Salt Marsh Ecology

Estuaries and coastal lagoons around the world are wetlands of great
importance and they are regularly targeted as prime conservation sites.
Many include wildlife refuges and have nature reserves that were set up in
areas preserved from development in order to keep valuable species and
habitats, while maintaining traditions and sustained use.
Tidal wetlands are often mentioned in the literature as natural habitats
with high biological productivity. The net primary production in a salt
marsh is often higher than in temperate or tropical forests and this productivity
is directly linked to the important role halophytes play in estuaries,
in terms of the value-added.
Salt marshes may be a sink of heavy metals. The ability to phytostabilize
contaminants in the rhizo-sediment is an important aspect in the selfremediative
processes and biogeochemistry of this ecosystem, and will
help fi ltering natural and anthropogenic loads of nutrients and pollutants
discharged into the wetland.
There is also a provision of rare and unique habitats, which support nursery
grounds for commercial fi sh and wildlife, including vital feeding grounds
for many migratory birds. Rediscovered as a new source of amenity and leisure
activities for the population living in urban areas, salt marsh halophytes
and estuaries have an important role in the preservation of biodiversity.
In this paper we discuss the support of the salt marsh ecosystem to the
estuarine birds, and consequently its contribution for biodiversity.

Dense mangrove swamps currently dominate tidal wetlands of the Tampa Bay Estuary System on the central peninsular Gulf Coast of Florida (USA). Late-19th century Coast and Geodetic Survey topographical charts and Government Land Office surveys, however, depict wetland systems dominated by salt marsh—therefore suggesting mangrove dominance as a product of 20th century encroachment. To clarify the primary drivers of ecosystem change, this study integrates sedimentological, paleobotanical, and radiometric analyses of sediment cores collected in 2018 with analyses of aerial photography taken between 1940 and 1997. Results empirically ground truth the wetland conversions inferred through analytical comparisons of historical and modern mapping and establish a high-resolution chronology for coastal environmental change. These results showed that salt marsh and salt prairie habitats persisted within Tampa Bay study areas until the mid-20th century. Mangrove forest rapidly encroached the study areas over a 20 year interval, between 1960 and 1980, immediately following intensive ditching for mosquito control. The findings demonstrate how coastal geoengineering, mangrove autoecology, and sea-level rise interacted across the late-20th century to accelerate the creation of novel seascapes.

Coastal wetlands can sequester large amounts of organic carbon (OC), providing an additional motivation for the preservation and restoration of these ecosystems. In Tampa Bay (Florida, USA), created coastal wetlands are initially planted with Spartina spp., but nearly all sites naturally transition into mangrove forests. It was hypothesized that carbon storage in the created wetlands would increase with site age due to the accumulation of soil organic carbon and replacement of salt marsh vegetation with mangrove forests. Mature, mangrove-dominated sites had higher total organic carbon stocks (138.7 ± 13.8 Mg C ha−1) than middle-aged transitional sites (85.6 ± 25.5 Mg C ha−1) or young salt marshes (34.5 ± 7.7 Mg C ha−1). Mature sites consisted of tall trees (> 130 cm tall) and scarce salt marsh vegetation. Transitional sites contained mangrove scrubs (30–130 cm tall) and seedlings (< 30 cm tall) while still supporting salt marsh vegetation; younger sites were dominated by salt marsh vegetation and had no trees. Belowground OC constituted the greatest carbon pool (59.4% of the total OC stock), but belowground OC stocks were not significantly different among the site age classes, suggesting that aboveground OC stocks drove the difference in total OC stocks. The total carbon accumulation rate, including both aboveground and belowground OC, was 4.7 Mg C ha−1 year−1 across the 26-year chronosequence. This study has demonstrated that carbon storage in created coastal wetlands is correlated to wetland age, indicating that these ecosystems have the potential to become significant sources of OC storage.

