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Wetland Response to Climate Change

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2022) | Viewed by 11287

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Fisheries Biology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, USA (retired)
Interests: wetland ecology; aquatic invertebrates; fishes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wetlands provide multiple ecosystem services to human societies. They function to protect coastal communities from storm related flooding and erosion, improve water quality, support biological diversity, and enhance productivity within watersheds. It is widely understood that ecosystem services provided by wetlands contribute to the integrity of ecosystems and benefit human populations, as well as contributing many other benefits.

The probable responses by wetlands to climate change, either human induced or natural, are rapidly becoming a cause for concern. Understanding the response of wetlands to climate change and myriad human activities around the globe would assist in managing existing wetlands and restoring degraded ones.

The purpose of this issue of Water is to serve as an outlet for information on the ecology and protection of  wetlands, as well as how climate change impacts may be mitigated. This issue of Water will differ from much of the current literature by encouraging contributions from a diverse authorship, thereby providing a global view of the topic.

Prof. Dr. Walter G. Duffy
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • wetlands
  • ecology
  • climate change
  • drought
  • flooding
  • coastal processes
  • ecosystem services

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3378 KiB  
Article
Hydrology and Nutrient Dynamics in Managed Restored Wetlands of California’s Central Valley, USA
by Sharon N. Kahara, Buddhika D. Madurapperuma, Breana K. Hernandez, Luke Scaroni and Eric Hopson
Water 2022, 14(21), 3574; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213574 - 7 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2331
Abstract
Extensive wetland losses in California’s Central Valley have led to significant reductions in their natural functions, such as nutrient removal. Past studies suggest that individual wetland restoration efforts in the region yield mixed results mainly due to differences in management practices and degree [...] Read more.
Extensive wetland losses in California’s Central Valley have led to significant reductions in their natural functions, such as nutrient removal. Past studies suggest that individual wetland restoration efforts in the region yield mixed results mainly due to differences in management practices and degree of access to limited water resources, yet few studies have examined their hydrology or nutrient dynamics with any detail. Our objective was to explore nutrient reduction across a range of hydrological regimes. We recorded hydroperiods and nutrient concentrations of the received and discharged applied water at 21 managed wetlands on national wildlife refuges and private lands over 6 years from 2015 to 2020. Water depths at 18 of these wetlands were monitored continuously for over 400 days. Climatic variation over the observation period included exceptional drought, above-average flooding and relatively stable water conditions. Privately managed wetlands retained water for longer durations of time, but at shallower depths than seasonal wetlands in wildlife refuges. An assessment of nutrient concentrations at inflows relative to outflows was inconclusive and varied among years. However, assessment of nutrient loads indicated consistent retention of ammonium and nitrates across all management types, locations and time periods. Multivariate analysis indicated that climate and location played a role in influencing nutrient concentrations among wetlands. In conclusion, restored wetlands in the central valley provide ecosystem service functions such as removing nutrients from ambient water and provide unique habitats for waterfowls with the presence of seasonal flood and drain management practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetland Response to Climate Change)
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Review

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20 pages, 2394 KiB  
Review
Climate and Land Use Driven Ecosystem Homogenization in the Prairie Pothole Region
by Kyle McLean, David Mushet and Jon Sweetman
Water 2022, 14(19), 3106; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14193106 - 2 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3135
Abstract
The homogenization of freshwater ecosystems and their biological communities has emerged as a prevalent and concerning phenomenon because of the loss of ecosystem multifunctionality. The millions of prairie-pothole wetlands scattered across the Prairie Pothole Region (hereafter PPR) provide critical ecosystem functions at local, [...] Read more.
The homogenization of freshwater ecosystems and their biological communities has emerged as a prevalent and concerning phenomenon because of the loss of ecosystem multifunctionality. The millions of prairie-pothole wetlands scattered across the Prairie Pothole Region (hereafter PPR) provide critical ecosystem functions at local, regional, and continental scales. However, an estimated loss of 50% of historical wetlands and the widespread conversion of grasslands to cropland make the PPR a heavily modified landscape. Therefore, it is essential to understand the current and potential future stressors affecting prairie-pothole wetland ecosystems in order to conserve and restore their functions. Here, we describe a conceptual model that illustrates how (a) historical wetland losses, (b) anthropogenic landscape modifications, and (c) climate change interact and have altered the variability among remaining depressional wetland ecosystems (i.e., ecosystem homogenization) in the PPR. We reviewed the existing literature to provide examples of wetland ecosystem homogenization, provide implications for wetland management, and identify informational gaps that require further study. We found evidence for spatial, hydrological, chemical, and biological homogenization of prairie-pothole wetlands. Our findings indicate that the maintenance of wetland ecosystem multifunctionality is dependent on the preservation and restoration of heterogenous wetland complexes, especially the restoration of small wetland basins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetland Response to Climate Change)
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18 pages, 2989 KiB  
Review
Potential Use of Aquatic Vascular Plants to Control Cyanobacterial Blooms: A Review
by Inna Nezbrytska, Oleg Usenko, Igor Konovets, Tetiana Leontieva, Igor Abramiuk, Mariia Goncharova and Olena Bilous
Water 2022, 14(11), 1727; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14111727 - 27 May 2022
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5301
Abstract
Intense “blooming” of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) caused by eutrophication and climate change poses a serious threat to freshwater ecosystems and drinking water safety. Preventing the proliferation of cyanobacteria and reducing water nutrient load is a priority for the restoration of eutrophic water bodies. [...] Read more.
Intense “blooming” of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) caused by eutrophication and climate change poses a serious threat to freshwater ecosystems and drinking water safety. Preventing the proliferation of cyanobacteria and reducing water nutrient load is a priority for the restoration of eutrophic water bodies. Aquatic plants play an important role in the function and structure of aquatic ecosystems, affecting the physiochemistry of the water and bottom sediments, primary production, and biotic interactions that support a balanced ecosystem. This review examines the inhibitory effect of aquatic vascular plants on harmful blooms of cyanobacteria. Aquatic plants are able to successfully inhibit the growth of cyanobacteria through various mechanisms, including by reducing nutrient and light availability, creating favorable conditions for the development of herbivorous zooplankton, and releasing allelopathic active substances (allelochemicals) with algicidal effect. Allelopathy is species-specific and therefore acts as one of the key mechanisms by which the development of cyanobacterial populations in aquatic ecosystems is regulated. However, allelopathic activity of aquatic vascular plants depends on various factors (species characteristics of aquatic plants, area, and density of overgrowth of water bodies, physiochemical properties of allelopathically active substances, hydrological and hydrochemical regimes, temperature, light intensity, etc.), which may regulate the impact of allelochemicals on algal communities. The paper also discusses some problematic aspects of using fast-growing species of aquatic vascular plants to control cyanobacterial blooms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetland Response to Climate Change)
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