This paper provides an overview of past, present and future themes for research and management of riparian zones, often relating to papers within this Wetlands Special Feature. Riparian research expanded in the United States around 1980 with themes that recognized (1) damage from excessive livestock, or (2) damage from river damming and diversion, and (3) the beneficial capacity of riparian buffers

Complexities of terrestrial boundaries with salt marshes in coastal lagoons affect salt marsh exposure to waves and sediments creating different potentials for marsh migration inland and seaward-edge erosion, and consequently, for marsh persistence. Between 2002 and 2017, migration and edge erosion were measured in three mainland geomorphic marsh types (headland, valley, hammock) and were used to assess

Coastal regions worldwide will be dramatically reshaped by the impacts of sea-level rise. Of particular concern are impacts on coastal wetlands, the loss of which would have consequences for both human and ecological communities. The future of many coastal wetlands will depend greatly on their capacities to migrate into uplands. Coastal resilience work within wetland sciences has increasingly focused

Tidal marshes are important ecological systems that are responding to sea level rise-driven changes in tidal regimes. Human development along the coastline creates barriers to marsh migration, moderating tidal marsh distributions. This study shows that in the Chesapeake Bay, USA an estuarine system with geographic and development variability, overall estuarine tidal marshes are projected to decline

The papers in this Special Feature are the result of the first Marsh Resilience Summit in the Chesapeake Bay region, which occurred in February 2019. The Chesapeake Bay region has one of the highest rates of relative sea level rise in the U.S., jeopardizing over 1000 km2 of tidal wetlands along with other coastal lands. The goal of the Summit and this collection of articles is to analyze tidal wetland

As communities face increased flooding from relative sea level rise and attempt to preserve their marshes, they face a number of policy challenges including limited public awareness of the extent of the risk, limited authorities, and limited funds. This paper highlights these legal and policy challenges and discusses some tools to address them.

Exotic invasive plants leave legacy effects when impacts persist following invader removal. Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) is an actinorhizal tree that is widespread along rivers in interior western North America. We monitored soil N and plant community response to E. angustifolia removal in a riparian ecosystem in eastern Colorado, USA. We collected pre-removal data for two years, and tracked

This research presents an approach to assess the ecosystem services (ES) flow in the Oualidia lagoon in Morocco combining geographic information systems (GIS) and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). We evaluated the flow of 15 ES divided into regulating, provisioning, and cultural categories in 20 CORINE land-cover classes found in the lagoon area. To determine the total ES flow, we used an expert-based

Salt marshes and their inhabitants are being displaced by climate change and human development along the coastline. One inhabitant, the ribbed mussel (Geukensia demissa), forms a mutualistic relationship with smooth cordgrass, Sporobolus alterniflorus, along the US Atlantic Coast. Ribbed mussels stabilize the marsh, remove particulate matter from the water column, and promote denitrification, thereby

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

Organic soil amendments such as biochar and compost are thought to improve soil development, but it is unclear whether they affect nutrient leaching and greenhouse gas emissions. Using mesocosms, we investigated the effects of biochar and compost on nutrient leaching and greenhouse gas emissions across varying hydrologic regimes. Increased biochar decreased nutrient leaching and greenhouse gas emissions:

Reduced abundance of non-native Tamarix shrubs in western U.S. riparian systems following biological control by a defoliating beetle has led to concerns that replacement plant communities could be dominated by other invasive species and/or not provide some of the ecosystem services that Tamarix was providing. In previous studies, Tamarix decline following biocontrol was accompanied by small increases

We investigated the relative role of manager traits and decisions for explaining the impact of riparian restoration. To do this, we used the difference in vegetation between post-restoration and controls for 243 pairs of sites to create a success index. We then determined how much variability in success could be explained by physical variables that directly impact vegetation (environment and weed removal)

Riparian areas are among the most ecologically diverse terrestrial ecosystems but make up <2% of landscape area in southwestern USA. Many species of resident and neotropical migratory birds utilize riparian habitats for breeding, foraging, and nesting. We quantified vegetation composition and structure to predict bird guilds on Wild and Scenic portions of the Verde River, Arizona. We grouped plant