Estuaries and salt marshes are important coastal ecosystems that present unique characteristics in terms
of nutrient cycling, salinity, habitats, flora and fauna. Despite their ecological importance, there is scarce
knowledge on the occupation, distribution and ecology of insects, including Tipuloidea, in these environments.
This study aimed to evaluate the composition, seasonality and effect of abiotic factors on the
abundance, diversity and structure of a Tipuloidea assemblage at the Patos Lagoon salt marshes, located
at the south of the Neotropical region. We sampled crane-flies from three zones along the estuary by
installing two Malaise traps at the low and high vegetation strata of each zone. Sampling was conducted
uninterruptedly every fifteen days between August/2015 and July/2016, and collected insects were
identified morphologically based on specific literature. 5248 crane-flies were identified covering six
species and twenty-five morphospecies. Abundance and frenquency of occurrence of species revealed a
gap in the presence of constant species at the middle estuary. Dicranomyia, Gonomyia, Teucholabis and
Zelandotipula species were additional (accessory) species only in the upper estuary, while Symplecta cana
only in the lower estuary. This shows that different species prefer distinct points along the estuary.
Higher abundance of crane-flies was correlated with elevated temperature and humidity. Symplecta
pilipes was an exception, presenting increase in abundance under lower temperatures. Seasonal change
in Tipuloidea species composition was observed, with higher evenness of Dicranomyia, Geranomyia,
Rhipidia domestica and Symplecta cana (15e20%) during summer, and dominance of Symplecta pilipes in
winter (80%). The gap at the middle estuary can possibly be due to stress caused by large fluctuations in
salinity in the zone. In addition, the seasonal differences can have significant ecological consequences
such as the modification of the Tipuloid species that compose the detritivorous and/or succivorous
trophic guild, and consequently influence the upper trophic levels of the salt marsh environment.

Salt marshes are dynamic habitat lying on a low energy coastline functioning as ecotones. Salt marshes in Sri Lanka are understudied, unexplored and less concerned for conservation. This study recorded biodiversity and ecology of Karainagar marsh plants and their influence by edaphic factors. Floral diversity was studied with 10m wide line transects at seven points perpendicular to the High Tide Line, comprising 35 quadrats. Six marsh plants of family Amaranthaceae were identified. Suaeda maritima, Halosarcia indica and Salicornia brachiata were abundantly observed. Highest Shannon Index (0.78) and lowest Simpson Index (0.41) values were recorded in Point 3. Cluster analysis classified plots into four clusters and 2D-Multi Dimensional Scaling deduced higher similarity between Points 3, 4, 5 and 7. Positive correlation between elevation and salinity (r=0.829, p=0.00) has influenced plant distribution. Pearson comparison resembled a strong statistically significant correlation between elevation and salinity (p=0.004). The flooding inundation and climatic zonation has resulted in profound increase in salinity in Karainagar. Despite their high ecological value, salt marshes are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Understanding relationship between salt marsh ecology and environmental factors is a key factor in salt marsh conservation and restoration.

Highlights: Labile nitrogen and carbon soil properties essential for ecological studies are analyzed. Particulate and mineral-associated organic matters that are ecologically meaningful were evaluated. Spectral modeling of Hyperion data in subtropical coastal wetlands of west Florida is feasible. Both Simple Ratio and PLS models of spectral data provided statistically significant results. The narrow bands of the Hyperion image are essential compared to Landsat image data.

