Article
Environmental Sciences
Duncan Rayner, William Glamore, Lisa Grandquist, Jamie Ruprecht, Katrina Waddington, Danial Khojasteh
Summary: Intertidal wetlands can adapt to sea level rise through lateral upslope retreat, sediment accumulation, and organic accretion, but future rates of SLR may require increased sediment capture to maintain wetland species composition. Using eco-hydraulic calculations and hydrodynamic models, it was found that current SLR rates are manageable, but accelerated SLR could lead to significant shifts in species composition and increased open water coverage.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Forrest E. Dierberg, Thomas A. DeBusk, Michelle D. Kharbanda, Janelle A. Potts, Kevin A. Grace, Mike J. Jerauld, Delia B. Ivanoff
Summary: The research indicates that phosphorus retention mechanisms in large-scale SAV wetlands can operate sustainably under stable conditions, with soil P enrichment primarily occurring through accumulation of new sedimentary material rather than enrichment of existing soil.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nathaniel B. Weston, Elise Rodriguez, Brian Donnelly, Elena Solohin, Kristen Jezycki, Sandra Demberger, Lori A. Sutter, James T. Morris, Scott C. Neubauer, Christopher B. Craft
Summary: The stability of coastal wetlands is influenced by sea level, plant primary production, sediment supply, and wetland vertical accretion. Human activities have impacted sediment delivery to coastal areas along the U.S East Coast. Wetlands in areas with low sediment supply may struggle to keep pace with rising sea levels. This study shows that the vertical accretion and carbon accumulation in tidal wetlands along the U.S East Coast can be explained by relative sea level rise, sediment concentration in rivers, and coastal temperature.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Siya Shao, Jianghua Wu, Hongxing He, Nigel Roulet
Summary: This paper discusses how modifications were made to ecosystem-scale peatland models to better simulate the response of peat carbon to a changing environment. By tracking the decrease in peat quality and controlling microbial processes, the model was able to successfully replicate ecosystem-level CO2 and DOC fluxes in peatlands.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jared L. Wilmoth, Jeffra K. Schaefer, Danielle R. Schlesinger, Spencer W. Roth, Patrick G. Hatcher, Julie K. Shoemaker, Xinning Zhang
Summary: Research has shown that exposure of peat to oxygen can significantly increase methane production in subsequent anoxic conditions, with yields up to 2000 times higher compared to peat without oxygen exposure. Furthermore, specific functional shifts in the peat microbiome underlie the enhancement of methane production by oxygen in acidic, Sphagnum-rich wetland soils.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dan Cao, Jiahua Zhang, Tian Zhang, Fengmei Yao, Renxin Ji, Shuanjin Zi, Hong Li, QuanYing Cheng
Summary: Understanding the gap between potential and actual vegetation productivity is crucial for identifying improvement opportunities and constraints. This study used a modeling approach to simulate potential net primary productivity (PNPP) and analyzed the factors influencing the vegetation productivity gap (VPG). Results showed a decreasing trend in VPG, with climate change and CO2 levels being major drivers. The findings provide insights into how future climate scenarios may impact vegetation productivity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yan Ding, Dongqi Wang, Guanghui Zhao, Shu Chen, Taihu Sun, Hechen Sun, Chenyang Wu, Yizhe Li, Zhongjie Yu, Yu Li, Zhenlou Chen
Summary: Plant litter input is a crucial factor in the turnover of soil/sediment organic carbon (SOC). This study investigated the effects of leaf litter and stem litter input on SOC dynamics using the 13C isotope technique. It was found that both leaf and stem litter input facilitated SOC accumulation, with leaf litter having a higher contribution. However, leaf litter input also promoted SOC mineralization more than stem litter input. Overall, litter input led to a net increase in SOC accumulation but accelerated the loss of native SOC.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Siyu Wei, Xiaojing Chu, Baoyu Sun, Wenping Yuan, Weimin Song, Mingliang Zhao, Xiaojie Wang, Peiguang Li, Guangxuan Han
Summary: This study investigates the impacts of climate warming on plant water-use efficiency (PWUE) in wetland ecosystems. By using a 10-year eddy covariance dataset, a 15-year satellite-based dataset, and an in situ warming experiment, the study reveals that rising temperatures decrease wetland PWUE primarily through increased transpiration. The analysis at the leaf-scale further demonstrates that wetland plants require more water during photosynthesis under warmer conditions.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cheng Zhang, Haobei Zhen, Shanghong Zhang, Caihong Tang