Wetlands loss has major consequences for biodiversity. The Delta of Paraná River is one of the largest wetland ecosystems in South America undergoing rapid conversion of freshwater marshes to pastures. We evaluated the response of nine wetland bird species to a gradient of landscape structure accounting for different levels of wetland loss in the Lower Delta, Argentina. We used point counts and a hierarchical

The eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) relies on small-scale differences in peatland surface elevation to survive harsh overwintering conditions at the northern limit of its range. We characterized the spatial heterogeneity of surface topography in peatlands within the eastern Georgian Bay rock barrens landscape of Ontario, Canada, to assess available snake overwintering habitat.

The recovery of degraded mangroves may favor the reestablishment of the diversity and abundance of benthic organisms, including those of commercial importance. Here, we assessed (i) the degree of population recovery of the exploited mangrove crab Ucides cordatus in nine areas of replanted mangroves, and (ii) the influence of dominant mangrove species on density and population parameters of this species

To assess the effects of global change on peatland vegetation and biogeochemistry we used a long term (21 years) in-situ plot scale manipulation experiment comprising nitrogen (N; ambient and 30 kg ha−1 yr−1), temperature (T; ambient and + 3.6 °C during growing season) and sulfur (S; ambient and 20 kg ha−1 yr−1) treatments in an oligotrophic boreal peatland. Vegetation was assessed by plant species

Suaeda species are widely distributed in the coastal areas and are commonly selected as candidates for coastal saline–alkaline soil restoration. In this study, a pot experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different nutrient levels and salt stresses on the growth and physiological characteristics of Suaeda salsa and Suaeda glauca, two coexisting species exhibiting a spatial segregation

Acquiring detailed information on wetland plant species is critical for monitoring wetland ecosystem restoration and management. The emerging technique of Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) photogrammetry has immense potential for such applications. In this study, we assessed the capacity of UAS photogrammetric products for classifying and mapping a large number of wetland plant species using contemporary

This paper took the Bosten Lake wetlands as the research object. From the perspective of actual water consumption, the minimum, suitable, and maximum ecological water demand were calculated. It was found that: 1) in a moderate year (P = 50%), the minimum, suitable and maximum ecological water demand was 105,336.5 × 104 m3, 116,835.3 × 104 m3 and 126,051.9 × 104 m3, respectively; 2) in a general dry

The federally-threatened Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) occurs in riparian zones located along the foothills and plains in the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming. Anthropogenic and natural disturbances have extensively modified Front Range riparian ecosystems affecting the location, quality, and connectivity of Z. h. preblei populations and habitat. Previous studies suggest

Assessing long-term dynamics of ecosystem service is critical for sustainable restoration and management of estuarine wetlands. We analyzed ecosystem services dynamics from 1980 to 2015 and their natural and anthropogenic drivers in the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, which consists of the old and current Yellow River estuaries. Our results showed that biodiversity conservation, carbon

Quantification of flooding thresholds that govern species distributions on microtopographic gradients in floodplains can help design environmental flows, but the multiple correlated dimensions of flooding such as frequency, depth, duration, and timing are a challenge. We postulated that species distributions are limited by the most stressful combination of flooding dimensions when the plants are in

Cities are increasingly pursuing more sustainable and resilient infrastructure. The increased use of Urban Ecological Infrastructure (UEI), including constructed treatment wetlands (CTW), may be particularly important for aridland cities with scarce water resources. In this paper we document eight years of nitrogen (N) dynamics in an aridland CTW in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, where N removal must be balanced

A pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HFCW) was established to investigate the feasibility of removing nutrients from natural water in Lake Xijiu, Jiangsu Province, China. The HFCW, planted with reeds (Phragmites communis) and irises (Iris tectorum Maxim), was operated for 227 days. The mean removal efficiency of NH4+-N was 36.7%, of total nitrogen (TN) 70.2%, of total phosphorus

Typical goals of wetland restoration efforts are to conserve, create, or enhance wetland structure, and to achieve wetland function that approaches or exceeds natural conditions. Measuring wetland establishment, condition, and resilience can be difficult, especially because monitoring wetland function has traditionally been time-intensive, costly, and often required repeat field-based surveys. Remote