Abstract
Abstract

Developing spectral models of soil properties is an important frontier in remote sensing and soil science. Several studies have focused on modeling soil properties such as total pools of soil organic matter and carbon in bare soils. We extended this effort to model soil parameters in areas densely covered with coastal vegetation. Moreover, we investigated soil properties indicative of soil functions such as nutrient and organic matter turnover and storage. These properties include the partitioning of mineral and organic soil between particulate (>53 μm) and fine size classes, and the partitioning of soil carbon and nitrogen pools between stable and labile fractions. Soil samples were obtained from Avicennia germinans mangrove forest and Juncus roemerianus salt marsh plots on the west coast of central Florida. Spectra corresponding to field plot locations from Hyperion hyperspectral image were extracted and analyzed. The spectral information was regressed against the soil variables to determine the best single bands and optimal band combinations for the simple ratio (SR) and normalized difference index (NDI) indices. The regression analysis yielded levels of correlation for soil variables with R2 values ranging from 0.21 to 0.47 for best individual bands, 0.28 to 0.81 for two-band indices, and 0.53 to 0.96 for partial least-squares (PLS) regressions for the Hyperion image data. Spectral models using Hyperion data adequately (RPD > 1.4) predicted particulate organic matter (POM), silt + clay, labile carbon (C), and labile nitrogen (N) (where RPD = ratio of standard deviation to root mean square error of cross-validation [RMSECV]). The SR (0.53 μm, 2.11 μm) model of labile N with R2 = 0.81, RMSECV= 0.28, and RPD = 1.94 produced the best results in this study. Our results provide optimism that remote-sensing spectral models can successfully predict soil properties indicative of ecosystem nutrient and organic matter turnover and storage, and do so in areas with dense canopy cover.

While it is well-established and commonly agreed upon that fruits and nuts such as apples, plums and hazelnuts were of little importance for human subsistence in the Dutch-German salt-marsh region, as yet no systematic review and critical evaluation of finds has been compiled. This contribution fills this void, and thus allows future claims with respect to this topic to be supported by clear figures. In addition to the edible juicy fruits and nuts, we discuss the potential of edible dry plant seeds and fruits, as well as vegetative plant parts. The little information available from samples dated between AD 1200 and 1600 points to major changes in that phase, and appears to indicate the onset of a segregation between rural, urban, and monastic sites. We argue that this phase deserves special attention in future research and that this calls for more intensive cooperation between archaeologists and historians

There are concerns that novel structures might displace protected species, facilitate the spread of non-indigenous species, or modify native habitats. It is also predicted that ocean warming and the associated effects of climate change will significantly increase biodiversity loss within coastal regions. Resilience is to a large extent influenced by the magnitude of dispersal and level of connectivity within and between populations. Therefore it is important to investigate the distribution and ecological significance of novel and artificial habitats, the presence of protected and alien species and potential vectors of propagule dispersal. The legacy of solar salt-making in tropical and warm temperate regions is regionally extensive areas of artificial hypersaline ponds, canals and ditches. Yet the broad-scale contribution of salt-working to a network of benthic biodiversity has not been fully established. Artisanal, abandoned and historic salt-working sites were investigated along the Atlantic coast of Europe between southern England (50 N) and Andalucía, Spain (36 N). Natural lagoons are scarce along this macrotidal coast and are vulnerable to environmental change; however it is suspected that avian propagule dispersal is important in maintaining population connectivity. During bird migration periods, benthic cores were collected for infauna from 70 waterbodies across 21 salt-working sites in 5 coastal regions. Bird ringing data were used to investigate potential avian connectivity between locations. Lagoonal specialist species, some of international conservation importance, were recorded across all regions in the storage reservoirs and evaporation ponds of continental salinas, yet few non-indigenous species were observed. Potential avian propagule transport and connectivity within and between extant salt-working sites is high and these artificial habitats are likely to contribute significantly to a network of coastal lagoon biodiversity in Europe.

Biomasa patterns of Spartina spp.  in two coastal marshes of the
Buenos Aires Province.

In this thesis allometric models for estimating biomass for both species characteristics of two marshes of the Buenos Aires Province: Spartina densiflora in Mar Chiquita and Spartina alterniflora in Bahia Blanca are generated. A nondestructive method applied to permanent sample plots based on these models was used to determine biomass and primary productivity in the two sites. In addition, spectral profiles at different biomass levels was recorded for both species using a hand held radiometer and regression models  relating biomass and synthetic indices derived from hyperspectral data were
performed. Finally, these models of biomass were applied to a Landsat TM time series data and were compared with biomass data measured at the field.


Patrones de biomasa de Spartina spp. en dos marismas costeras de la provincia de Buenos Aires.

