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WETLAND INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO VARYING EMERGENT LITTER IN A PRAIRIE POTHOLE EMERGENT MARSH
Citation:
CHRISTENSEN, J. AND W. Crumpton. WETLAND INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO VARYING EMERGENT LITTER IN A PRAIRIE POTHOLE EMERGENT MARSH. WETLANDS. The Society of Wetland Scientists, McLean, VA, 30(6):1031-1044, (2010).
Impact/Purpose:
Healthy Communities and Ecosystems - by providing ecosystem research and methods development at multiple scales, utilizing landscape ecology and associated techniques
Description:
Plant litter produced in the interior of dense emergent stands may directly or indirectly influence invertebrate communities. Low litter may provide structure and refuge to invertebrates while high litter may shade out vegetation and algae and decrease oxygen concentrations. Within an emergent stand, a transect study from the edge to interior and an interior litter manipulation study were performed to investigate the impact of increasing litter on the invertebrate community. Several taxa were associated with the emergent edge. Under lower litter conditions in the emergent interior, total invertebrate abundance was similar to the emergent-open water edge but the emergent interior was dominated by hypoxic-tolerant nektonic species. Under high litter conditions in the interior, invertebrate abundance decreased and the Invertebrate response to varying emergent litter invertebrate community increased in semi-aquatic species and very hypoxic-tolerant taxa. Anoxia was present at high litter treatments, while moderate and low litter treatments showed prolonged hypoxia. Lemnid densities were much lower in the high litter treatment. Results from this study suggest that community shifts can be related to three habitats: 1) an edge habitat with low litter, less hypoxia, and submersed and floating vegetation, 2) an interior habitat with low litter, more hypoxia, and submersed and floating vegetation, and 3) an interior habitat with high litter, constant hypoxia, and no floating vegetation.