Oligohaline Tidal Wetland Plant Community Restoration and Response to Changes in Tidal Flooding and Salinity
Project ID: P15AC00582
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: Portland State University
Fiscal Year: 2015
Initial Funding: $7,697
Total Funding: $7,697
Project Type: Research
Project Disciplines: Biological
National Park: Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
Principal Investigator: Yeakley, Alan
Agreement Technical Representative: Clatterbuck, Chris
Abstract: This is a collaborative project between the Portland State University (PSU) and the National Park Service (NPS) to examine the composition of seed banks and seed bank emergence among common native and non-native dominant plant communities from tidally reconnected oligohaline wetlands in Lewis & Clark National Historical Park (LEWI). The ability of native plants (Carex lyngbyei, Schoenoplectus lacustris) and non-native plants (Phalaris arundinacea, Juncus effusus subsp effusus) to dominate different areas within a wetland is hypothesized to be related to their abundance in the seed bank and germination responses to soil conditions created by the restored frequency and duration of tidal flooding and salinity. To identify how seed bank viability changes in response to these abiotic conditions, seed bank emergence will be examined under a gradient of tidal flooding and salinity treatments in the greenhouse. In situ observations of the daily tidal flooding and soil conditions of the dominant plant communities will be used to determine the experimental tidal flooding and salinity gradient. Seed bank composition and seed density will be determined through manual seed ID. These data will help determine the role of dominant native and non-native plant communities in defining restored tidal wetland seed bank compositions and how these seed banks may respond to changes in tidal flooding and salinity. This project will help identify how changing wetland conditions may promote or suppress native seed bank response and plant community development.
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