En la presente tesis se generaron modelos alométricos de estimación de biomasa para dos especies características de las marismas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires: Spartina densiflora en Mar Chiquita y  Spartina alterniflora en Bahía Blanca. Se utilizó un método no destructivo aplicado a parcelas permanentes basado en esos modelos para determinar los valores de biomasa y productividad primaria en los dos sitios. Asimismo se registraron a campo los perfiles espectrales para distintos niveles de biomasa en esas mismas comunidades mediante la utilización de un radiómetro de campo, se generaron modelos de regresión de biomasa basados en índices  sintéticos derivados de datos hiperespectrales. Finalmente se aplicaron estos modelos de biomasa generados a una serie de tiempo de datos Landsat TM y se compararon con los datos de biomasa
medidos a campo.

Siden krigen mod Irak blev indledt i marts 2003, har aviserne vaere fulde af historier om Saddam Husseins uhyrligheder. Et eksempel herpa er odelaeggelsen af Iraks marskomrader, der har haft katastrofale konsekvenser for savel menneskeliv som omradets rige dyreliv. Mens ansvaret for overgreb pa befolkningen er Saddam Husseins, skyldes udtorringen af marsksystemet en raekke hydro-politiske beslutninger, som er blevet taget i hele Eufrat og Tigris’ opland. Artiklen viser, hvordan diskurserne om odelaeggelsen af marsken har aendret sig efter krigen, og at de er blevet brugt til at legitimere krigen. Dette har givet et forsimplet billede af savel marskomraderne som marskarabernes levevis. Det konkluderes, at det er nodvendigt med en mere nuanceret forstaelse af de problemer, der forte til denne humane og okologiske katastrofe, hvis naturgenopretningen og repatrieringen af marskaraberne skal have en chance.

Herbivory is a fundamental process that controls primary producer abundance and regulates energy and nutrient flows to higher trophic levels. Despite the recent proliferation of small-scale studies on herbivore effects on aquatic plants, there remains limited understanding of the factors that control consumer regulation of vascular plants in aquatic ecosystems. Our current knowledge of the regulation of primary producers has hindered efforts to understand the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems, and to manage such ecosystems effectively. We conducted a global meta-analysis of the outcomes of plant–herbivore interactions using a data set comprised of 326 values from 163 studies, in order to test two mechanistic hypotheses: first, that greater negative changes in plant abundance would be associated with higher herbivore biomass densities; second, that the magnitude of changes in plant abundance would vary with herbivore taxonomic identity. We found evidence that plant abundance declined with increased herbivore density, with plants eliminated at high densities. Significant between-taxa differences in impact were detected, with insects associated with smaller reductions in plant abundance than all other taxa. Similarly, birds caused smaller reductions in plant abundance than echinoderms, fish, or molluscs. Furthermore, larger reductions in plant abundance were detected for fish relative to crustaceans. We found a positive relationship between herbivore species richness and change in plant abundance, with the strongest reductions in plant abundance reported for low herbivore species richness, suggesting that greater herbivore diversity may protect against large reductions in plant abundance. Finally, we found that herbivore–plant nativeness was a key factor affecting the magnitude of herbivore impacts on plant abundance across a wide range of species assemblages. Assemblages comprised of invasive herbivores and native plant assemblages were associated with greater reductions in plant abundance compared with invasive herbivores and invasive plants, native herbivores and invasive plants, native herbivores and mixed-nativeness plants, and native herbivores and native plants. By contrast, assemblages comprised of native herbivores and invasive plants were associated with lower reductions in plant abundance compared with both mixed-nativeness herbivores and native plants, and native herbivores and native plants. However, the effects of herbivore–plant nativeness on changes in plant abundance were reduced at high herbivore densities. Our mean reductions in aquatic plant abundance are greater than those reported in the literature for terrestrial plants, but lower than aquatic algae. Our findings highlight the need for a substantial shift in how biologists incorporate plant–herbivore interactions into theories of aquatic ecosystem structure and functioning. Currently, the failure to incorporate top-down effects continues to hinder our capacity to understand and manage the ecological dynamics of habitats that contain aquatic plants.

