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Effects of Grazer Exclusion on Carbon Cycling in Created Freshwater Wetlands

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  • Delanie M. Spangler

    (Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA)

  • Anna Christina Tyler

    (Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA)

  • Carmody K. McCalley

    (Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA)

Abstract

Wetland ecosystems play a significant role in the global carbon cycle, and yet are increasingly threatened by human development and climate change. The continued loss of intact freshwater wetlands heightens the need for effective wetland creation and restoration. However, wetland structure and function are controlled by interacting abiotic and biotic factors, complicating efforts to replace ecosystem services associated with natural wetlands and making ecologically-driven management imperative. Increasing waterfowl populations pose a threat to the development and persistence of created wetlands, largely through intensive grazing that can shift vegetation community structure or limit desired plant establishment. This study capitalized on a long-term herbivore exclusion experiment to evaluate how herbivore management impacts carbon cycling and storage in a created wetland in Western New York, USA. Vegetation, above- and belowground biomass, soil carbon, carbon gas fluxes and decomposition rates were evaluated in control plots with free access by large grazers and in plots where grazers had been excluded for four years. Waterfowl were the dominant herbivore at the site. Grazing reduced peak growing season aboveground biomass by over 55 % , and during the summer, gross primary productivity doubled in grazer exclusion plots. The shift in plant productivity led to a 34 % increase in soil carbon after exclusion of grazers for five growing seasons, but no change in belowground biomass. Our results suggest that grazers may inhibit the development of soil carbon pools during the first decade following wetland creation, reducing the carbon sequestration potential and precluding functional equivalence with natural wetlands.

Suggested Citation

  • Delanie M. Spangler & Anna Christina Tyler & Carmody K. McCalley, 2021. "Effects of Grazer Exclusion on Carbon Cycling in Created Freshwater Wetlands," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:8:p:805-:d:605801
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David Moreno Mateos & Mary E Power & Francisco A Comín & Roxana Yockteng, 2012. "Structural and Functional Loss in Restored Wetland Ecosystems," Working Papers id:4755, eSocialSciences.
    2. David Moreno-Mateos & Mary E Power & Francisco A Comín & Roxana Yockteng, 2012. "Structural and Functional Loss in Restored Wetland Ecosystems," PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, January.
    3. Alex C Valach & Kuno Kasak & Kyle S Hemes & Tyler L Anthony & Iryna Dronova & Sophie Taddeo & Whendee L Silver & Daphne Szutu & Joseph Verfaillie & Dennis D Baldocchi, 2021. "Productive wetlands restored for carbon sequestration quickly become net CO2 sinks with site-level factors driving uptake variability," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-22, March.
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