Improving marsh restoration: leaf tissue chemistry identifies factors limiting production in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spartina patens</Emphasis>

Marsh loss is a problem in many areas around the world. In order to combat the problem, scientists and managers need tools to determine its cause and evaluate the effectiveness of management techniques. Current methods for estimating productivity and identifying factors that limit productivity are too time-consuming or expensive for wide-spread, regular use, however. In coastal Louisiana, where Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl is the most common plant, restoration seeks to slow wetland loss rates that averaged approximately 77.4 km²/year between 1978 and 2000. We used the chemical composition of leaf tissue from S. patens grown under controlled conditions to create a simple and inexpensive tool to identify salinity stress and nutrient limitation. By growing S. patens at varying nitrogen availability and salinity levels, we found that C:N ratios and Na concentrations can be used to classify factors that limit production in S. patens.