Meadow Scale Research Articles

Development of a ‘sediment-stress’ functional-level indicator for the seagrass Halophila ovalis

Understanding mechanistic relationships between seagrass and their environmental stressors should be considered for effective management of estuaries and may inform on why change has occurred. We aimed to develop indicators for seagrass health in response to sediment conditions for the Swan-Canning Estuary, south-west Australia. This article describes the development of a new sediment-stress indicator, relating aspects of seagrass productivity with sediment sulfur dynamics. Sulfur stable isotope ratio and total sulfur were measured monthly within the roots, rhizomes and leaves of Halophila ovalis, and significantly varied across sites and months. The growth of seagrass over the summer months appeared restricted by sediment condition, with growth of seagrass lower when sediment derived sulfur and/or total sulfur within rhizome of leaf tissues was higher. H. ovalis appeared quite tolerant of sulfide intrusion within the root compartment, but growth was compromised when sulfide breached the root–rhizome barrier. The tightest correlation between potential sulfur metrics and seagrass growth was observed for the ratio (δ34Sleaf+30)/(TSleaf), and it is this ratio that we propose may be a useful sediment-stress indicator for seagrass. The study also highlights that sediment condition needs to be considered at the meadow scale.

High mobility reduces beta‐diversity among orthopteran communities – implications for conservation

Abstract. 1. The analysis of β‐diversity, i.e. species turnover, across space is central to a wide array of ecological and evolutionary topics, also providing critical information to conservation planning. Although dispersal limitation has been demonstrated to play an important role in determining insect community structure, very little research has been done to test whether mobility might affect the diversity distribution of species across multiple spatial scales.2. We considered orthopterans (Ensifera and Caelifera) inhabiting hay meadows to test whether species mobility modifies β‐diversity patterns across three nested spatial scales (1‐m2 plots within meadow, 1000‐m2 meadows within landscape, and 19.6‐km2 landscapes within a region) and along a gradient of management intensity.3. Orthopteran community composition varied most significantly over broader spatial scales. Larger proportion of regional γ‐diversity was mainly composed of β‐diversity at the landscape scale, whereas this proportion was smaller at the plot and meadow scale.4. Mobility, but not management, strongly modified β‐diversity patterns. Sedentary species contributed to a greater proportion of β‐diversity across all the investigated scales compared with mobile species.5. Measures currently included in most agri‐environment schemes have only focused on the extensive management at the field scale. Our results imply that orthopteran diversity would benefit from maintaining extensively managed meadows scattered throughout the whole region, as the loss of species‐rich isolated grassland patches due to abandonment or eutrophication might cause severe reductions of the regional species pool. Increasing connectivity might be also considered as a complementary measure to increase species occupancy and population persistence, particularly for sedentary species.

Linking snowmelt‐derived fluxes and groundwater flow in a high elevation meadow system, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California

AbstractQuantifying snowmelt‐derived fluxes at the watershed scale within hillslope environments is critical for investigating local meadow scale groundwater dynamics in high elevation riparian ecosystems. In this article, we investigate the impact of snowmelt‐derived groundwater flux from the surrounding hillslopes on water table dynamics in Tuolumne Meadows, which is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, USA. Results show water levels within the meadow are controlled by a combination of fluxes at the hillslope boundaries, snowmelt within the meadow and changes in the stream stage. Observed water level fluctuations at the boundaries of the meadow show the hydrologic connection and subsequent disconnection between the hillslope and meadow aquifers. Timing of groundwater flux entering the meadow as a result of spring snowmelt can vary over 20 days based on the location, aspect, and local geology of the contributing area within the larger watershed. Identifying this temporal and spatial variability in flux entering the meadow is critical for simulating changes in water levels within the meadow. Model results can vary significantly based on the temporal and spatial scales at which watershed processes are linked to local processes within the meadow causing errors when boundary fluxes are lumped in time or space. Without a clear understanding of the surrounding hillslope hydrology, it is difficult to simulate groundwater dynamics within high elevation riparian ecosystems with the accuracy necessary for understanding ecosystem response. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Size distribution approaches for monitoring and conservation of coastal Cymodocea habitats

Abstract Cymodocea nodosa's leaf length distribution was studied as an easily measurable indicator to monitor and conserve Macedonian, North Aegean, Greek coastal habitats. Three Cymodocea meadows off the eastern Kavala Gulf coast (Nea Karvali, Erateino, Agiasma), with that of Nea Karvali close to an industrial area being the most degraded, were sampled during the seagrass main growing season in July 2004. Two further meadows, one pristine to less degraded (Brasidas, Gulf of Kavala) and one degraded (Biamyl, Inner Thessaloniki Gulf), were sampled as benchmarks in July 2005. The results were evaluated using Gaussian fit curves, and non‐parametric and nested parametric ANOVA on a hierarchy of spatial scales: area (tens of metres), site (hundreds of metres) and meadow (kilometres). Frequency (%) distribution of leaf length values and CymoSkew index variation were best associated with anthropogenic stress. Frequency (%) distribution of adult and intermediate photosynthetic leaf length values revealed a unimodal distribution possible to be fitted, at least at pristine to less degraded meadows, by normal distribution (R2>0.5). Statistically significant variation was estimated for CymoSkew index, a quantitative expression of leaf length asymmetry, on the meadow scale (P<0.001). Biamyl (3.82) and Nea Karvali (3.64) were indicated as heavily degraded meadows, Erateino (2.93) as a degraded meadow, Agiasma (2.18) as a meadow with the first signs of degradation, and Brasidas (1.68) as a pristine to less degraded meadow. These results in combination with other meadow specific biotic parameters were used to suggest a preliminary angiosperm ‘Ecological Status Classes’ classification scheme useful for the implementation of WFD in the north Aegean Sea. The CymoSkew index seems to respond to lower levels of stress than is needed for other more conservative plant modules and therefore, could be regarded as an early warning indicator of Cymodocea habitat degradation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.