HR: 11:00h
AN: NB32F-03 [Abstracts]
TI: Plant and Invertebrate Community Changes Caused by Flood-Pulsing in a Constructed Riparian Wetland
AU: * Caiazza, M K
EM: mdrinkar@kent.edu
AF: Kent State University, Department of Biological Sciences
219 Cunningham Hall, Kent, Oh 44242-0001 United States
AU: Nieset, J E
EM: eluj4@yahoo.com
AF: University of Akron, Department of Biological Sciences
302 Buchtel Mall, Akron, Oh 44325 United States
AU: Romito, A
EM: aromito@bugs.ent.uga.edu
AF: University of Georgia, Department of Entomology
BioScience Building, Athens, Ga 30602-2603 United States
AU: de Szalay, F A
EM: aromito@bugs.ent.uga.edu
AF: Kent State University, Department of Biological Sciences
219 Cunningham Hall, Kent, Oh 44242-0001 United States
AB:
In 2002, Kent State University constructed a research facility that includes ten independently flooded wetland basins (10 m X 20 m) along a second order creek. We tested the effects of flood-pulsing on the wetland biota by allowing 5 basins
(flood-pulse wetlands) to fluctuate with creek water levels to simulate floodplain marshes, and maintaining 5 basins (static
wetlands) at constant water levels. We sampled emergent plants and aquatic invertebrates in 2003 and 2004. Abiotic
conditions were different between treatments. We collected 83 plant species, and flood pulsing had strong effects on plant
communities. Mean species richness and plant cover were higher in static wetlands, and Sorensen's similarity indices between habitat types decreased over time. Plant biomass increased in all wetlands from 2003 to 2004, but mean biomass was not
different between treatments. Many dominant plant species were affected by the flood pulsing treatment. Wetland invertebrate
communities were diverse (47 taxa), but we detected few responses. Total abundance, species richness, and numbers of most
dominant species were not different between treatments. These results indicate that flood-pulsing acted as a stressor on
emergent plant communities, but did not strongly impact aquatic macroinvertebrates.
UR: http://www.kent.edu/biology/Research/AquaticEcology/AERF.cfm
DE: 1899 General or miscellaneous
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly