Journal article
Ecosystem functions of plant diversity: Comparisons from a large‐scale marsh restoration experiment in California, USA
Ecosphere (Washington, D.C), v 15(1)
Jan 2024
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Abstract Although the promotion of biodiversity has been recognized as an important conservation goal, salt marsh restoration typically focuses on reestablishing dominant foundation species. Salt marsh restoration projects that add or remove sediment to optimize marsh elevation often result in a bare landscape following construction. Restoration managers must decide whether to plant and, if so, which species. This decision can be difficult because few studies have examined the ecological functions of individual species, especially those that are less abundant. Within a major salt marsh restoration project in Elkhorn Slough, California, where 17,000 plants of five high marsh species were planted, we investigated how rarer species and the naturally recruiting dominant ( Salicornia pacifica ) differ in ecosystem function. We evaluated 31 different metrics related to blue carbon, plant productivity, environmental effects, and community interactions. No single species had the greatest ecological function across this suite of metrics, and measured effects were mainly independent, with only 16 of 435 pairwise comparisons revealing a strong correlation. We found significant differences among species for 18 metrics, revealing key contrasts in ecosystem function, with significant effects of marsh elevation and interaction between effects of species and elevation on some of these functions. S. pacifica scored highest for metrics such as recruitment and canopy height but other species outperformed Salicornia in other metrics. Frankenia salina had the greatest ecological function in the highest number of metrics, including cover and belowground biomass carbon content, but other species had higher rates of photosynthesis and harbored fewer individuals of invasive arthropods. We recommend planting a suite of less common species at restoration sites to provide more diverse functions across the landscape. F. salina in particular is recommended for its tolerance of hypersalinity and low moisture conditions. Our demonstration of the value of complementing restoration of the dominant foundation species with restoration of less common species is applicable to restoration of other ecosystems beyond salt marshes. The approach we implemented, evaluating a large suite of functions for multiple species across a restored landscape, can serve as a model for investigations of the importance of biodiversity for enhancing multifunctionality in other restored ecosystems.
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Details
- Title
- Ecosystem functions of plant diversity: Comparisons from a large‐scale marsh restoration experiment in California, USA
- Creators
- Jenna Shikuzawa - University Centre of the WestfjordsElizabeth B. Watson - Drexel UniversityKaren Tanner - University of California, Santa CruzBrittany Wilburn - Drexel UniversitySusanne K. Fork - Elkhorn Slough FoundationSophia Larson - Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science and the Academy of Natural Sciences Drexel University Philadelphia Pennsylvania USAMonique C. Fountain - Elkhorn Slough FoundationAlexandra Thomsen - Elkhorn Slough FoundationKerstin Wasson - Elkhorn Slough Foundation
- Publication Details
- Ecosphere (Washington, D.C), v 15(1)
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001144280800001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85182457401
- Other Identifier
- 991021831032604721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Ecology