Summary: This study estimated the trends of marsh wetland vegetation NPP in China from 2005 to 2015 and analyzed the driving factors. The results showed an increasing trend in marsh wetland vegetation NPP during this period, with Gramineous vegetation contributing the most. The study also revealed a positive impact of precipitation and temperature on the Chinese marsh wetland vegetation NPP.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yongxing Ren, Dehua Mao, Zongming Wang, Zicheng Yu, Xiaofeng Xu, Yanan Huang, Yanbiao Xi, Ling Luo, Mingming Jia, Kaishan Song, Xiaoyan Li
Summary: This study used machine learning methods to estimate the organic carbon storage in wetlands in China and investigated its changes over time. The results showed that the decrease in wetland area and climate change led to a decrease in organic carbon storage. The estimates provide important insights into the future changes in wetland carbon storage.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Melissa M. Baustian, Camille L. Stagg, Carey L. Perry, Leland C. Moss, Tim J. B. Carruthers
Summary: Coastal marshes in Louisiana play a significant role in soil carbon accumulation and burial, affecting the global carbon budget. Saline marshes have lower total carbon density and accumulation rates compared to other marsh habitats. The total carbon burial rate in Louisiana in 2013 was estimated at 4.3 Tg TC yr(-1), with a potential significant impact on the global carbon budget if wetland loss continues.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Hao Tang, Susanne Liebner, Svenja Reents, Stefanie Nolte, Kai Jensen, Fabian Horn, Peter Mueller
Summary: The study found that different plant genotypes can impact the effects of flooding on soil microbial community structure, as well as soil microbial activity and litter breakdown processes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shokoufeh Salimi, Miklas Scholz
Summary: Water purification is essential to wetlands, but climate change may have varying effects on peatlands and constructed wetlands. Warmer conditions could lead to different responses in terms of water quality, with constructed wetlands benefiting from a higher purification function under extreme climate scenarios while peatlands may deteriorate.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Wendi Qu, Guangxuan Han, Jian Wang, Juanyong Li, Mingliang Zhao, Wenjun He, Xinge Li, Siyu Wei
Summary: Soil moisture significantly influences SOC decomposition in coastal wetlands, with higher decomposition rates observed under moist and flooding conditions compared to drought. Changes in soil microbial biomass and soil environment play key roles in affecting SOC decomposition in response to soil moisture levels.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Caitlin M. Broderick, Kate Wilkins, Melinda D. Smith, John M. Blair
Summary: Climate legacies have significant impacts on carbon cycling in tallgrass prairie, affecting C fluxes and soil C pools. However, the persistence and sensitivity of these legacies vary with different climate treatments.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alexander J. Smith, Genevieve L. Noyce, James Patrick Megonigal, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Matthew L. Kirwan
Summary: Coastal marshes are important carbon dense ecosystems that are both maintained and threatened by sea-level rise. This study found that moderate temperature increases can maximize root growth, marsh elevation gain, and belowground carbon accumulation. However, higher temperatures were associated with marsh elevation loss and increased carbon mineralization, suggesting potential risks of marsh drowning.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Paul Dijkstra, Ayla Martinez, Scott C. Thomas, Cale O. Seymour, Weichao Wu, Michaela A. Dippold, J. Patrick Megonigal, Egbert Schwartz, Bruce A. Hungate
Summary: Biochemistry plays an important role in soil ecology, especially in analyzing soil carbon cycling. The complexity of biochemistry is not limited to the microscopic world but also permeates the world of ecosystem processes. Research shows that the metabolic pathways of glucose in soils can vary, but the glucose use efficiency remains high. However, there are limitations in our current understanding of substrate use efficiency, and further research is needed to improve our understanding of microbial ecophysiology and substrate use processes.
