Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Resistance to Hurricane Effects Varies Among Wetland Vegetation Types in the Marsh–Mangrove Ecotone

  • Special Issue: Impact of 2017 Hurricanes
  • Published:
Estuaries and Coasts Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The capacity of coastal wetlands to stabilize shorelines and reduce erosion is a critical ecosystem service, and it is uncertain how changes in dominant vegetation may affect coastal protection. As part of a long-term study (2012–present) comparing ecosystem functions of marsh and black mangrove vegetation, we have experimentally maintained marsh and black mangrove patches (3 m × 3 m) along a plot-level (24 m × 42 m) gradient of marsh and mangrove cover in coastal wetlands near Port Aransas, TX. In August 2017, this experiment was directly in the path of Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 storm. This extreme disturbance event provided an opportunity to quantify differences in resistance between mangrove and marsh vegetation and to assess which vegetation type provided better shoreline protection against storm-driven erosion. We compared changes in plant cover, shoreline erosion, and accreted soil depth to values measured prior to storm landfall. Relative mangrove cover decreased 25–40% after the storm, regardless of initial cover, largely due to damage on taller mangroves (> 2.5 m height) that were not fully inundated by storm surge and were therefore exposed to strong winds. Evidence of regrowth on damaged mangrove branches was apparent within 2 months of landfall. Hurricane-induced decreases in mangrove cover were partially ameliorated by the presence of neighboring mangroves, particularly closer to the shoreline. Marsh plants were generally resistant to hurricane effects. Shoreline erosion exceeded 5 m where mangroves were absent (100% marsh cover) but was relatively modest (< 0.5 m) in plots with mangroves present (11–100% mangrove cover). Storm-driven accreted soil depth was variable but more than 2× higher in marsh patches than in mangrove patches. In general, mangroves provided shoreline protection from erosion but were also more damaged by wind and surge, which may reduce their shoreline protection capacity over longer time scales.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Armentano, T.V., R.F. Doren, W.J. Platt, and T. Mullins. 1995. Effects of Hurricane Andrew on coastal and interior forests of southern Florida: overview and synthesis. Journal of Coastal Research SI 21: 111–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Armitage, A.R., W.E. Highfield, S.D. Brody, and P. Louchouarn. 2015. The contribution of mangrove expansion to salt marsh loss on the Texas gulf coast. PLoS One 10 (5): e0125404. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0125404.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin, A., M. Egnotovich, M. Ford, and W. Platt. 2001. Regeneration in fringe mangrove forests damaged by Hurricane Andrew. Plant Ecology 157 (2): 151–164. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013941304875.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbier, E.B., S.D. Hacker, C. Kennedy, E.W. Koch, A.C. Stier, and B.R. Silliman. 2011. The value of estuarine and coastal ecosystem services. Ecological Monographs 81 (2): 169–193. https://doi.org/10.1890/10-1510.1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbier, E.B., I.Y. Georgiou, B. Enchelmeyer, and D.J. Reed. 2013. The value of wetlands in protecting southeast Louisiana from hurricane storm surges. PLoS One 8 (3): e58715. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058715.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barr, J.G., V. Engel, T.J. Smith, and J.D. Fuentes. 2012. Hurricane disturbance and recovery of energy balance, CO2 fluxes and canopy structure in a mangrove forest of the Florida Everglades. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 153: 54–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2011.07.022.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi, T.S., M.A. Allison, J. Zhao, X.X. Li, R.S. Comeaux, R.A. Feagin, and R.W. Kulawardhana. 2013. Historical reconstruction of mangrove expansion in the Gulf of Mexico: linking climate change with carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 119: 7–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2012.12.007.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Branoff, B.L. This volume. Changes in mangrove tree mortality, forest canopy, and aboveground biomass accumulation rates following the 2017 hurricane season in Puerto Rico and the role of urbanization. Estuaries and Coasts.

  • Breithaupt, J.L., N. Hurst, H.E. Steinmuller, E. Duga, J.M. Smoak, J.S. Kominoski, and L.G. Chambers. This volume. Biogeochemical impacts of storm surge sediments in coastal wetlands: Hurricane Irma and the Florida Everglades. Estuaries and Coasts.

  • Cahoon, D.R., and R.E. Turner. 1989. Accretion and canal impacts in a rapidly subsiding wetland. II. Feldspar marker horizon technique. Estuaries 12 (4): 260–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Callaway, J., R. DeLaune, and W.J. Patrick. 1997. Sediment accretion rates from four coastal wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Coastal Research 13 (1): 181–191.

