Presentation Abstract
Estuaries affected by physical barriers, such as culverts, experience reduced hydrological inputs and reduced connectivity resulting in the loss of ecological processes. To address reduction in ecological connectedness, culverts at three sites were removed and replaced with bridges. An observational field study was conducted in Kitsap County, Washington of three sites where culverts were replaced with bridges three, eight, and 13 years ago. Data was collected at a reference site where the estuary contains a culvert. It is hypothesized that estuary restoration will recover plant species, carbon sequestration, and nutrient cycling homogeneity above and below the restoration site. However, the length of time for recovery is not well understood. Soil and plant height was collected from random quadrats. Soil carbon and nitrogen were analyzed using an elemental analyzer and soil macro and micro-nutrients were analyzed using the Mehlich 3 Extraction method. Plant species richness was significantly higher (P
Session Title
Habitat Restoration
Keywords
Estuary, Restoration, Plants, Community
Conference Track
SSE1: Habitat Restoration and Protection
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE1-141
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:00 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 11:15 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Estuarine restoration--Monitoring--Washington (State)--Kitsap County; Soil surveys--Washington (State)--Kitsap County; Vegetation surveys--Washington (State)--Kitsap County
Geographic Coverage
Kitsap County (Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Plant community and nutrient development within four estuary restoration sites in Kitsap County, Washington
Estuaries affected by physical barriers, such as culverts, experience reduced hydrological inputs and reduced connectivity resulting in the loss of ecological processes. To address reduction in ecological connectedness, culverts at three sites were removed and replaced with bridges. An observational field study was conducted in Kitsap County, Washington of three sites where culverts were replaced with bridges three, eight, and 13 years ago. Data was collected at a reference site where the estuary contains a culvert. It is hypothesized that estuary restoration will recover plant species, carbon sequestration, and nutrient cycling homogeneity above and below the restoration site. However, the length of time for recovery is not well understood. Soil and plant height was collected from random quadrats. Soil carbon and nitrogen were analyzed using an elemental analyzer and soil macro and micro-nutrients were analyzed using the Mehlich 3 Extraction method. Plant species richness was significantly higher (P
