Interactive effects of hydrology and salinity on oligohaline plant species productivity: Implications of relative sea-level rise

Abstract

Sea-level rise is anticipated to alter hydrologic and salinity regimes of coastal wetlands. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to determine species-level responses to 12 sea-level rise scenarios. Both hydrologic regime (−10, +5, and +20 cm flooding depth) and salinity level (fresh, 2‰, 4‰ and 6‰) were interactively manipulated. Within these various sea-level rise scenarios, we sought to determine the effects of hydrologic regime, salinity level, and the interaction of these two stresses on the productivity ofPanicum hemitomon, Sagittaria lancifolia, andSpartina patens, which are dominant macrophytes of fresh, intermediate, and brackish marsh types, respectively, in coastal Louisiana and the southeastern coastal plain. We found that altered hydrologic regimes and increased salinity levels differentially affected edaphic conditions and species-level productivity. Increases in flooding depth were most detrimental toS. patens. Salinity levels greater than 4‰ resulted in mortality ofP. hemitomon, and salinity levels of 6‰ resulted in reduced growth and eventual death, ofS. lancifolia. The effects of elevated salinity levels onP. hemitomon andS. lancifolia were exacerbated when coupled with increased flooding levels. Although soil organic matter was shown to increase in all vegetative conditions, increases were dependent upon the productivity of the species under the different hydrologic regimes and salinity levels withP. hemitomon displaying tremendous potential to increase soil organic matter under fresh conditions, especially when coupled with moderate flooding. The results of this study indicate that as plant communities are subjected to long-term changes in hydrology and salinity levels, community productivity and sustainability ulimately will be determined by species-level tolerances in conjunction with species interactions.