Outline of A New Approach to Evaluate Ecological Integrity of Salt Marshes
作者:
Cathleen Wigand,
Randy Comeleo,
Richard McKinney,
Glen Thursby,
Marnita Chintala,
Micheal charpentier,
期刊:
Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal
(Taylor Available online 1999)
卷期:
Volume 5,
issue 7
页码: 1541-1554
ISSN:1080-7039
年代: 1999
DOI:10.1080/20018091095177
出版商: TAYLOR & FRANCIS
关键词: ecosystem services;habitat;water quality;salt marsh;plant zonation;integrity
数据来源: Taylor
摘要:
The integrity of coastal salt marshes can be determined from the extent to which they provide key ecosystem services: food and habitat for fish and wildlife, good water quality, erosion and flood control, and recreation and cultural use. An outline of a new approach for linking ecosystem services with metrics of structure and function to evaluate the ecological integrity of salt marshes is described. One main objective of the approach is to determine whether differences in structure and function can be detected among salt marshes with similar geomorphology and hydrology but different degrees of anthropogenic stress. The approach is currently being applied to salt marshes of Narragansett Bay, RI, USA. Stable nitrogen isotopic ratios of the marsh biota reflected the nitrogen sources from the adjacent watersheds and were significantly correlated with percent residential land use. Results show that plant zonation significantly ( r = —0.82; p < 0.05) relates with percent residential land use and is potentially a sensitive indicator of anthropogenic disturbance of New England salt marshes. We are currently examining species diversity, denitrification rates, and susceptibility to erosion among the sites for additional indicators of salt marsh condition. Our results to date suggest that this approach will provide the methods needed for managers to systematically monitor and evaluate the integrity of salt marshes
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