Skip to main content

Relationships between vegetation zonation and environmental factors in newly formed tidal marshes of the Yangtze River estuary

Wetlands Ecology and Management volume 19, pages 341–349 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

The Yangtze River delta is characterized by rapidly accreting sediments that form tidal flats that are quickly colonized by emergent vegetation including Scirpus mariqueter and the invasive species Spartina alterniflora. We measured soil surface elevation, water table depth, soil salinity, water content and compaction in the tidal flat, the Scirpus and Spartina zones and their borders to identify relationships between environmental factors and colonization by Scirpus and Spartina. With increasing elevation from tidal flat to Spartina, inundation frequency and duration, moisture and depth to water table decreased whereas soil salinity, temperature and compaction increased. High soil moisture and groundwater and low salinity were the characteristics of the tidal flat and its border with Scirpus. The Spartina zone and its border with Scirpus were characterized by greater salinity and elevation relative to the other zones. Our findings suggest that soil salinity controls patterns of plant zonation in the newly formed tidal salt marshes whereas elevation is of secondary importance. Our results suggest that patterns of vegetation zonation in tidal marshes of the Yangtze River delta are controlled by environmental factors, especially (low) salinity that favors colonization by Scirpus in the lower elevations of the marsh.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

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

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

References

  • Adam P (1990) Saltmarsh ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p 461

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bockelmann AC, Bakker JP, Neuhaus R, Lage J (2002) The relation between vegetation zonation, elevation and inundation frequency in a Wadden Sea salt marsh. Aquat Bot 73:211–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boorman LA, Hazelden J, Boorman M (2001) The effect of rates of sedimentation and tidal submersion regimes on the growth of salt marsh plants. Cont Shelf Res 21:2155–2165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caçador I, Tibério S, Cabral HN (2007) Species zonation in Corroios salt marsh in the Tagus estuary (Portugal) and its dynamics in the past fifty years. Hydrobiologia 587:205–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castillo JM, Mateos-Naranjo E, Nieva FJ, Figueroa E (2008) Plant zonation at salt marshes of the endangered cordgrass Spartina maritima invaded by Spartina densiflora. Hydrobiologia 614:363–371

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen ZY, Li B, Chen JK (2005) The effect of salinity and elevation to the growth of Spartina alterniflora. J Yangtze Univ (Nat sci) 2(2):6–9 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Daehler CC, Strong DR (1996) Status, prediction and prevention of introduced cordgrass Spartina spp. invasions in Pacific estuaries, USA. Biol Conserv 78(1):51–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Day JW, Pont D, Hensel PF, Ibańez C (1995) Impacts of sea-level rise on deltas in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean: the importance of pulsing events to sustainability. Estuaries 18(4):636–647

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang ZY, Sun ZH, Yu K (1993) Shanghai birds’ resources and their habitat. Fudan University Press, Shanghai, p 175 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jogman RHG, ter Braak CJF, van Tongeren OFR (1995) Data analysis in community and landscape ecology. Pudoc, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Landin M C (1991) Growth habits and other considerations of smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora Loisel [A]. In: Mumford TF Jr, Peyton P, Sayce JR et al. (eds) Spartina workshop record [C], Washington Sea Grant Program, University of Washington, Seattle, pp 115–201

  • Levine JM, Brewer JS, Bertness MD (1998) Nutrients, competition and plant zonation in a New England salt marsh. J Ecol 86:285–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Q, An CG, Ma Q, Xu LL, Zhao YL (2010) Species composition and diversity of zooplankton in tidal creeks of the Chongming Dongtan intertidal flat. Biodiversity Science 18(1):67–75 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Livingstone DC, Patriquin DG (1981) Belowground growth of Spartina alterniflora Loisel, habit, functional biomass and non-structural carbohydrates. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 12(5):579–587

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCune B, Mefford MJ (1999) PC-ORD. Multivariate analysis of ecological data, Version 4. MjM Software Design, Gleneden Beach, OR, USA, p 237

  • Pennings SC, Grant MB, Bertness MB (2005) Plant zonation in low-latitude salt marshes: disentangling the roles of flooding, salinity and competition. J Ecol 93:159–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez JM, Izco J, Medrano M (1996) Relationships between vegetation zonation and altitude in a salt-marsh system in northwest Spain. J Veg Sci 7:695–702

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silvestri S, Defina A, Marco Marani M (2005) Tidal regime, salinity and salt marsh plant zonation. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 62:119–130

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simas T, Nunes JP, Ferreira JG (2001) Effects of global climate change on coastal salt marshes. Ecol Model 139:1–15

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Snow AA, Vince SW (1984) Plant zonation in an Alaskan salt marsh II: an experimental study of the role of edaphic conditions. J Ecol 72:669–684

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SPSS (1999) SPSS 10.0.1 for Windows. SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL

  • van Zandt PA, Tobler MA, Mouton E, Hasenstein KH, Mopper S (2003) Positive and negative consequences of salinity stress for the growth and reproduction of the clonal plant, Iris hexagona. J Ecol 91:837–846

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vince SW, Snow AA (1984) Plant zonation in an Alaskan salt marsh I: distribution, abundance and environmental factors. J Ecol 72:651–667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yong XK, Zhang LQ (1992) Studies on reproduction ecology of Scirpus Mariqueter population. J East China Norm Univ (Nat Sci) 4:94–99 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zedler JB, Kereher S (2004) Causes and consequences of invasive plants in wetlands: opportunities, opportunists, and outcomes. Crit Rev Plant Sci 23:431–452

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang D, Yang MM, Li JX, Chen XY (2006) Vegetative dispersal ability of Spartina alterniflora in eastern end of Chongming Island. J East China Norm Univ (Nat Sci) 2:130–135 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang R, Wang YP, Pan SM (2006) Analyses with Wavelet and Hilbert-Huang transform on monthly water discharges at Datong Station, Yangtze River. J Nanjing Univ (Nat Sci) 42(4):423–434 (In Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhi YB, Li HL, An SQ (2007) Inter-specific competition: Spartina alterniflora is replacing Spartina anglica in coastal China. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 74:437–448

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Wenyong Guo, Zaijun Xin and Yue Jia for their assistance with the collection of field data. Our research was supported by the 111 Project (B08022); Ministry of Education, China; Programme Strategic Scientific Alliances between China and the Netherlands (2008DFB90240); FP7.2009-1 (Contract 244104—THESEUS).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Yanlong He, Xiuzhen Li, Zhigang Ma & Yongguang Sun

  2. School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Christopher Craft

Authors
  1. Yanlong He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiuzhen Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Christopher Craft
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Zhigang Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yongguang Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiuzhen Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

He, Y., Li, X., Craft, C. et al. Relationships between vegetation zonation and environmental factors in newly formed tidal marshes of the Yangtze River estuary. Wetlands Ecol Manage 19, 341–349 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-011-9220-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-011-9220-8

Keywords

  • Tidal marshes
  • Salinity
  • Spartina alterniflora
  • Scirpus mariqueter
  • Yangtze River estuary