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Plant community, primary productivity, and environmental conditions following wetland re-establishment in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California

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Abstract

Wetland restoration can mitigate aerobic decomposition of subsided organic soils, as well as re-establish conditions favorable for carbon storage. Rates of carbon storage result from the balance of inputs and losses, both of which are affected by wetland hydrology. We followed the effect of water depth (25 and 55 cm) on the plant community, primary production, and changes in two re-established wetlands in the Sacramento San-Joaquin River Delta, California for 9 years after flooding to determine how relatively small differences in water depth affect carbon storage rates over time. To estimate annual carbon inputs, plant species cover, standing above- and below-ground plant biomass, and annual biomass turnover rates were measured, and allometric biomass models for Schoenoplectus (Scirpus) acutus and Typha spp., the emergent marsh dominants, were developed. As the wetlands developed, environmental factors, including water temperature, depth, and pH were measured. Emergent marsh vegetation colonized the shallow wetland more rapidly than the deeper wetland. This is important to potential carbon storage because emergent marsh vegetation is more productive, and less labile, than submerged and floating vegetation. Primary production of emergent marsh vegetation ranged from 1.3 to 3.2 kg of carbon per square meter annually; and, mid-season standing live biomass represented about half of the annual primary production. Changes in species composition occurred in both submerged and emergent plant communities as the wetlands matured. Water depth, temperature, and pH were lower in areas with emergent marsh vegetation compared to submerged vegetation, all of which, in turn, can affect carbon cycling and storage rates.

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Acknowledgments

We owe great thanks to the California Department of Water Resources for long-term funding of this long-term research project. And, we would like to specially thank Lauren Hastings for her hard work getting the project started. Also, thanks to the many people who helped with data collection and site maintenance and repair on this study over all the years. Finally, thanks to Allison Brown, Lisa Marie Windham Myers, and the reviewers for Wetlands, Ecology, and Management for their helpful comments and suggestions for this manuscript. It is all greatly appreciated.

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  1. US Geological Survey, California Water Sciences Center, 6000 J Street, Placer Hall, Sacramento, CA, 95819, USA

    Robin L. Miller & Roger Fujii

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  1. Robin L. Miller
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Correspondence to Robin L. Miller.

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Miller, R.L., Fujii, R. Plant community, primary productivity, and environmental conditions following wetland re-establishment in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. Wetlands Ecol Manage 18, 1–16 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-009-9143-9

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