Upland Influence on Wetland Restoration in Lost Creek
Mentor 1
Dr. James Cook
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
24-4-2015 10:30 AM
End Date
24-4-2015 11:45 AM
Description
Ecotones are defined as areas of transition between two different plant communities. The restoration of Lost Creek included an upland ridge seeded with prairie species and a lowland with wetland species. This study focuses on how the prairie component of the restoration site influences the sedge meadow wetland. Because the restoration site is young, one objective of this study was to set a baseline of the Lost Creek vegetation along the ecotone for future reference. In total, 42 point intercept transect surveys were inventoried in 4 different zones selected by change in slope, vegetation, and location. Percent wetland cover and richness were calculated for each transect. It was expected that the percent cover of wetland (OBL and FACW) species would increase moving further from the ecotone into the wetland. It was hypothesized that the prairie species would invade the wetland portion of the site. We expected these values to vary between the 4 different zones based on observations of plant composition. Results indicated that the 4 zones were not equal in percent cover of wetland species or richness. Further monitoring of Lost Creek may reveal implications on future restoration designs and how prairie-wetland ecotones may affect development of a restored area.
Upland Influence on Wetland Restoration in Lost Creek
Union Wisconsin Room
Ecotones are defined as areas of transition between two different plant communities. The restoration of Lost Creek included an upland ridge seeded with prairie species and a lowland with wetland species. This study focuses on how the prairie component of the restoration site influences the sedge meadow wetland. Because the restoration site is young, one objective of this study was to set a baseline of the Lost Creek vegetation along the ecotone for future reference. In total, 42 point intercept transect surveys were inventoried in 4 different zones selected by change in slope, vegetation, and location. Percent wetland cover and richness were calculated for each transect. It was expected that the percent cover of wetland (OBL and FACW) species would increase moving further from the ecotone into the wetland. It was hypothesized that the prairie species would invade the wetland portion of the site. We expected these values to vary between the 4 different zones based on observations of plant composition. Results indicated that the 4 zones were not equal in percent cover of wetland species or richness. Further monitoring of Lost Creek may reveal implications on future restoration designs and how prairie-wetland ecotones may affect development of a restored area.
