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Title: Restoring Resiliency: Case Studies from Pacific Northwest Estuarine Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) Ecosystems

Abstract

The purpose of many ecological restoration projects is to establish an ecosystem with fully developed structure and function that exhibits resistance to and resilience from disturbances. Coastal restoration projects in the Pacific Northwest provide opportunities to understand what is required to restore the resilience of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) populations. Factors influencing resilience observed in three case studies of eelgrass restoration include minimum viable population, adaptations of transplant populations, and natural and anthropogenic disturbances at restoration sites. The evaluation of resiliency depends on selecting appropriate monitoring metrics and the frequency and duration of monitoring. Eelgrass area, cover and shoot density provide useful and reliable metrics for quantifying resilience of restored meadows. Further, five years of monitoring of these metrics provides data that can reasonably predict the long-term viability of a planted plot. Eelgrass appears to be a resilient ecosystem in general, though one that data suggest may exhibit tipping points brought about by compounded environmental conditions outside of its tolerance ranges. Explicit inclusion of resilience in the planning and practice of habitat restoration may reduce uncertainties and improve the performance of restored systems by increasing buffering capacity, nurturing sources of renewal (e.g., seeds and rhizomes), and managing for habitat formingmore » and maintaining processes (e.g., sediment dynamics) at multiple scales.« less

Authors:
; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1033049
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-68902
TRN: US201202%%551
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Estuaries and Coasts
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 35; Journal Issue: 1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; CAPACITY; DISTURBANCES; ECOSYSTEMS; EVALUATION; HABITAT; MARINAS; METRICS; MONITORING; PERFORMANCE; PLANNING; SEDIMENTS; SEEDS; TOLERANCE; TRANSPLANTS; VIABILITY; climate; coast; Oregon; Washington; California; management; resilience; vulnerability; eelgrass

Citation Formats

Thom, Ronald M, Diefenderfer, Heida L, Vavrinec, John, and Borde, Amy B. Restoring Resiliency: Case Studies from Pacific Northwest Estuarine Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) Ecosystems. United States: N. p., 2012. Web. doi:10.1007/s12237-011-9430-6.
Thom, Ronald M, Diefenderfer, Heida L, Vavrinec, John, & Borde, Amy B. Restoring Resiliency: Case Studies from Pacific Northwest Estuarine Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) Ecosystems. United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9430-6
Thom, Ronald M, Diefenderfer, Heida L, Vavrinec, John, and Borde, Amy B. 2012. "Restoring Resiliency: Case Studies from Pacific Northwest Estuarine Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) Ecosystems". United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9430-6.
@article{osti_1033049,
title = {Restoring Resiliency: Case Studies from Pacific Northwest Estuarine Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) Ecosystems},
author = {Thom, Ronald M and Diefenderfer, Heida L and Vavrinec, John and Borde, Amy B},
abstractNote = {The purpose of many ecological restoration projects is to establish an ecosystem with fully developed structure and function that exhibits resistance to and resilience from disturbances. Coastal restoration projects in the Pacific Northwest provide opportunities to understand what is required to restore the resilience of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) populations. Factors influencing resilience observed in three case studies of eelgrass restoration include minimum viable population, adaptations of transplant populations, and natural and anthropogenic disturbances at restoration sites. The evaluation of resiliency depends on selecting appropriate monitoring metrics and the frequency and duration of monitoring. Eelgrass area, cover and shoot density provide useful and reliable metrics for quantifying resilience of restored meadows. Further, five years of monitoring of these metrics provides data that can reasonably predict the long-term viability of a planted plot. Eelgrass appears to be a resilient ecosystem in general, though one that data suggest may exhibit tipping points brought about by compounded environmental conditions outside of its tolerance ranges. Explicit inclusion of resilience in the planning and practice of habitat restoration may reduce uncertainties and improve the performance of restored systems by increasing buffering capacity, nurturing sources of renewal (e.g., seeds and rhizomes), and managing for habitat forming and maintaining processes (e.g., sediment dynamics) at multiple scales.},
doi = {10.1007/s12237-011-9430-6},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1033049}, journal = {Estuaries and Coasts},
number = 1,
volume = 35,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2012},
month = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2012}
}