    Google Scholar 

  • Callaway, R.M., R. Brooker, P. Choler, Z. Kikvidze, C.J. Lortie, R. Michalet, L. Paolini, F.I. Pugnaire, B. Newingham, and E.T. Aschehoug. 2002. Positive interactions among alpine plants increase with stress. Nature 417 (6891): 844–848.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Castañeda-Moya, E., R.R. Twilley, V.H. Rivera-Monroy, K. Zhang, S.E. Davis, and M. Ross. 2010. Sediment and nutrient deposition associated with Hurricane Wilma in mangroves of the Florida Coastal Everglades. Estuaries and Coasts 33 (1): 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-009-9242-0.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Comeaux, R.S., M.A. Allison, and T.S. Bianchi. 2012. Mangrove expansion in the Gulf of Mexico with climate change: implications for wetland health and resistance to rising sea levels. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 96: 81–95.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Courtemanche, R.P., Jr., M.W. Hester, and I.A. Mendelssohn. 1999. Recovery of a Louisiana barrier island marsh plant community following extensive hurricane-induced overwash. Journal of Coastal Research 15 (4): 872–883.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feller, I.C., C. Lovelock, U. Berger, K. McKee, S. Joye, and M. Ball. 2010. Biocomplexity in mangrove ecosystems. Annual Review of Marine Science 2 (1): 395–417. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.marine.010908.163809.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feller, I.C., E.M. Dangremond, D.J. Devlin, C.E. Lovelock, C.E. Proffitt, and W. Rodriguez. 2015. Nutrient enrichment intensifies hurricane impact in scrub mangrove ecosystems in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA. Ecology 96 (11): 2960–2972.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gedan, K.B., M.L. Kirwan, E. Wolanski, E.B. Barbier, and B.R. Silliman. 2011. The present and future role of coastal wetland vegetation in protecting shorelines: answering recent challenges to the paradigm. Climatic Change 106 (1): 7–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-010-0003-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, H.Y., Y.H. Zhang, Z.J. Lan, and S.C. Pennings. 2013. Biotic interactions mediate the expansion of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) into salt marshes under climate change. Global Change Biology 19 (9): 2765–2774. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, H., C. Weaver, S. Charles, A. Whitt, S. Dastidar, P. D'Odorico, J.D. Fuentes, J.S. Kominoski, A.R. Armitage, and S.C. Pennings. 2017. Coastal regime shifts: rapid responses of coastal wetlands to changes in mangrove cover. Ecology 98 (3): 762–772. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halpern, B.S., B.R. Silliman, J.D. Olden, J.P. Bruno, and M.D. Bertness. 2007. Incorporating positive interactions in aquatic restoration and conservation. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5 (3): 153–160. https://doi.org/10.1890/1540-9295(2007)5[153:IPIIAR]2.0.CO;2.

