Dataset
Biochar amendments in a California salt marsh restoration reduced denitrification and supported distinct microbial community functions
15 Jun 2025
Abstract
Accelerated sea level rise, combined with human-induced changes to hydrology and sediment transport pathways poses an existential threat to the survival of coastal wetlands over the next century. To support the preservation of wetlands, restoration and enhancement strategies—such as adding sediment to marsh surfaces to boost their resilience to sea level rise—are being actively tested and monitored. This study aimed to assess how biochar derived from Eucalyptus spp. feedstock influences sediment properties, microbial communities, functional potential, and nitrate reduction pathways in a tidal wetland restoration project. Biochar-amended sediments showed reduced denitrification rates, no detectable DNRA activity, and only subtle changes in sediment properties and microbial nitrogen cycling, with the exception of increased carbon content and higher relative abundance of Cyanobacteria and Truepera, a member of the Deinococcota. While there was some evidence of increased microbial abundance, biochar did not enhance nitrogen reduction as hypothesized, and in some cases appeared to reduce microbial diversity. While biochar additions may benefit the restored wetland by increasing soil organic content to enhance microbial activity, and contributing to carbon sequestration through direct carbon burial, our results highlight the importance of different short-term vs. longer-term impacts to function, and the value of a priori testing of biochar to determine if the type of biochar chosen will chemically react with sediments as intended, before large-scale incorporation into the restoration project.
Metrics
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Details
- Title
- Biochar amendments in a California salt marsh restoration reduced denitrification and supported distinct microbial community functions
- Creators
- Brittany Wilburn - Drexel UniversityRupert Ikeh - Stony Brook UniversityMarina Potapova - Drexel UniversityAshley Smyth - University of FloridaMonique Fountain - Elkhorn Slough FoundationElizabeth Watson (Corresponding Author) - Stony Brook University
- Publisher
- Dryad
- Grant note
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife (https://ror.org/02v6w2r95)
- Resource Type
- Dataset
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES); Diatom Herbarium; Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022154868604721