Wetland Vegetation Response to Groundwater Pumping and Hydrologic Recovery
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WETLANDS RESTORATION
Wetland Vegetation Response to Groundwater Pumping and Hydrologic Recovery Megan K. Bartholomew 1 & Christopher J. Anderson 1
&
Jacob F. Berkowitz 2
Received: 17 January 2020 / Accepted: 18 September 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract An investigation of wetland vegetation response to groundwater alteration was conducted at the J.B. Starkey Wilderness Park, a large municipal wellfield in the area of west Florida, USA. Decades of historic groundwater withdrawal had created a gradient of impacted wetlands on the wellfield, after which time the groundwater pumping rates were reduced. Nineteen cypress dome wetlands were grouped, based on their hydrologic histories, as either most-altered (least inundation), marginally-altered (intermediate inundation), or least-altered (near-normal inundation). Annual species–level monitoring data were used to evaluate understory plant community response to the hydrologic recovery that resulted from reduced groundwater pumping. Species richness, cover, prevalence index (PI), and species importance percentages were assessed during pre- (2005–2007) and post(2012–2014) hydrologic recovery periods. The vegetation in marginally- and most-altered wetlands responded to hydrologic recovery with increased species richness and lower PI values (i.e., greater hydrophytic character). However, species importance percentages indicated greater variation in the recovery of most-altered wetlands, where species composition often remained different from least-altered wetlands. Although reductions in groundwater pumping caused sufficient passive hydrologic recovery to elicit a vegetation response, further reductions and/or more time may be needed before the vegetation of some altered wetlands can become comparable to that of least-impacted wetlands. Keywords Cypress dome wetlands . Hydrologic recovery . Passive restoration . Groundwater pumping
Introduction Hydroperiod (i.e., inundation frequency, duration and level) controls many wetland processes and is pivotal to wetland character in part because of its influences on plant community composition (Battaglia and Collins 2006). Hydroperiod is also focal to wetland restoration efforts and a key consideration when attempting to establish pre-impact or target vegetation assemblages (Kentula 2000; De Steven and Gramling 2013). However restoration efforts may fall short when restored hydrologic regimes are insufficient to support target assemblages (Erwin 1991; Caldwell et al. 2011). Rapid changes in hydroperiod have been shown to result
* Christopher J. Anderson [email protected] 1
Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Science, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
2
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180, USA
in the colonization and spread of undesirable (invasive, inappropriate, and/or monotypic) species, while more gradual changes may allow communities to adapt and adjust over time (Howard and Wells 2009; Froend and Sommer 2010; Palanisamy and Chui 2013). T
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