A study of the Laverton Saltworks of Cheetham Salt Pty Ltd was
undertaken in 1989-90 to assess the cultural and natural heritage
of the site. A review of relevant literature was carried out followed by field work to record native flora and fauna,Aboriginal archaeology and historic sites. This report contains the findings of the study and presents the information in a series of zoning maps which identify areas of significance in relation to natural and cultural heritage. A major finding of the study is the fundamental relationship between the pumping of seawater through the the saltworks as part of the salt production and the maintenance of a viable wetland habitat for wildlife.

Wide estuaries are natural magnets for urban development. Several of the World’s major cities developed around estuaries, but at the same time encroached upon some of the most complex and vital ecosystems. Sea-level rise threatens to submerge both rare wetland habitat and essential urban areas and infrastructure. This prospect discloses the urgency of balancing urban development and environmental protection in Metropolitan Estuaries. The hard task of dealing with this threat may provide the opportunity to promote an integrated approach to regional planning, where the necessary adaptation of cities to sea-level rise could equally promote the preservation, or even the enhancement, of wetland habitat. The two case study metropolitan estuaries, San Francisco Bay (California, USA) and the Tagus Estuary (Lisbon, Portugal), share striking similarities in terms of morphology. They both host large metropolitan areas and important wetland ecosystems. Nevertheless, a finer analysis of development patterns reveals crucial differences in the extent of shoreline alteration and types of land use that now encroach upon natural estuarine habitat. The comparative study of both estuaries provides mutually beneficial insights on the shortcomings of each system, and helps identify opportunities to enhance coastal zone management, adaptive governance and environmental planning efforts. The evolution of both estuaries throughout the Holocene is reconstructed, with special emphasis on the process of anthropogenic alteration. While this impact has been significant and continuous in the Tagus Estuary for over two millennia, large scale disturbance of the San Francisco Bay was concentrated in the last two centuries. The legal frameworks that have guided, with varying degrees of effectiveness, the process of wetland reclamation and landfilling share a common ancestry in the Roman Law. These have evolved continuously in Lisbon and the State has upheld with relative success the provision to keep estuarine lowlands in public control, even as they were steadily transformed to farmland. In San Francisco, a period of deep disturbances over the Sacramento River’s hydrology was coupled with extremely fast and under regulated development of lowlands. During a short period, the property of these lands, which would theoretically fall within the Public Trust, was transferred to local governments and private landowners, which led to their steady transformation onto salt ponds, industrial zones and even residential neighborhoods. As a consequence, the Bay Area now has extensive developed areas at very low elevations, vulnerable to low levels of sea-level rise, and remaining wetlands are now heavily encroached upon by urban development. Around the Tagus Estuary, while most original wetlands have long been drained for farmland, the remaining patches are adjacent to non-urban land uses, which could facilitate future efforts of restoration or allow wetland migration with rising seas. A comparative modelling of sea-level rise flooding over existing land uses reveals that, while around the Tagus Estuary most reclaimed lowlands are reserved for farmland and urban development over landfill is limited, the extent of developed urban areas at very low elevations is much greater around the SF Bay, which renders the region more vulnerable to early stages of SLR. Nonetheless, both cities have begun to incorporate climate adaptation onto their main environmental planning blueprints, for which they can be seen as early adopters of local sea-level rise adaptation strategies. Through interviews with stakeholders and document analysis, the planning and decision-making exercises that led to the recent elaboration of the first Tagus Estuary Management Plan, and the Bay Plan Climate Change Amendment, are analyzed and discussed. Lisbon benefits from a very simple, top-down, planning structure, with a handful of public entities directly communicating and articulating stakes and approaches along the planning process. A lack of transparency as to some specific interventions and a still somewhat incipient tradition of public participation have contributed to protract the Plan’s final approval. The Bay Area institutional framework is well-used to collaborative planning efforts, which are usually successful in articulating conflicting interests, but are prone to limitations derived from narrow, and often difficult to expand, mandates for environmental planning agencies, within an extremely complex, multi-level, governance structure involving three levels of government and very active interest groups. While broad mitigation/adaptation strategies are decided at the National or State levels, the actual implementation of SLR adaptation measures often require a great deal of involvement of local actors. Given that it is at this juncture that adaptation takes a concrete spatial expression, this is also the moment when land-use conflicts arise. Local governments are left with much of the burden of mediating competing interests, between urban development, environmental protection, and other social demands. In some instances, the prospect of shoreline development may be very attractive for both property owners/developers and local governments, given the potential land value and economic benefits, but these have to be weighed against the medium-/long-term costs of defending these assets from rising sea-levels. In San Francisco Bay, there is an increasing awareness of the challenges posed by SLR, but the institutional arrangements are complex, and communication between the different public agencies/departments is not always as streamlined as it could be. Some agencies and departments need to adapt their procedures in order to remove institutional barriers to adaptation, but path dependence is an obstacle. The several projects where different federal and state agencies are partnered with local governments highlight the benefits of a more frank and regular communication between public actors. It also emphasizes the benefits of a coordination of efforts and strategies, something that was eroded in the transition from government-led policies to a new paradigm of local-based adaptive governance. Whereas the articulation of public actors is often easy to address by increasing communication and coordination, conflicts involving private landowners and developers may be much complicated by the threat of litigation. The lack of a strong legal backing to public environmental protection mandates is a major obstacle to shoreline planning around the Bay and elsewhere, and this is highlighted by the extreme caution of some public agencies in upholding their jurisdictions over private property. Environmental NGOs have, in the case of California, a big role to play, as they are able to resort to the same legal and lobbying instruments as the developers, and may help even-out the field between public stakeholders with limited legal and economic resources, and powerful private developers with nothing to lose. There is seemingly a sense of urgency in pushing for the development of shoreline properties, as public opposition to development on locations exposed to SLR is most likely to increase in the coming decades. At the same time, NGOs and public agencies are aware of the stress wetlands will be under as the rates of SLR increase towards the end of the century. “Green”, or ecosystem-based, adaptation is already on the way around the Bay. Large scale wetland restoration projects have already been concluded, and further action now often requires articulation with the reinforcement of flood defense structures, given the level of urban encroachment. While levee setback, or removal, would provide greater environmental benefit, the need to protect urban areas and infrastructure has led to the trial of ingenious solutions for promoting wetland resilience while upgrading the level of protection granted by levees.

