Research Report: Enhancing native plant habitat in a restored salt marsh on Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Wheeler J, Thiet RK, Smith SM. 2013. Research Report: Enhancing native plant habitat in a restored salt marsh on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Park Science. 29(2):42-48
The tidal restoration of Hatches Harbor, a 100-acre (41 ha) salt marsh in Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, has resulted in substantial native halophyte (salt-tolerant taxa) reestablishment in portions of the marsh. However, extensive stands of the invasive Phragmites australiss still occupy a large area of the marsh. These stands present a physical barrier to the dispersal and establishment of seeds from the adjacent, recovering salt marsh. The goal of this study was to evaluate the establishment success of native halophytes in response to manual cutting of Phragmitess growth in Phragmitess-dominated areas of Hatches Harbor where halophyte reestablishment has been poor. We measured species composition, abundance, and diversity in one hundred 10.76 ft² (1.00 m2 ) plots at Hatches Harbor over two growing seasons in 2008 and 2009. Very few halophytes naturally grew within dense stands of untreated Phragmitess, whereas halophyte abundance and diversity were signifi cantly greater in plots where Phragmitess was mechanically removed. Thus, mechanical removal of Phragmites improves conditions for halophyte establishment, presumably by reducing barriers to seed dispersal and through increased light exposure.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Wheeler, Jesse; Thiet, Rachel; Smith, Stephen
- Units
- CACO
- Keywords
- Cape Cod National Seashore, halophyte, phragmites, salt-marsh restoration, Spartina