Abstracts

To develop the following abstracts, the editorial staff searches more than 100 scientific journals, professional and organizational newsletters, conference proceedings, and other resources for information relevant to ecological restoration practice and research. Please send suggested abstract sources to the editorial staff (ERjournal@aesop.rutgers.edu).

Climate Change

The Interactive Effects of Climate Change, Riparian Management and a Nonnative Predator on Stream-Rearing Salmon. 2014. Lawrence, D. (School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, david.lawrence@nfwf.org), B. Stewart-Koster, J. Olden, A. Ruesch, C. Torgersen, J. Lawler, D. Butcher and J. Crown. Ecological Applications 24(4):895–912. dx.doi.org.libcat.uncw.edu/10.1890/13-0753.1.

Freshwater aquatic organisms are very sensitive to temperature. Water temperatures increase for a multitude of reasons, including: climate change, stormwater runoff, and shade loss. Temperature increase is not the only threat facing freshwater ecosystems. Invasive species, pollution, increased flooding, flow reduction, and draw-down all impact aquatic species. Managers faced with multiple threats and small budgets need help prioritizing. Lawrence’s team investigated how climate change, riparian shade loss, and the nonnative, warm-water smallmouth bass range expansion might affect Chinook salmon in the Columbia River in Oregon. They ran simulations of bass range expansion and salmon range decrease based on anticipated temperature increases in tributaries, one with little riparian shade and one with largely intact shade. They recommend prioritizing restoration opportunities. Shade reduced climate-related warming, which then in turn prevented the invasion of the bass, and provided salmon rearing habitat, but meaningful shading can only be achieved in narrower tributaries.

Coastal & Marine Communities

Numerous Mitigation Transplants of the Eelgrass Zostera marina in Southern California Shuffle Genetic Diversity and May Promote Hybridization with Zostera pacifica. 2014. Olsen, J. (Marine Benthic Ecology and Evolution Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Postbus 11103, Nijenborgh 7, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands, +31 50 363 2250, j.l.olsen@rug.nl), J. Coyer and B. Chesney. Biological Conservation 176:133–143. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2014.05.001.

Eelgrass (Zostera) is globally distributed, found along coastlines of North America, Australia, Asia, Europe, and southeastern Africa. Zostera beds provide sediment deposition substrate, aquatic species nursery grounds, and foraging ground for estuarine organisms. Shore and coastline development creates continual demand for mitigation, and in the Southern California Bight there is heavy development in an area of range overlap; Z. marina, the most widely distributed eelgrass has a Pacific range from Alaska to Baja California, and Z. pacifica, an endemic species found from Monterey Bay to San Diego Bay. Hybridization was confirmed by Olsen’s team at several locations, but the effects on either species remains unclear. Hybrids might decrease disturbance resilience, be sterile, have increased growth rates or competitive advantages, or unknown positive effects. Given the presence of two species, mitigation in California must manage for both and pay special attention to propagule source selection to maintain species integrity.

Evaluating the Success of Managed Realignment for the Restoration of Salt Marshes: Lessons from Invertebrate Communities. 2014. Pétillon, J. (Université de Rennes 1, EA7316, 263 Avenue du Général Leclerc, CS 74205, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France, +3 223 236 51, julien.petillon@univ-rennes1.fr), S. Potier, A. Carpentier and A. Garbutt. Ecological Engineering 69(2014):70– 75. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2014.03.085.

Restoration and conservation ‘success’ is measured in many ways. Concerned with plant or avian diversity or soil health? No matter your point of view, success is typically measured by conservation measures of species abundance and richness. In salt-water marshes, success is measured by abundance and diversity of halophytic species. Pétillon and colleagues argue that there is more to success than conservation parameters. They conducted a long-term analysis of natural versus recreated (accidentally or managed) salt marshes in Essex, U.K. to quantify conservation success and functional success (i.e. trophic guilds of invertebrate communities). They examined invertebrate communities in 20 sites of varying ages and found that conservation goals of presence and diversity were achieved quickly, but the recreated marshes were not functionally equivalent to natural sites...