Two distinct microtidal estuarine systems were assessed to advance the understanding of the coastal dynamics of sea level rise in salt marshes. A coupled hydrodynamic-marsh model (Hydro-MEM) was applied to both a marine-dominated (Grand Bay, Mississippi) and a mixed fluvial/marine (Weeks Bay, Alabama) system to compute marsh productivity, marsh migration, and potential tidal inundation from the year 2000 to 2100 under four sea level rise scenarios. Characteristics of the estuaries such as geometry, sediment availability, and topography, were compared to understand their role in the dynamic response to sea level rise. The results show that the low sea level rise scenario (20 cm) approximately doubled high-productivity marsh coverage in the marine-dominated estuary by the year 2100 due to an equilibrium between the rates of sea level rise and marsh platform accretion. Under intermediate-low sea level rise (50 cm), high-productivity marsh coverage in the year 2100 increased (doubled in the marine-dominated estuary and a seven-fold increase in the mixed estuary) by expanding into higher lands followed by the creation of interior ponds. The results also indicate that marine-dominated estuaries are vulnerable to collapse as a result of low, relatively uniform topography and lack of sediment sources, whereas mixed estuaries are able to expand due to higher elevations and sediment inputs. The results from the higher sea level rise scenarios (the intermediate-high (120 cm) and high (200 cm)) showed expansion of the bays along with marsh migration to higher land, producing a five-fold increase in wetland coverage for the mixed estuary and virtually no net change for the marine-dominated estuary. Additionally, hurricane storm surge simulations showed that under higher sea level rise scenarios, the marine-dominated estuary demonstrated weaker peak stage attenuation indicating that the PLOS ONE | https://doi.

