TY - JOUR A1 - Carus, Jana A1 - Paul, Maike A1 - Schroeder, Boris T1 - Vegetation as self-adaptive coastal protection: Reduction of current velocity and morphologic plasticity of a brackish marsh pioneer JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - By reducing current velocity, tidal marsh vegetation can diminish storm surges and storm waves. Conversely, currents often exert high mechanical stresses onto the plants and hence affect vegetation structure and plant characteristics. In our study, we aim at analysing this interaction from both angles. On the one hand, we quantify the reduction of current velocity by Bolboschoenus maritimus, and on the other hand, we identify functional traits of B. maritimus’ ramets along environmental gradients. Our results show that tidal marsh vegetation is able to buffer a large proportion of the flow velocity at currents under normal conditions. Cross-shore current velocity decreased with distance from the marsh edge and was reduced by more than 50% after 15 m of vegetation. We were furthermore able to show that plants growing at the marsh edge had a significantly larger diameter than plants from inside the vegetation. We found a positive correlation between plant thickness and cross-shore current which could provide an adaptive value in habitats with high mechanical stress. With the adapted morphology of plants growing at the highly exposed marsh edge, the entire vegetation belt is able to better resist the mechanical stress of high current velocities. This self-adaptive effect thus increases the ability of B. maritimus to grow and persist in the pioneer zone and may hence better contribute to ecosystem-based coastal protection by reducing current velocity. KW - Adaptive value KW - Bolboschoenus maritimus KW - brackish marsh KW - flow velocity KW - mechanical pressure KW - morphological adaptation KW - phenotypic plasticity KW - pioneer zone Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1904 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 6 SP - 1579 EP - 1589 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Carus, Jana A1 - Heuner, Maike A1 - Paul, Maike A1 - Schröder, Boris T1 - Plant distribution and stand characteristics in brackish marshes BT - Unravelling the roles of abiotic factors and interspecific competition JF - Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science N2 - Due to increasing pressure on estuarine marshes from sea level rise and river training, there is a growing need to understand how species-environment relationships influence the zonation and growth of tidal marsh vegetation. In the present study, we investigated the distribution and stand characteristics of the two key brackish marsh species Bolboschoenus maritimus and Phragmites australis in the Elbe estuary together with several abiotic habitat factors. We then tested the effect of these habitat factors on plant growth and zonation with generalised linear models (GLMs). Our study provides detailed information on the importance of single habitat factors and their interactions for controlling the distribution patterns and stand characteristics of two key marsh species. Our results suggest that flow velocity is the main factor influencing species distribution and stand characteristics and together with soil-water salinity even affects the inundation tolerance of the two specie investigated here. Additionally, inundation height and duration as well as interspecific competition helped explain the distribution patterns and stand characteristics. By identifying the drivers of marsh zonation and stand characteristics and quantifying their effects, this study provides useful information for evaluating a future contribution of tidal marsh vegetation to ecosystem-based shore protection. KW - Bolboschoenus maritimus KW - Elbe estuary KW - Flow velocity KW - Inundation KW - Phragmites australis KW - Soil-water salinity Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2017.06.038 SN - 0272-7714 SN - 1096-0015 VL - 196 SP - 237 EP - 247 PB - Elsevier CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Carus, Jana A1 - Heuner, Maike A1 - Paul, Maike A1 - Schröder, Boris T1 - Which factors and processes drive the spatio-temporal dynamics of brackish marshes?-Insights from development and parameterisation of a mechanistic vegetation model JF - Ecological modelling : international journal on ecological modelling and engineering and systems ecolog N2 - Tidal marsh vegetation offers important ecosystem services. However, in many estuaries, extensive embankments, artificial bank protection, river dredging and agriculture threaten tidal marshes. In this study we analysed the processes underlying the spatio-temporal patterns of tidal marsh vegetation in the Elbe estuary and quantified the influence of specific habitat factors by developing and applying the process-based dynamic habitat-macrophyte model HaMac in a pattern-oriented way. In order to develop and parameterise the model, we measured a wide range of biotic and abiotic parameters in two study sites in the Elbe estuary and compared observed and simulated patterns. The final model is able to reproduce the general patterns of vegetation zonation, development and growth and thus helps to understand the underlying processes. By considering the vegetative reproduction of marsh plants as well as abiotic influence factors and intraspecific competition, HaMac allowed to systematically analyse the significance of factors and processes for the dynamic of tidal marsh vegetation. Our results show that rhizome growth is the most important process and that flow velocity, inundation height and duration as well as intraspecific competition are the most important habitat factors for explaining spatio-temporal dynamics of brackish marshes. Future applications of HaMac could support the sustainable development and stabilisation of shore zones and thus contribute to the promotion and planning of ecosystem -based shoreline protection measures. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - Bolboschoenus maritimus KW - Emergent macrophytes KW - Pattern-oriented modelling KW - Phragmites australis KW - Tidal marsh vegetation KW - Vegetative reproduction Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.08.023 SN - 0304-3800 SN - 1872-7026 VL - 363 SP - 122 EP - 136 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -