Effect Of Wrack Accumulation On Salt Marsh
Vegetation, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge,
New York City, New York
Author(s)
R. Stalter, A. Jung & M. D. Byer
Abstract
In April 2004, five arrays in different types of salt marsh vegetation were
covered with 15-20cm of wrack secured in place, in an attempt to duplicate the
natural deposition of wrack on the marsh by tides and storms, and to quantify
and extend anecdotal observations and the results of previous studies. A control
plot in each array was left uncovered; another plot was covered with only 2-3cm.
The wrack was removed from one plot in each array at one, two, four, and six
month intervals. Up to two months of wrack coverage appeared to have little
effect on either density or standing crop (recorded six months after initial
coverage) of the principal marsh species, Spartina alterniflora, S. patens,
Distichlis spicata, Juncus gerardii, and marsh margin Phragmites australis.
Except for Phragmites, however, these species appeared to be strongly inhibited
after four months of continual coverage, and killed or extremely inhibited after
six months. Wrack 2-3cm thick (never removed) appeared to inhibit the
aforementioned species after six months, but not as much as the 15-20cm wrack
mat. These results are fairly consistent with those of an earlier study that
focused on Spartina alterniflora only, except that two months’ coverage seemed
sufficient to kill back most of the S. alterniflora in that study. Phragmites’
apparent resistance to wrack cover can be explained by the considerable energy
reserves of its large rhizomes and the ability of its awl-like shoots to penetrate a
thick wrack mat. Future studies should focus on recovery of the vegetation once
the wrack has been removed, and on chemical changes in the soil caused by the
decaying wrack, which may in turn affect the future course of vegetation
development.
Keywords: salt marsh, wrack, Jamaica Bay, wildlife refuge, New York.
Keywords
salt marsh, wrack, Jamaica Bay, wildlife refuge, New York.
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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