Bones of common crane (Grus grus) from Dutch and
German terps
Eighteen (Common) crane (Grus grus) bones have been found
in Dutch and German terpen. Twelve are dated: to the Iron Age,
the Roman period and the Middle Ages; six are undated. The
bones are two radii, three ulnae, two tibiotarsi, a fibula and
ten tarsometatarsi. This distribution is most probably caused
by the higher stability of these bones in comparison with other
crane bones. Six crane bones, all from the Dutch province of
Friesland, had been worked into bone tools: five needles and
an awl. A crane bone from the German site Feddersen Wierde
shows traces of bone working as well.
Historical data inform us that the crane used to breed in
the Netherlands until the 17th century AD. From that period
until 2001 it was only a migrant species of the Netherlands. It
would halt in the larger peatland areas during its autumn migration.
The crane has again been breeding in the Netherlands since 2001, be it in small numbers. Increasing numbers of cranes
stop at halting-places in the Netherlands during the autumn migration.
The crane all the time continued to breed in Lower Saxony
and Schleswig-Holstein, but showed a heavy decline. The numbers
of breeding cranes have been increasing in these parts of
Germany since the 1990s, also in the western parts of these federal
states. Here too, increasing numbers of cranes stop over at
halting-places during the autumn migration.
Cranes occurred in the terp region during the Iron Age,
Roman Period and the Middle Ages in larger numbers than they
do nowadays. They visited the arable fields and the meadows in
the salt marsh after breeding in the large peatbogs bordering the
terp area. They also halted in the terp area during their autumn
migration. Terp dwellers captured a crane every now and then,
consumed the meat, made needles and awls from the bones and
maybe used the feathers for ornamental purposes.

In this study, we assessed importance of sediment-associated trace metals in structuring benthic macroinfaunal assemblages along multiple environmental gradients in chronically polluted salt marshes of the Arthur Kill – AK (New York, USA). More than 90% of benthic macroinfaunal communities at the northern AK sites consisted of a considerably large number of only a few polychaete and oligochaete species. Approximately 70% of among-site variances in abundance and biomass of benthic macroinfaunal communities was strongly associated with a few environmental variables; only sediment-associated mercury consistently contributed to a significant proportion of the explained variances in species composition along natural environmental gradients (e.g., salinity). Although sediment-associated copper, lead, and zinc were substantially elevated at some of the AK sites, their ecological impacts on benthic macroinfaunal communities appeared to be negligible. These findings suggest that cumulative metal-specific impacts may have played an important role in structuring benthic macroinfaunal communities in chronically polluted AK ecosystems.

COLEMAN, P.S.J. (1998) Changes in a Mangrove/Samphire Community, North Arm Creek, South Australia. Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust. 000(0), 00-00, 00 Month, 19XX
The use of a computer GIS package to study aerial photographs of the mangrove/samphire community at North Arm Creek (1979-1993) confirms previous studies that have suggested a landward migration of Avicennia marina is occurring in the southern reaches of Barker Inlet, while revealing that seaward progradation is simultaneously occurring in the study area. Samphire communities over the period 1979-1993 reduced in area to about a third of their starting area, despite an overall gain in vegetated area. The majority of the lost area was supplanted by mangroves. However the direction of change has not been wholly one way. During the period from 1979-1985 samphire colonisation of areas previously occupied by mangroves or over new areas of mud/water combined to an area equivalent to 83% of the annual area of samphire loss. The period 1985-1993 shows a slowing in newly colonised areas of samphire - they are now only equivalent to 18% of the area lost each year. A complex mosaic of changes is occurring as a result of factors such as water/wave action preventing propagule lodgement and development, erosion of substrate, localised lack of sediment supply for new bank formation and eutrophic/stagnant conditions causing dieback of mature trees.
KEY  WORDS: Avicennia marina, Halosarcia, Sarcocornia, mangrove, samphire, saltmarsh, temporo-spatial change, progradation, colonisation.

