Maintenance of salt barrens inhibited landward invasion of Spartina species in salt marshes

Qi, M; Sun, T; Zhang, H; Zhu, M; Yang, W; Shao, D; Voinov, A

Maintenance of salt barrens inhibited landward invasion of Spartina species in salt marshes

Qi, M Sun, T Zhang, H Zhu, M Yang, W Shao, D Voinov, A

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Ecosphere, 2017, 8 (10)
Issue Date:: 2017-10-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Qi, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Sun, T	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Zhang, H	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Zhu, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Yang, W	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Shao, D	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Voinov, A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2985-4574	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017-10-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Ecosphere, 2017, 8 (10)	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/120493
dc.description.abstract	© 2017 Qi et al. Spartina spp. (cordgrasses) often dominates intertidal mudflats and/or low marshes. The landward invasion of these species was typically thought to be restrained by low tidal inundation frequencies and interspecific competition. We noticed that the reported soil salinity levels in some salt marshes were much higher than those at the mean higher high water level, which might inhibit the landward invasion of cordgrass. To test this possibility, we transplanted Spartina alterniflora across an elevational gradient in an invaded salt marsh in the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, where a salt accumulation zone (i.e., salt barren) was previously observed. We found that S. alterniflora was significantly inhibited by the salt barren in high marsh regions, although it performed better at upland and low marsh regions. A common garden experiment further elucidated that S. alterniflora performed best at low salinity levels and that this species is less sensitive to inundation frequency. Our results indicated that the salt barren inhibited the landward invasion of S. alterniflora in salt marshes and provided a natural barrier to protect the upland from invasion. Though field observations suggest that S. alterniflora could propagate along tidal channels, which provide low-salinity corridors for the dispersal of propagules, natural salt barrens can inhibit the landward invasion of Spartina in salt marshes. However, artificial disturbances that break the salt barren band in salt marshes (e.g., artificial ditches) might accelerate the invasion of Spartina spp. This new finding should alert salt marsh managers to pay attention to artificial ditches and/or other human activities when attempting to control Spartina invasion.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Ecosphere	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1002/ecs2.1982	en_US
dc.title	Maintenance of salt barrens inhibited landward invasion of Spartina species in salt marshes	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	10	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	8	en_US
utslib.for	0501 Ecological Applications	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
utslib.for	0608 Zoology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Information, Systems and Modelling
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - PERSWADE - Centre on Persuasive Systems for Wise Adaptive Living
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.declined	2017-11-23T10:24:04.28+1100
pubs.issue	10	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	8	en_US

Abstract:

© 2017 Qi et al. Spartina spp. (cordgrasses) often dominates intertidal mudflats and/or low marshes. The landward invasion of these species was typically thought to be restrained by low tidal inundation frequencies and interspecific competition. We noticed that the reported soil salinity levels in some salt marshes were much higher than those at the mean higher high water level, which might inhibit the landward invasion of cordgrass. To test this possibility, we transplanted Spartina alterniflora across an elevational gradient in an invaded salt marsh in the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, where a salt accumulation zone (i.e., salt barren) was previously observed. We found that S. alterniflora was significantly inhibited by the salt barren in high marsh regions, although it performed better at upland and low marsh regions. A common garden experiment further elucidated that S. alterniflora performed best at low salinity levels and that this species is less sensitive to inundation frequency. Our results indicated that the salt barren inhibited the landward invasion of S. alterniflora in salt marshes and provided a natural barrier to protect the upland from invasion. Though field observations suggest that S. alterniflora could propagate along tidal channels, which provide low-salinity corridors for the dispersal of propagules, natural salt barrens can inhibit the landward invasion of Spartina in salt marshes. However, artificial disturbances that break the salt barren band in salt marshes (e.g., artificial ditches) might accelerate the invasion of Spartina spp. This new finding should alert salt marsh managers to pay attention to artificial ditches and/or other human activities when attempting to control Spartina invasion.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/120493