Article
Soil Science
A. M. Hopple, S. C. Pennington, J. P. Megonigal, V. Bailey, B. Bond-Lamberty
Summary: This experiment investigated the effects of changing salinity and inundation disturbance regimes on soil respiration and chemistry in coastal forests using a natural salinity gradient in a tidal creek. The results showed that disturbance legacies shape the responses of coastal forest soil to changing salinity and inundation disturbance regimes.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chunwu Zhu, J. Adam Langley, Lewis H. Ziska, Donald R. Cahoon, J. Patrick Megonigal
Summary: Accelerating relative sea-level rise (RSLR) is threatening coastal wetlands, but rising CO2 concentrations may counterbalance this by stimulating carbon sequestration and vertical accretion. However, a study found that gradually rising ambient CO2 concentration did not increase plant production, and elevated CO2 only stimulated production for the first two decades. The decline in stimulation coincided with increases in relative sea level above a threshold that hindered root productivity. While elevated CO2 can moderate the negative impacts of RSLR on tidal wetland productivity, its benefits for coastal wetland resilience will diminish as RSLR rates accelerate.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Nate G. McDowell, Marilyn Ball, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Matthew L. Kirwan, Ken W. Krauss, J. Patrick Megonigal, Maurizio Mencuccini, Nicholas D. Ward, Michael N. Weintraub, Vanessa Bailey
Summary: Observations of woody plant mortality in coastal ecosystems are common worldwide, but the processes and mechanisms underlying these deaths are not well understood. This lack of knowledge, combined with changing water levels and climatic factors, creates uncertainty in predicting how coastal ecosystems will respond to global change. This study synthesizes existing research to propose a hypothesis framework for understanding the mechanisms driving coastal woody plant mortality.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Genevieve L. L. Noyce, Alexander J. J. Smith, Matthew L. L. Kirwan, Roy L. L. Rich, J. Patrick Megonigal
Summary: In a four-year field manipulation study in a coastal wetland, researchers found that elevated CO2 combined with warming reduced the rate of carbon accumulation due to increased plant-mediated oxygen flux and subsequent aerobic decomposition. Surprisingly, the combination of elevated CO2 and warming also reduced net methane emissions. These findings highlight the importance of plant traits in mediating ecosystem responses to interacting facets of global change.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. L. Vahsen, M. J. Blum, J. P. Megonigal, S. J. Emrich, J. R. Holmquist, B. Stiller, K. E. O. Todd-Brown, J. S. McLachlan
Summary: This study reveals the importance of rapid evolution in forecasting ecosystem dynamics. By incorporating heritable trait variation and evolution into models, predictions of coastal wetland ecosystems were altered, emphasizing the significance of accounting for evolutionary processes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. M. Hopple, K. O. Doro, V. L. Bailey, B. Bond-Lamberty, N. McDowell, K. A. Morris, A. Myers-Pigg, S. C. Pennington, P. Regier, R. Rich, A. Sengupta, R. Smith, J. Stegen, N. D. Ward, S. C. Woodard, J. P. Megonigal
Summary: Coastal upland forests are experiencing widespread mortality due to sea-level rise and changes in precipitation and storm regimes. The loss of these forests has significant implications for the coastal carbon cycle, but predicting the likelihood of mortality is challenging. The TEMPEST experiment addresses this by studying the effects of freshwater and estuarine-water disturbance events on tree function, species composition, and ecosystem processes in a deciduous coastal forest in Maryland, USA.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thomas J. Mozdzer, Justin Meschter, Andrew H. Baldwin, Joshua S. Caplan, J. Patrick Megonigal
Summary: Phragmites australis, an invasive species in North American wetlands, has a high demand for nitrogen compared to native species. This study investigated how P. australis meets its nitrogen demand, particularly in systems with low soil nitrogen and limited nitrogen inputs. The research demonstrated that deep rooting allows P. australis to access unused nitrogen pools, satisfying its high nitrogen demand and fueling its invasion. These findings also challenge our understanding of biogeochemical processes in the soil profile.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2023)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Peter Mueller, Thomas J. Mozdzer, J. Adam Langley, Lillian R. Aoki, Genevieve L. Noyce, J. Patrick Megonigal
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Matthew L. L. Kirwan, J. Patrick Megonigal, Genevieve L. L. Noyce, Alexander J. J. Smith
Summary: Climate change is causing significant changes in the coastal zone, with carbon-rich ecosystems undergoing migration, growth, and submergence. This review analyzes the processes influencing soil carbon accumulation and greenhouse gas emissions, which determine the radiative forcing and size of the coastal carbon sink. Sea level rise can enhance soil carbon accumulation, but it also leads to ecosystem transitions and the loss of existing carbon pools. This study emphasizes the need for further research on the connectivity of carbon between ecosystems and the effects of ecosystem transitions on carbon accumulation and emissions in the coastal landscape.
NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Junyan Ding, Nate McDowell, Yilin Fang, Nicholas Ward, Matthew L. Kirwan, Peter Regier, Patrick Megonigal, Peipei Zhang, Hongxia Zhang, Wenzhi Wang, Weibin Li, Stephanie C. Pennington, Stephanie J. Wilson, Alice Stearns, Vanessa Bailey
Summary: Relative sea level rise is causing the formation of ghost forests, leading to impacts on coastal ecosystems. By incorporating physiological effects of salinity and hypoxia into a vegetation model, researchers have explored the mechanisms of conifer tree mortality on the east and west coasts of the USA. Different patterns of mortality were observed, with carbon starvation dominating on the east coast and hydraulic failure dominating on the west coast due to different forms of seawater exposure.
Article
Plant Sciences
Megan L. Vahsen, Helena S. Kleiner, Haley Kodak, Jennifer L. Summers, Wendy L. Vahsen, Michael J. Blum, J. Patrick Megonigal, Jason S. McLachlan
Summary: Predicting the fate of coastal marshes requires understanding how plants respond to rapid environmental change. Less is known about the potential for responses to reflect the evolution of trait plasticity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. M. Hopple, S. C. Pennington, J. P. Megonigal, V. Bailey, B. Bond-Lamberty
Summary: This study found that upland forest soils are major sources of atmospheric CO2 and sinks for CH4, but the understanding of the contributions of root and microbial processes, as well as their separate responses to environmental change, is limited. The research conducted in a temperate forest in Maryland, USA, showed that root and rhizosphere processes significantly influenced soil CO2 and CH4 flux, with the dependence on soil temperature and water content affecting seasonal dynamics. Episodic moisture change suppressed soil heterotrophs and affected CO2 and CH4 flux responses, while root respiration was not impacted. Methane uptake was strongly influenced by episodic inundation, emphasizing the importance of soil moisture in short-term control. However, temperature and water content were weak predictors of CH4 uptake at a seasonal scale. Long-term CH4 consumption may be determined by factors such as vegetation, nutrients, and microbial communities. This study highlights the different responses of root and microbial sources to seasonal and episodic environmental change.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tania L. Maxwell, Andre S. Rovai, Maria Fernanda Adame, Janine B. Adams, Jose Alvarez-Rogel, William E. N. Austin, Kim Beasy, Francesco Boscutti, Michael E. Boettcher, Tjeerd J. Bouma, Richard H. Bulmer, Annette Burden, Shannon A. Burke, Saritta Camacho, Doongar R. Chaudhary, Gail L. Chmura, Margareth Copertino, Grace M. Cott, Christopher Craft, John Day, Carmen B. de los Santos, Lionel Denis, Weixin Ding, Joanna C. Ellison, Carolyn J. Ewers Lewis, Luise Giani, Maria Gispert, Swanne Gontharet, Jose A. Gonzalez-Perez, M. Nazaret Gonzalez-Alcaraz, Connor Gorham, Anna Elizabeth L. Graversen, Anthony Grey, Roberta Guerra, Qiang He, James R. Holmquist, Alice R. Jones, Jose A. Juanes, Brian P. Kelleher, Karen E. Kohfeld, Dorte Krause-Jensen, Anna Lafratta, Paul S. Lavery, Edward A. Laws, Carmen Leiva-Duenas, Pei Sun Loh, Catherine E. Lovelock, Carolyn J. Lundquist, Peter Macreadie, Ines Mazarrasa, J. Patrick Megonigal, Joao M. Neto, Juliana Nogueira, Michael J. Osland, Jordi F. Pages, Nipuni Perera, Eva-Maria Pfeiffer, Thomas Pollmann, Jacqueline L. Raw, Maria Recio, Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernandez, Sophie K. Russell, John M. Rybczyk, Marek Sammul, Christian Sanders, Rui Santos, Oscar Serrano, Matthias Siewert, Craig Smeaton, Zhaoliang Song, Carmen Trasar-Cepeda, Robert R. Twilley, Marijn Van de Broek, Stefano Vitti, Livia Vittori Antisari, Baptiste Voltz, Christy N. Wails, Raymond D. Ward, Melissa Ward, Jaxine Wolfe, Renmin Yang, Sebastian Zubrzycki, Emily Landis, Lindsey Smart, Mark Spalding, Thomas A. Worthington
Summary: Tidal marshes are significant carbon reservoirs, and a global dataset of soil organic carbon provides valuable information for researchers and policy-makers. The dataset includes geographic locations, soil depths, and organic carbon data, allowing for estimation of organic carbon stocks in tidal marsh soils.