In the aftermath of the 2003 war against Iraq, the newspapers are full of stories about the
monstrosities of Saddam Hussein’s regime. One example is the destruction of the Iraqi
marshlands leading to severe consequences for the human and wildlife population. While the
responsibility for the atrocity against the Marsh Arabs is Saddam Hussein’s, the desiccation of the
marsh environment can be ascribed to a number of the hydro-political decisions made in the
catchment area of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Based on an analysis of the discourses of the
destruction, it is demonstrated how these have changed after the war and are used in the battle to
legitimise the war. This has led to a simplified image of the marshes and the Marsh Arab way of
life. As the paper shows, a more complex approach towards the processes leading to this human
and environmental disaster is required, if repatriation and rehabilitation of the area are to stand a
chance.

Under a changing climate, coastal wetlands experience sea level rise, warming, and vegetation change, all of which may influence organic matter mineralization. In coastal wetlands of subtropical west-central Florida (USA), we investigated how soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization respond to soil water, temperature, and ecosystem type (Avicennia germinans mangrove forest vs. Juncus roemerianus salt marsh). We evaluated how soil respiration and mineral N concentration varied along a soil moisture gradient, and whether these relationships differed between ecosystem types. Then, we manipulated soils in a 28-d laboratory incubation to evaluate how potentially mineralizable C and N respond to temperature (23 vs. 27
C), soil hydroperiod (inundated 4 vs. 20 h/d), and soil source. Soil saturation and inundation suppressed short-term (minutes to weeks) C mineralization from near-surface soils. Soil CO2 efflux declined by 65% as soil moisture increased from 75% to 85%, and potentially mineralizable C was 18% lower with a 20-h hydroperiod than with a 4-h hydroperiod. Organic C quality appears to be greater in A. germinans than in J. roemerianus soils, as A. germinans soils had higher field CO2 efflux rates and greater mineralizable C:N (despite lower total C:N). Increasing incubation temperature from 23 to 27
C elevated potentially mineralizable C by 40%, indicating that two symptoms of climate change (increased inundation from sea level rise, and warming) may have opposing effects on soil C mineralization. Temperature sensitivity of C mineralization was high for long-hydroperiod soils, however, suggesting that protection of soil organic matter (SOM) due to prolonged inundation will be undermined by warming. Potentially mineralizable N was greater in J. roemerianus soils, although in situ mineral N was not different between ecosystems, instead correlating positively with SOM. These results indicate that models forecasting soil elevation responses to climate change might include inundation effects on mineralization rates.

Tuckerton Peninsula forms a large expanse (~2,000 ha) of highly inundated Spartina salt marsh in the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR). Tuckerton Peninsula is highly suceptible to sea-level rise and other climate change effects. Thus, JCNERR is ideally situated to be a sentinel site for assessing climate change impacts. Current emergent vegetation monitoring will be expanded by integration with proposed projects to leverage the importance of JCNERR in assessing climate change impacts. Specifically, we propose: 1) Data-mining the System Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) to identify weather and climate effects on water quality and the salt marsh. 2) Modeling vegetation production to characterize spatio-temporal changes. 3) Predicting scenarios based on accretion/elevation trends (e.g. conversion of salt marsh into intertidal/subtidal habitat). Together, current and future projects will leverage our understanding of climate change impacts at JCNERR, and will ultimately help managers plan adaptation strategies for salt marshes in New Jersey and elsewhere.

Responses in feeding ecology of a benthic forage fish, mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus), to altered prey resources were investigated in chronically polluted salt marshes (the Arthur Kill–AK, New York, USA). The diet niche breadth of the AK populations of mummichogs was significantly lower than that of the reference population, reflecting reduced benthic macroinfaunal species diversity. Most of the AK populations also had 2–3 times less food in their gut than the reference population. This disparity in gut fullness among the populations appeared to be partly due to ingested prey size shifts; some of the AK populations ingested fewer large prey than the reference population. Furthermore, benthic assemblages were strongly associated with sediment-associated mercury; gut fullness of the AK populations also significantly decreased with increasing mercury body burdens. These results indicate that chronic pollution may have directly (chemical bioaccumulation) and indirectly (reduced prey availability) altered the feeding ecology of mummichogs.