Book contents
- Salt Marshes
- Salt Marshes
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- 1 State of Salt Marshes
- Part I Marsh Function
- Part II Marsh Dynamics
- Part III Marsh Response to Stress
- 13 Climatic Impacts on Salt Marsh Vegetation
- 14 Impacts of Exotic and Native Species Invading Tidal Marshes
- 15 Marsh Edge Erosion
- 16 Upland Migration of North American Salt Marshes
- 17 Restoration of Tidal Marshes
- 18 Impacts of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise
- Index
- References
13 - Climatic Impacts on Salt Marsh Vegetation
from Part III - Marsh Response to Stress
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 June 2021
- Salt Marshes
- Salt Marshes
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- 1 State of Salt Marshes
- Part I Marsh Function
- Part II Marsh Dynamics
- Part III Marsh Response to Stress
- 13 Climatic Impacts on Salt Marsh Vegetation
- 14 Impacts of Exotic and Native Species Invading Tidal Marshes
- 15 Marsh Edge Erosion
- 16 Upland Migration of North American Salt Marshes
- 17 Restoration of Tidal Marshes
- 18 Impacts of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise
- Index
- References
Summary
The salt marsh response to a changing climate may be more complex than that of either terrestrial or marine ecosystems because salt marshes exist at the interface of land and sea and both bring changes to the marsh. Climate change may exacerbate anthropogenic-related stresses that salt marsh plants are already experiencing, limiting their resilience (Keddy 2011). In this chapter we discuss major climate change impacts likely to affect salt marshes including temperature, sea level rise (SLR), salinity, CO2, freshwater flow, sediment, and nutrients, and consider how salt marsh plants respond to these impacts and potential interactions of these impacts. Specifically, we explore changes in plant productivity and decomposition rates, aboveground and belowground biomass, and stem density as they are central to understanding marsh responses on a larger scale, with implications for species composition, elevation change, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, food webs, and ultimately marsh survival. Although this chapter is focused on salt marshes, examples from tidal fresh and brackish marshes are also included to a limited extent where relevant.
- Type
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- Information
- Salt MarshesFunction, Dynamics, and Stresses, pp. 337 - 366Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021