  • Huxham, M., M.P. Kumara, L.P. Jayatissa, K.W. Krauss, J. Kairo, J. Langat, M. Mencuccini, M.W. Skov, and B. Kirui. 2010. Intra-and interspecific facilitation in mangroves may increase resilience to climate change threats. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 365 (1549): 2127–2135. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0094.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Imbert, D., A. Rousteau, and P. Scherrer. 2000. Ecology of mangrove growth and recovery in the Lesser Antilles: state of knowledge and basis for restoration projects. Restoration Ecology 8 (3): 230–236. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1526-100x.2000.80034.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kangas, P.C., and A.E. Lugo. 1990. The distribution of mangroves and saltmarsh in Florida. Tropical Ecology 31 (1): 32–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelleway, J.J., K. Cavanaugh, K. Rogers, I.C. Feller, E. Ens, C. Doughty, and N. Saintilan. 2017. Review of the ecosystem service implications of mangrove encroachment into salt marshes. Global Change Biology 23 (10): 3967–3983. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krauss, K.W., T.W. Doyle, T.J. Doyle, C.M. Swarzenski, A.S. From, R.H. Day, and W.H. Conner. 2009. Water level observations in mangrove swamps during two hurricanes in Florida. Wetlands 29 (1): 142–149. https://doi.org/10.1672/07-232.1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumara, M., L. Jayatissa, K. Krauss, D. Phillips, and M. Huxham. 2010. High mangrove density enhances surface accretion, surface elevation change, and tree survival in coastal areas susceptible to sea-level rise. Oecologia 164 (2): 545–553. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-010-1705-2.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marois, D.E., and W.J. Mitsch. 2015. Coastal protection from tsunamis and cyclones provided by mangrove wetlands–a review. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management 11 (1): 71–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2014.997292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKee, K.L., and J.E. Rooth. 2008. Where temperate meets tropical: multi-factorial effects of elevated CO2, nitrogen enrichment, and competition on a mangrove-salt marsh community. Global Change Biology 14 (5): 971–984.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKee, K.L., J.E. Rooth, and I.C. Feller. 2007. Mangrove recruitment after forest disturbance is facilitated by herbaceous species in the Caribbean. Ecological Applications 17 (6): 1678–1693. https://doi.org/10.1890/06-1614.1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Möller, I., M. Kudella, F. Rupprecht, T. Spencer, M. Paul, B.K. Van Wesenbeeck, G. Wolters, K. Jensen, T.J. Bouma, and M. Miranda-Lange. 2014. Wave attenuation over coastal salt marshes under storm surge conditions. Nature Geoscience 7 (10): 727–731. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2251.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Narayan, S., M.W. Beck, P. Wilson, C.J. Thomas, A. Guerrero, C.C. Shepard, B.G. Reguero, G. Franco, J.C. Ingram, and D. Trespalacios. 2017. The value of coastal wetlands for flood damage reduction in the northeastern USA. Scientific Reports 7 (1): 9463. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-09269-z.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • NOAA. 2019. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service: major Hurricane Harvey - August 25–29, 2017. https://www.weather.gov/crp/hurricane_harvey. Accessed 26 March 2019 2019.

  • Nyman, J., C. Crozier, and R. DeLaune. 1995. Roles and patterns of hurricane sedimentation in an estuarine marsh landscape. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 40 (6): 665–679. https://doi.org/10.1006/ecss.1995.0045.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Osland, M.J., L.C. Feher, G.H. Anderson, W.C. Vervaeke, K.W. Krauss, K.R.T. Whelan, K.M. Balentine, G. Tiling-Range, T.J. Smith, and D.R. Cahoon. This volume. A hurricane-induced ecological regime shift: mangrove conversion to mudflat in Florida’s Everglades National Park. Estuaries and Coasts.

  • Patrick, C.J., L. Yeager, A.R. Armitage, F. Carvallo, V. Congdon, K. Dunton, M. Fisher, et al. This volume. A systems level analysis of ecosystem responses to hurricane impacts on a coastal region. Estuaries and Coasts.

  • Perry, C.L., and I.A. Mendelssohn. 2009. Ecosystem effects of expanding populations of Avicennia germinans in a Louisiana salt marsh. Wetlands 29 (1): 396–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, J.M., and S.S. Bell. 2012. Tidal events and salt-marsh structure influence black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) recruitment across an ecotone. Ecology 93 (7): 1648–1658.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickens, C.N., T.M. Sloey, and M.W. Hester. 2018. Influence of salt marsh canopy on black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) survival and establishment at its northern latitudinal limit. Hydrobiologia: 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3730-9.

  • Proffitt, C.E., and D.J. Devlin. 2005. Long-term growth and succession in restored and natural mangrove forests in southwestern Florida. Wetlands Ecology and Management 13 (5): 531–551. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-004-2411-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radabaugh, K.R., R.P. Moyer, A.R. Chappel, E.E. Dontis, C.E. Russo, K.M. Joyse, M.W. Bownik, A.H. Goeckner, and N.S. Khan. 2019. Mangrove damage, delayed mortality, and early recovery following Hurricane Irma at two landfall sites in southwest Florida, USA. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00564-8

  • Rodriguez, W., I.C. Feller, and K.C. Cavanaugh. 2016. Spatio-temporal changes of a mangrove–saltmarsh ecotone in the northeastern coast of Florida, USA. Global Ecology and Conservation 7: 245–261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2016.07.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, K., and K.W. Krauss. 2018. Moving from generalisations to specificity about mangrove–saltmarsh dynamics. Wetlands: 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-018-1067-9.

