Algal-Induced Biogeomorphic Feedbacks Lay the Groundwork for Coastal Wetland Development

Ecosystem establishment under adverse geophysical conditions is often studied within the “windows of opportunity” framework, identifying disturbance-free periods (e.g., calm wave climate) where species can overcome establishment thresholds. However, the role of biogeophysical interactions in this framework is less well understood. The establishment of saltmarsh vegetation on tidal flats, for example, is limited by abiotic factors such as hydrodynamics, sediment stability and drainage. On tidal flats, raised sediment ridges colonized by algal mats (Vaucheria sp.) appear to accomodate high densities of plant seedlings. Such ridges were previously found to have higher sediment strength than substratum without algae. Here, we investigate whether these measurements can be explained by geophysical factors only, or that biological (Vaucheria-induced) processes influence tidal marsh establishment by forming stabilized bedforms. We performed two experiments under controlled mesocosm conditions, to test the hypotheses that (a) Vaucheria grows better on elevated topographic relief, that (b) the binding force of their algal filaments increases sediment strength, and that (c) Vaucheria consequently creates elevated topographic relief that further facilitates algal growth. Our experimental results confirm the existence of this algal-induced biogeomorphic feedback cycle. These findings imply that benthic algae like Vaucheria may contribute significantly to tidal marsh formation by creating elevated and stabilized substratum. This suggests biogeophysical feedbacks can “widen” the windows of opportunity for further ecosystem establishment. Our results could be useful for the design of managed realignment projects aimed at restoring the unique ecosystem services of coastal wetlands, such as habitat biodiversity, carbon sequestration potential and nature-based flood defense

Elevated micro-topography boosts growth rates in <i>Salicornia procumbens</i> by amplifying a tidally driven oxygen pump:Implications for natural recruitment and restoration

• Background and Aims: The growth rate of pioneer species is known to be a critical component determining recruitment success of marsh seedlings on tidal flats. By accelerating growth, recruits can reach a larger size at an earlier date, which reduces the length of the disturbance-free window required for successful establishment. Therefore, the pursuit of natural mechanisms that accelerate growth rates at a local scale may lead to a better understanding of the circumstances under which new establishment occurs, and may suggest new insights with which to perform restoration. This study explores how and why changes in local sediment elevation modify the growth rate of recruiting salt marsh pioneers. • Methods: A mesocosm experiment was designed in which the annual salt marsh pioneer Salicornia procumbens was grown over a series of raised, flat and lowered sediment surfaces, under a variety of tidal inundation regimes and in vertically draining or un-draining sediment. Additional physical tests quantified the effects of these treatments on sediment water-logging and oxygen dynamics, including the use of a planar optode experiment. • Key Results: In this study, the elevation of sediment micro-topography by 2 cm was the overwhelming driver of plant growth rates. Seedlings grew on average 25 % faster on raised surfaces, which represented a significant increase when compared to other groups. Changes in growth aligned well with the amplifying effect of raised sediment beds on a tidally episodic oxygenation process wherein sediment pore spaces were refreshed by oxygen-rich water at the onset of high tide. • Conclusions: Overall, the present study suggests this tidally driven oxygen pump as an explanation for commonly observed natural patterns in salt marsh recruitment near drainage channels and atop raised sediment mounds and reveals a promising way forward to promote the establishment of pioneers in the field

Establishing cordgrass plants cluster their shoots to avoid ecosystem engineering

Vegetated coastal ecosystems such as salt marshes, dunes and seagrass meadows occur at the land–sea interface—a dynamic environment typified by harsh growing conditions. These ecosystems are known as biogeomorphic landscapes because their functioning depends on biophysical interactions by which organisms engineer landforms to their own benefit. The strength of such biogeomorphic feedbacks depends on plant traits, such as stem flexibility and shoot density. Recent work demonstrated that dune grasses with similar morphological traits can build contrasting landscapes due to differences in their spatial shoot organization. However, in contrast to dune grasses that trap and stabilize sand particles in aeolian landscapes, flow attenuation in aquatic environments can generate scouring around plant stems and cause uprooting, leading to establishment thresholds for young plants. Yet, it remains unknown how findings from aeolian landscapes translate to aquatic systems and how young clonally expanding plants in hydrodynamically exposed conditions overcome these establishment thresholds by optimizing shoot placement. Here, we measured shoot patterns of 90 establishing cordgrass patches Spartina anglica at 18 European field sites that cover a broad range of hydrodynamic conditions. Next, we carried out a field experiment to investigate how observed spatial shoot patterns affect plant–sediment feedbacks. Surprisingly, field survey analyses reveal highly consistent clustered shoot patterns, regardless of environmental conditions. Experimental results demonstrate that this clustered pattern minimizes scouring compared to densely clumped organizations typically observed in established patches. Synthesis. In contrast to earlier findings highlighting that establishing dune grasses optimize their landscape engineering capacity via a flexible shoot placement strategy, we find that cordgrass instead follows a fixed strategy that minimizes engineering effects in its early life stages. We suggest that marsh grasses avoid physical stress and associated establishment thresholds in their early life stage, and switch to an ecosystem engineering strategy once established. These findings shed new light on how plant traits interact with their environment to shape the landscape and pave the way for improved restoration designs by mimicking the natural shoot organization of establishing vegetation. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.</p

Effects of Natural Resources Wealth on Political Participation and Political Outcome

The emergence of natural resources wealth in the United States has sparked intensive debates between the two political parties, Democratic and Republican, on their stance in support of the industry. As actions, taken by party or candidate in power, have impact on the regulations revolving the management of natural resources in the region, it is hypothesized that the significance of the industry within a county plays a role in influencing the county’s voting behavior in national and local elections. Recent studies have also found respectively that (1) the energy boom and increased drilling activities drive economic growth in local counties and (2) economic conditions influence election outcomes by holding the incumbent responsible for economic performance. The two findings suggest that the wealth and management of natural resources could contribute toward incumbency advantage. In examination of the industry’s influence in shaping voting behavior, the present study showed that oil and gas production in the industry are significant factors in increasing the Republican Party vote share, which aligns with the party’s supportive rhetoric of the industry. In the second part of the study, relationship between the two past findings are tested and it is found that oil and gas production remain as important factors in deciding the incumbent’s vote share in elections. It is also found that natural resources employment strongly contributes towards incumbency advantage

Drought, mutualism breakdown, and landscape-scale degradation of seagrass beds

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Religion and Self: Notions from a Cultural Psychological Perspective

After a brief introduction of a cultural psychological perspective, this paper turns to the concept of self. The paper proposes to conceive of that reality to which the concepts of self refer as a narrative, employing especially autobiographies and other ego-documents in empirical exploration. After discussing some psychological theories about “self,” the paper points out that they may well be applied in research on personal religiosity

Vegetation recovery in tidal marshes reveals critical slowing down under increased inundation

A declining rate of recovery following disturbance has been proposed as an important early warning for impending tipping points in complex systems. Despite extensive theoretical and laboratory studies, this \u27critical slowing down\u27 remains largely untested in the complex settings of real-world ecosystems. Here, we provide both observational and experimental support of critical slowing down along natural stress gradients in tidal marsh ecosystems. Time series of aerial images of European marsh development reveal a consistent lengthening of recovery time as inundation stress increases. We corroborate this finding with transplantation experiments in European and North American tidal marshes. In particular, our results emphasize the power of direct observational or experimental measures of recovery over indirect statistical signatures, such as spatial variance or autocorrelation. Our results indicate that the phenomenon of critical slowing down can provide a powerful tool to probe the resilience of natural ecosystems