Assessing Wetland Restoration on the Delmarva Peninsula using Vegetation Characteristics

With wetland restoration, post-restoration monitoring is essential for determining developmental trajectories, particularly when comparing to natural reference systems. As part of the Mid-Atlantic Conservation Effects Assessment Project, 15 depressional wetlands on the Delmarva Peninsula of Maryland and Delaware were surveyed for above-ground vegetation and seed bank community composition, annual biomass production, and vegetation carbon content (10 restorations from prior-converted cropland (aged 5-31 years), and 5 natural forested depressions). Within each wetland, hydrologic zones (emergent, transition, upland) were also denoted and sampled. Restored wetlands showed more seed bank community similarity to natural wetlands than above-ground vegetation communities. Restorations also produced more annual herbaceous biomass than natural systems, and lower annual leaf litter biomass. After this period of post-restoration development, restored wetlands do not perform vegetation-related functions identical to their natural counterparts; however, these restorations are performing important vegetation-based functions that require yet more time to truly develop.

Department dc:contributor.department

Environmental Science and Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• McFarland, Eliza Katherine

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Baldwin, Andrew H

Language dc:language.iso

en

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.13016/M2H34V

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:drum.lib.umd.edu:1903/16781