered by urban and agricultural areas, (ii) a seasonal wetland adjacent to a dairy, and (iii) a constructed wetland that receives agricultural runoff. Wetland type, seasonality, rainfall, and various water quality parameters were evaluated using longitudinal Poisson regression to model effects on concentrations of protozoa and indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli and total coliform). Among wetland types, the dairy wetland exhibited the highest protozoal and bacterial concentrations, and despite significant reductions in microbe concentrations, the wetland could still be seen to influence water quality in the downstream tidal wetland. Additionally, recent rainfall events were associated with higher protozoal and bacterial counts in wetland water samples across all wetland types. Notably, detection of E. coli concentrations greater than a 400 most probable number (MPN) per 100 ml was associated with higher Cryptosporidium oocyst and Giardia cyst concentrations. These findings show that natural wetlands draining agricultural and livestock operation runoff into human-utilized waterways should be considered potential sources of pathogens and that wetlands can be instrumental in reducing pathogen loads to downstream waters.     

图们江下游湿地生态系统健康评价

湿地是世界上具有独特结构与功能的生态系统,图们江流域湿地生态系统的健康对该区乃至东北亚地区综合生态系统网络的建设具有重要意义。选择图们江流域下游为研究区,基于压力-状态-响应(PSR)模型,在压力系统、状态系统、响应系统三个层面选取30个指标构建了图们江下游湿地生态系统健康评价指标体系,运用层次分析法和多级模糊综合评判法对研究区湿地生态健康状况进行综合评价,其结果为0.5878,处于亚健康状态。其中,压力系统的健康指数为0.5292,响应系统的健康指数为0.6866,状态系统的健康指数为0.5116,各等级隶属度S=(16.83%, 25.37%, 16.76%, 16.97%,24.07%)。主要表现在研究区域湿地的补水水质差,导致湿地水质污染加重,富营养化现象严重;并且由于人为因素,湿地大面积退化,景观破碎化加剧,功能逐渐丧失,生产力水平下降;急需对本区域湿地进行保护与管理。     

Assessing hydrogeochemical heterogeneity in natural and constructed wetlands

While water quality function is cited as animportant wetland function to design for and preserve,we demonstrate that the scale at which hydrochemicalsamples are collected can significantly influenceinterpretations of biogeochemical processes inwetlands. Subsurface, chemical profiles for bothnutrients and major ions were determined at a site insouthwestern Wisconsin that contained areas of bothnatural and constructed wetlands. Sampling wasconducted on three different scales: (1) a large scale(3 m between sampling points), (2) an intermediatescale (0.15 m between sampling points), and (3) a smallscale (1.5 cm between sampling points). In mostcases, significant vertical heterogeneity was observedat the 0.15 m scale, which was much larger thanpreviously reported for freshwater wetlands and notdetected by sampling water table wells screened overthe same interval. However, profiles of ammonia andtotal phosphorus showed tenfold changes in the upper0.2 meters of the saturated zone when sampled at thesmall (1.5 cm) scale, that was not depicted bysampling at the intermediate scale. At theintermediate scale of observation, one constructedwetland site differed geochemically from the naturalwetlands and the other constructed wetland site due toapplication of off-site salvaged marsh surface anddownward infiltration of rain. While importantdifferences in dissolved inorganic phosphorus anddissolved inorganic carbon concentrations existedbetween the constructed wetland and the naturalwetlands, we also observed substantial differencesbetween the natural wetland sites for theseconstituents. A median-polishing analysis of our datashowed that temporal variations in constituentconcentrations within profiles, although extensivelyrecognized in the literature, were not as important asspatial variability.     

Aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in mitigated and natural wetlands

Many wetlands have been constructed in West Virginia as mitigation for a variety of human disturbances, but no comprehensive evaluation on their success has been conducted. Macroinvertebrates are extremely valuable components of functioning wetland ecosystems. As such, benthic and water column invertebrate communities were chosen as surrogates for wetland function in the evaluation of 11 mitigation and 4 reference wetlands in West Virginia. Mitigation wetlands ranged in age from 4 to 21 years old. Overall familial richness, diversity, density and biomass were similar between mitigation and reference wetlands (p > 0.05). Within open water habitats, total benthic invertebrate density was higher in reference wetlands, but mass of common taxa from water column samples was higher in mitigation wetlands (p < 0.05) Planorbidae density from benthic samples in emergent habitats was higher in reference than mitigated wetlands. Benthic Oligochaeta density was higher across open water habitats in mitigation wetlands. All other benthic taxa were similar between wetland types. Among the most common water column orders, Isopoda density was higher in reference wetlands, but Physidae density was higher in mitigation wetlands. Within mitigation wetlands, emergent areas contained higher richness and diversity than open areas. These data indicate that mitigation and reference wetlands generally support similar invertebrate assemblages, especially among benthic populations. The few observed differences are likely attributable to differences in vegetative community composition and structure. Mitigation wetlands currently support abundant and productive invertebrate communities, and as such, provide quality habitat for wetland dependent wildlife species, especially waterbirds and anurans.     

湿地生态系统健康评价指标体系Ⅰ.理论

湿地生态系统健康是一个新的研究领域。主要从湿地生态系统指标的概念出发,阐述了选择生态系统指标的基本理论,分析了湿地生态特征指标体系,湿地功能整合性指标体系和湿地社会政治环境指标体系所包含的基本内涵,特别强调了生态系统结构和内在功能是生态特征的主要表现。功能整合性是湿地生态系统健康的外在表现,同时,社会政治环境因素中,政策法规,总体规划,政策保障,公众参与程度,代际周期的社会公平性,个人接受能力,团体接受能力等是影响湿地生态系统健康的重要因素。     

Distribution of duck broods relative to habitat characteristics in the Prairie Pothole Region

Conservation programs for breeding ducks in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the United States and Canada require effective means of evaluating and characterizing breeding habitat across large landscapes. Extensive surveys of the distribution of duck broods in late-summer could help identify wetland basins with greater probabilities of occupancy. Broods are difficult to detect, however, rendering presence–absence data from single-visit surveys difficult to interpret, particularly when probability of detection is related to habitat features. Multiple-visit occupancy surveys offer a potential solution. From 20 July to 5 August 2007–2009, we conducted a 3-visit survey of wetland basins located on 167 10.4-km² study plots in the PPR. Our survey focused on broods of the 5 most common breeding duck species (Anas spp.). Our main objectives were to investigate ecological relationships between occupancy of wetland basins by broods and habitat characteristics and to examine if habitat-specific detection was of enough concern to warrant multi-survey approaches in the future. We surveyed 3,226 wetland basins during the study. Probability of occupancy of a wetland basin by a brood was positively related to the log of wet area for all 5 study species and was greater on wetlands located on plots with a greater proportion of herbaceous perennial cover for 4 of 5 species. For example, the median probability of occupancy for gadwall (Anas strepera) increased from 0.08 (90% Credible Interval [CrI]: 0.07, 0.10) to 0.28 (90% CrI: 0.23, 0.33) as wet area increased from 0.19 ha to 2.12 ha, and increased from 0.12 (90% CrI: 0.09, 0.16) to 0.20 (90% CrI: 0.16, 0.25) as proportion of perennial grass cover on the study plot increased from 0.03 to 0.99. Because occupancy and detection were both related to attributes of wetland basins, we concluded that the multiple-visit survey was a useful approach for identifying habitat relationships of duck broods. Our results indicated that most broods of the study species were found in 10.4-km² landscapes with greater densities of small- to mid-sized wetland basins and a greater proportion of herbaceous perennial vegetation. Our study provided new empirical support that could be used to help target conservation actions to the most productive landscapes for breeding ducks. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.     

湿地生态系统健康评价指标体系 Ⅱ.方法与案例

湿地生态系统健康是一个非常复杂的问题,不同的湿地类型。衡量指标和标准也不尽相同,以三江平原挠力河域湿地作为案例研究,分析的湿地主要为闭合流域内的沼泽湿地和河缘湿地,以此为基础,确定三大类指标,即湿地生态特征指标,功能整合性指标和社会环境指标。在三大类指标内,又分别分出各自的具有可操作性的亚指标,因为健康是一个模糊概念,因此,根据模糊综合评判原理和方法,在对挠力河流域进行湿地分区的基础上,对各区的湿地进行了评价与比较排序,然后通过红绿灯信号系统对各区健康进行了预警。