Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1172492 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Volume | 10 |
| Publication status | Published - 30 May 2023 |
Abstract
Salt marshes play an important role in coastal protection by reducing the impact of waves and shoreline erosion risks. While mature vegetation is responsible for the persistence and stability of marsh ecosystems, seedling survival of pioneer species is especially crucial for marsh propagation. Marsh seedlings, however, may be threatened by climate change induced increased coastal storm surge intensity and accompanying (extreme) wave conditions, imposing stronger drag forces on marsh seedlings. We test the hypothesis that drag forces experienced by seedlings increase with horizontal orbital velocity (Uw) in a species-specific manner, and that the drag forces experienced are individual-plant trait-mediated. To test our hypotheses, seedlings of four contrasting pioneer marsh species (Bolboschoenus maritimus, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, Spartina anglica, and Puccinellia maritima) were exposed to storm wave conditions in a flume, where Uw and experienced drag forces were measured. Linear mixed effect models demonstrated that seedling’s susceptibility to storm wave conditions is at least partly mediated by individual plant traits. Drag forces experienced by seedlings tended to increase with Uw, and with stem length and diameter. The interplay of both traits was complex, with increasing stem length being the most important trait accounting for increases in drag forces experienced at low to moderate Uw, while the stem diameter became more important with increasing Uw. Furthermore, experienced drag forces appeared to be affected by species-specific traits such as rigidity and leaf growth, being highest for Bolboschoenus maritimus and lowest for Puccinellia maritima. Our results provide important mechanistic insights into the drivers of tidal marsh seedling vulnerability to storm wave conditions due to experienced drag, both based on the traits of individual plants and species-specific ones. This type of knowledge is of key importance when modelling saltmarsh establishment and resilience under climate change.
Keywords
- drag forces, flume experiment, plant traits, seedlings, tidal marshes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Oceanography
- Environmental Science(all)
- Global and Planetary Change
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Aquatic Science
- Environmental Science(all)
- Water Science and Technology
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
- Engineering(all)
- Ocean Engineering
Sustainable Development Goals
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol. 10, 1172492, 30.05.2023.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Plant trait-mediated drag forces on seedlings of four tidal marsh pioneer species
AU - Steinigeweg, Charlotte S.
AU - Löbel, Swantje
AU - Schröder, Boris
AU - Schoutens, Ken
AU - Reents, Svenja
AU - Evans, Ben R.
AU - Temmerman, Stijn
AU - Bouma, Tjeerd J.
AU - Möller, Iris
AU - Paul, Maike
N1 - Funding Information: The work described in this study was supported by the European Community’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme through the grant to HYDRALAB-PLUS (grant no. 654110). CSS is funded by the Ministry for Science and Culture of Lower Saxony and the Volkswagen-Foundation Niedersächsiches Vorab through Gute Küste Niedersachsen (grant no. ZN3722). Acknowledgments
PY - 2023/5/30
Y1 - 2023/5/30
N2 - Salt marshes play an important role in coastal protection by reducing the impact of waves and shoreline erosion risks. While mature vegetation is responsible for the persistence and stability of marsh ecosystems, seedling survival of pioneer species is especially crucial for marsh propagation. Marsh seedlings, however, may be threatened by climate change induced increased coastal storm surge intensity and accompanying (extreme) wave conditions, imposing stronger drag forces on marsh seedlings. We test the hypothesis that drag forces experienced by seedlings increase with horizontal orbital velocity (Uw) in a species-specific manner, and that the drag forces experienced are individual-plant trait-mediated. To test our hypotheses, seedlings of four contrasting pioneer marsh species (Bolboschoenus maritimus, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, Spartina anglica, and Puccinellia maritima) were exposed to storm wave conditions in a flume, where Uw and experienced drag forces were measured. Linear mixed effect models demonstrated that seedling’s susceptibility to storm wave conditions is at least partly mediated by individual plant traits. Drag forces experienced by seedlings tended to increase with Uw, and with stem length and diameter. The interplay of both traits was complex, with increasing stem length being the most important trait accounting for increases in drag forces experienced at low to moderate Uw, while the stem diameter became more important with increasing Uw. Furthermore, experienced drag forces appeared to be affected by species-specific traits such as rigidity and leaf growth, being highest for Bolboschoenus maritimus and lowest for Puccinellia maritima. Our results provide important mechanistic insights into the drivers of tidal marsh seedling vulnerability to storm wave conditions due to experienced drag, both based on the traits of individual plants and species-specific ones. This type of knowledge is of key importance when modelling saltmarsh establishment and resilience under climate change.
AB - Salt marshes play an important role in coastal protection by reducing the impact of waves and shoreline erosion risks. While mature vegetation is responsible for the persistence and stability of marsh ecosystems, seedling survival of pioneer species is especially crucial for marsh propagation. Marsh seedlings, however, may be threatened by climate change induced increased coastal storm surge intensity and accompanying (extreme) wave conditions, imposing stronger drag forces on marsh seedlings. We test the hypothesis that drag forces experienced by seedlings increase with horizontal orbital velocity (Uw) in a species-specific manner, and that the drag forces experienced are individual-plant trait-mediated. To test our hypotheses, seedlings of four contrasting pioneer marsh species (Bolboschoenus maritimus, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, Spartina anglica, and Puccinellia maritima) were exposed to storm wave conditions in a flume, where Uw and experienced drag forces were measured. Linear mixed effect models demonstrated that seedling’s susceptibility to storm wave conditions is at least partly mediated by individual plant traits. Drag forces experienced by seedlings tended to increase with Uw, and with stem length and diameter. The interplay of both traits was complex, with increasing stem length being the most important trait accounting for increases in drag forces experienced at low to moderate Uw, while the stem diameter became more important with increasing Uw. Furthermore, experienced drag forces appeared to be affected by species-specific traits such as rigidity and leaf growth, being highest for Bolboschoenus maritimus and lowest for Puccinellia maritima. Our results provide important mechanistic insights into the drivers of tidal marsh seedling vulnerability to storm wave conditions due to experienced drag, both based on the traits of individual plants and species-specific ones. This type of knowledge is of key importance when modelling saltmarsh establishment and resilience under climate change.
KW - drag forces
KW - flume experiment
KW - plant traits
KW - seedlings
KW - tidal marshes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85162026679&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fmars.2023.1172492
DO - 10.3389/fmars.2023.1172492
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85162026679
VL - 10
JO - Frontiers in Marine Science
JF - Frontiers in Marine Science
SN - 2296-7745
M1 - 1172492
ER -