  • Roth, L.C. 1992. Hurricanes and mangrove regeneration: effects of Hurricane Joan, October 1988, on the vegetation of Isla del Venado, Bluefields, Nicaragua. Biotropica 24 (3): 375–384. https://doi.org/10.2307/2388607.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saintilan, N., N.C. Wilson, K. Rogers, A. Rajkaran, and K.W. Krauss. 2014. Mangrove expansion and salt marsh decline at mangrove poleward limits. Global Change Biology 20 (1): 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shepard, C.C., C.M. Crain, and M.W. Beck. 2011. The protective role of coastal marshes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 6 (11): e27374. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027374.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sherrod, C.L., and C. McMillan. 1985. The distributional history and ecology of mangrove vegetation along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastal region. Contributions in Marine Science 28: 129–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, L.T., I.C. Feller, and S.K. Chapman. 2013. Effects of competition and nutrient enrichment on Avicennia germinans in the salt marsh-mangrove ecotone. Aquatic Botany 104: 55–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T.J., M.B. Robblee, H.R. Wanless, and T.W. Doyle. 1994. Mangroves, hurricanes, and lightning strikes. BioScience 44 (4): 256–262. https://doi.org/10.2307/1312230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T.J., G.H. Anderson, K. Balentine, G. Tiling, G.A. Ward, and K.R. Whelan. 2009. Cumulative impacts of hurricanes on Florida mangrove ecosystems: sediment deposition, storm surges and vegetation. Wetlands 29 (1): 24–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Temmerman, S., P. Meire, T.J. Bouma, P.M.J. Herman, T. Ysebaert, and H.J. De Vriend. 2013. Ecosystem-based coastal defence in the face of global change. Nature 504 (7478): 79–83. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12859.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tomlinson, P.B. 2016. The botany of mangroves. Cambridge University Press.

  • Turner, R.E., J.J. Baustian, E.M. Swenson, and J.S. Spicer. 2006. Wetland sedimentation from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Science 314 (5798): 449–452. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1129116.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Uriarte, M., C.D. Canham, J. Thompson, and J.K. Zimmerman. 2004. A neighborhood analysis of tree growth and survival in a hurricane-driven tropical forest. Ecological Monographs 74 (4): 591–614. https://doi.org/10.1890/03-4031.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • USGS. 2019. United States Geological Survey Flood Event Viewer. https://stn.wim.usgs.gov/fev/#HarveyAug2017. Accessed 26 March 2019 2019.

  • Vogt, J., Y. Lin, A. Pranchai, P. Frohberg, U. Mehlig, and U. Berger. 2014. The importance of conspecific facilitation during recruitment and regeneration: a case study in degraded mangroves. Basic and Applied Ecology 15 (8): 651–660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2014.09.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wamsley, T.V., M.A. Cialone, J.M. Smith, J.H. Atkinson, and J.D. Rosati. 2010. The potential of wetlands in reducing storm surge. Ocean Engineering 37 (1): 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2009.07.018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, K., H. Liu, Y. Li, H. Xu, J. Shen, J. Rhome, and T.J. Smith. 2012. The role of mangroves in attenuating storm surges. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 102: 11–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2012.02.021.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to Hongyu Guo, Zoe Hughes, Scotty Hall, Mikaela Ziegler, and many field assistants that contributed to study setup and data collection. Thank you to the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve for site access permissions and to the University of Texas Marine Science Institute for use of their boat ramp and facilities.

Funding

Research was supported by the National Science Foundation DEB-1761414 to Armitage, DEB-1761428 to Pennings, and DEB-1761444 to Kominoski. Additional support was provided by an Institutional Grant (NA10OAR4170099) to the Texas Sea Grant College Program from the National Sea Grant Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, 77553, USA

    Anna R. Armitage & Carolyn A. Weaver

  2. Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, 78412, USA

    Carolyn A. Weaver

  3. Institute of Water and Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    John S. Kominoski

  4. Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204, USA

    Steven C. Pennings

Authors
  1. Anna R. Armitage
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Carolyn A. Weaver
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. John S. Kominoski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Steven C. Pennings
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anna R. Armitage.

Ethics declarations

Disclaimer

All views, opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Texas Sea Grant College Program or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Additional information

Communicated by R. Scott Warren

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Armitage, A.R., Weaver, C.A., Kominoski, J.S. et al. Resistance to Hurricane Effects Varies Among Wetland Vegetation Types in the Marsh–Mangrove Ecotone. Estuaries and Coasts 43, 960–970 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00577-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00577-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation