NCCOS Project Explorer (NPE)

Identification of Factors Affecting the Structure and Function of Intertidal and Marsh Habitats for Use in Development of Habitat Restoration Procedures (2005)

Project Description:
Intertidal and marsh habitats provide essential fish habitat, nutrient filtering, shoreline stabilization, and a substantial amount of primary production to estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Because of their location near the land-sea interface, they are particularly susceptible to human disturbance, eutrophication and climate-induced changes in sea level and temperature. The loss in acreage of these habitats over the last century has prompted an emphasis on their restoration and conservation, funded by federal, state and local governments. However, protecting, prioritizing and planning the restoration of these intertidal habitats requires an in-depth understanding of the ecology of these systems, and how external factors such as eutrophication, sea level rise, and changes in water quality affect the structure and function of these habitats. In a series of projects in coastal North Carolina, New Jersey, southern California, and Alaska, we are seeking to identify the relationship between ecosystem structure and function in intertidal and marsh habitats, and how these parameters respond to changes in sea level rise, invasive species, increased nutrient supply, and pollution. In southern California we are examining the ecological succession of restored marsh habitats and developing novel techniques for the evaluation of habitat restoration success. In eastern North Carolina we are examining the ecological role of intertidal flats and fringing salt marshes, and examining the response of these shoreline habitats to environmental change and anthropogenic disturbance. In Alaska, we are examining the distribution and trophic role of benthic microalgae in Kachemak Bay, and in particular the trophic linkage between benthic microalgae and bivalves, including the Pacific littleneck clam and mussels. In New Jersey, we are examining the effect of the invasive species, Phragmites australis, on the food web supporting the dominant resident fish, Fundulus hetoroclitus. Together, these efforts will provide the scientific basis for making sound coastal management decisions and improving habitat restoration efforts.

Expected Outcome:
This research will provide documentation of the suite of ecosystem services provided by a variety of intertidal habitats, which will enable coastal resource managers to make better decisions and improve conservation and management of estuarine ecosystems. We expect to find that unvegetated tidal flats and narrow fringing marshes provide important food resources and refuge for fish and shellfish. We will determine the degree to which an invasive marsh plant alters the food and refuge available to resident marsh fish, which will help to decide how aggressively eradication efforts should be for this invasive plant. Recognition and publication of these results in the peer-reviewed literature will enable resource managers and permitting agencies to make better decisions and improve the conservation and restoration of estuarine habitats. This data will also improve forecasts of the consequences of such stressors as sea level rise, water quality decline, land-use changes, and extreme natural events. We participate in a number of advisory councils which include state and local resource managers, interact often with permitting agencies, advise NGO groups, and attend workshops and conferences in an effort to transfer our findings to those who make decisions that effect estuarine ecosystems. We also work with a number of secondary school and college educators to transfer this information to students.