Coastal sedge/grass meadow restoration in a peri-urban wetland via alteration of environmental filters: can hydrological constraint be trumped?
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Author
Polzer, Eli L.Keyword
Lake Ontario Coastal WetlandsHydrological Regulation
Typha Invasion
Sedge/Grass Meadow Restoration
Novel Ecosystem
Multiple Stable States
Dredge Spoil
Date Published
2018-05-10
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Stabilized lake-level influence on Typha x glauca has so diminished the extent and richness of Lake Ontario shoreline sedge/grass meadows that they no longer conform to an historic trajectory. These conditions are not likely to change in the foreseeable future, so novel actions may be required to support their preservation. This research investigated the combined effects of a large-scale restoration overlapping multiple revegetation techniques. Excavated spoils from channel and pothole creation in two Typha-dominated marshes were reconfigured to create habitat mounds capable of supporting sedge meadow taxa. These mounds supported increased sedge/grass meadow taxa survivorship and richness by altering environmental conditions, such as elevation and soil moisture. However, a higher than expected rate of subsidence and rapidly diminishing elevations point to potentially shifting system dynamics that require further exploration.Description
Funding for this research came from the 2014 Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (EPA-GLRI) project grant entitled “Invasive Species Control and Wetland Restoration at Braddock Bay Fish and Wildlife Management Area” (EPA Grant No. GL00E01296-0). Additional funding support was provided by the New York State Wetlands Forum and the Wetland Foundation.