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Littoraria irrorata Growth and Survival in a Sediment-Restored Salt Marsh

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Abstract

The successful restoration of Littoraria irrorata productivity in rehabilitated salt marshes has received little attention, even though this consumer species has the potential to influence salt marsh production through both bottom-up and top-down pathways. We investigated the impact of a relatively new restoration technique, sediment slurry addition, on the growth and survivorship of L. irrorata to determine 1) how different levels of sediment addition and resulting changes in hydrology influenced L. irrorata productivity and 2) whether or not this technique can generate conditions that are optimal for L. irrorata productivity and functionally equivalent to natural marshes. We found that intermediate sediment additions restored L. irrorata growth responses to levels equivalent to natural marshes. Littoraria irrorata growth and survival closely mirrored trends in Spartina alterniflora cover and were greatest at moderate elevations compared to the frequently flooded degraded marshes and areas of high elevation with low soil moisture and fertility. While changes in physico-chemical properties, such as soil moisture, may have a direct influence on L. irrorata, it was the indirect effect of sediment-slurry addition on S. alterniflora that appeared to most influence L. irrorata production, emphasizing the importance of restoring both abiotic and biotic conditions to achieve functional equivalency.

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Acknowledgments

This research was sponsored by the Louisiana Sea Grant Program, a part of the National Sea Grant Program maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The authors would like to thank Dr. Brian Marx for statistical assistance and two anonymous reviewers for manuscript review. The authors would also like to acknowledge the help of several research associates and students of the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University, especially Joseph Baustian, Sean Graham and Carey Perry for their field assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Camille L. Stagg & Irving A. Mendelssohn

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette, LA, 70506, USA

    Camille L. Stagg

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  1. Camille L. Stagg
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  2. Irving A. Mendelssohn
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Correspondence to Camille L. Stagg.

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Stagg, C.L., Mendelssohn, I.A. Littoraria irrorata Growth and Survival in a Sediment-Restored Salt Marsh. Wetlands 32, 643–652 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-012-0297-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-012-0297-5

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