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Journal article
Abundance and diversity of tidal marsh plants along the salinity gradient of the San Francisco Estuary: implications for global change ecology
Plant ecology, v 205(1)
01 Nov 2009
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
From 2003 through 2005, tidal marsh plant species diversity and abundance on historically surveyed vegetation transects along the salinity gradient of the San Francisco Estuary were investigated to establish empirical relationships between plant distributions and environmental conditions, and furthermore to examine and predict past and future plant distribution changes. This study suggests that for most species, salinity is the primary control on plant distribution. Thus, ongoing changes in estuarine conditions (increasing sea level and salinity) are resulting in a complex mix of plant distribution changes. On the low marsh, where sediment salinity is similar to that of ambient water, halophytic species are replacing salt-intolerant taxa. However, on marsh plains, where increased tidal flooding is moderating high salinity (concentrated by evaporation), halophytic "high marsh" species are being replaced by salt-intolerant "low marsh" taxa. Thus, future changes in plant distributions will hinge on whether marsh sediment accumulation keeps pace with sea level rise.
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Details
- Title
- Abundance and diversity of tidal marsh plants along the salinity gradient of the San Francisco Estuary: implications for global change ecology
- Creators
- Elizabeth Burke Watson - University of California, DavisRoger Byrne - University of California, Berkeley
- Publication Details
- Plant ecology, v 205(1)
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 16
- Grant note
- National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship Graduate Assembly at UC Berkeley Garden Club of America Society of Wetland Scientists
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000270289200009
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-70350169886
- Other Identifier
- 991019299105504721
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Ecology
- Forestry
- Plant Sciences