To assess the performance and the impact of nutrient discharges of the wetland on the receiving river, the Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) and the River and Stream Water Quality (QUAL2K) models are examined in this study to evaluate a constructed wetland in the City of Edmonton in Canada. According to the simulation results from the HEC-RAS model and the QUAL2K model

Assessments of wetland restoration quality, especially comparisons among restoration techniques, are essential to adaptive management, but are rarely reported. We evaluated wetlands in southeastern Wisconsin that were restored using different hydrological techniques along with wetlands in two reference groups: wetlands without hydrological modification and Waterfowl Production Areas. Our objectives

The property right is one of the most vital factors determining the sustainable governance and utilization of the wetlands. The paper analyses property right issues and institutional arrangements of a rural man-made wetland in dryland areas of West Bengal, India. It uses Participatory Rural Appraisal, Key-Informant’s Interview, Focus Group Discussion, and household interview to accomplish this objective

With the global warming, the frequent and severe river floods in Arctic regions have affected the distribution of willows in river lowlands. To investigate the effect of floods, especially waterlogging, on nitrogen conditions for willows, we measured their foliar nitrogen content and isotopic composition (δ15N), under various hydrological conditions in Northeastern Siberia, which was classified into

Wetland-dependent bird populations may be limited by habitat in regions where wetland loss and degradation are pervasive, such as the midwestern United States. However, available spatial datasets, such as the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI), may overestimate habitat availability if total wetland area includes wetlands unsuitable for wetland-dependent species. During 2016–2017, we assessed proportional

Freshwater marshes provide ecosystem services such as improving water quality by storing water and filtering nutrients from upland runoff, minimizing erosion and flooding by reducing stream and river velocity and peak flows, and carbon sequestration by storing organic matter for long extended periods of time. These ecosystem services have increased interest in the protection and restoration of marshes

Within arid regions riparian forests support high bird diversity compared to surrounding uplands. In these same regions, water demands for agriculture, urbanization, and recreation have altered the structure and composition of riparian forests and degraded bird habitat. Along rivers, plants with similar responses to flood disturbance and water availability can be grouped into functional guilds using

Policy makers are interested in managing forests to store carbon. Optimizing this strategy requires understanding how carbon storage varies across environmental gradients. We explored variation in tree growth rate, tree longevity, and surface soil organic matter across 135 Connecticut River riparian forest plots. Tree growth rate did not vary significantly with climate but rather increased with sediment

Southern California coastal wetlands are heavily impacted by urbanization and are under increased inundation stress due to sea level rise (SLR). This study evaluated the impacts of inundation on decomposition rates and sediment decomposer communities (invertebrates, fungi, and bacteria) by manipulating inundation using a marsh organ. Under increased inundation, invertebrate diversity decreased, and

Soil pore water salinity is widely accepted to be the primary influencing factor determining coastal vegetation succession. This study investigated an ecological wetland restoration process on the Nanhui coast, Shanghai, during which seasonal changes in vegetation density, soil salinity, and coastal elevation were recorded in detail. These variables interacted with each other and showed coincident

Cottonwoods, Populus trees, provide the foundation for riparian woodlands around the Northern Hemisphere but have declined partly due to river damming and water withdrawal. Cottonwood conservation requires periodic seedling replenishment, which depends upon coordinating river flows with the limited seed dispersal interval. Tracking seed dispersal phenology is laborious and we recognized a complementary

In a tropical coastal environment, mangrove ecosystems store large amount of atmospheric carbon in biomass and soil. West coast of India host 29% of the mangrove ecosystems of the country. Putting aside the few scientific studies about the Indian mangroves system, there exist gaps in our scientific knowledge of Blue Carbon domain. This study aims to quantify the ecosystem carbon stocks potential and

We describe the consequence and demise of levees (spoil banks) built from dredging canals in Louisiana salt marshes using morphometric measurements made over 30 years, soil collections on the spoil bank and in the salt marshes behind, and complementary observations from other areas. These measurements were used to determine the temporal bounds of how long spoil banks last and if salt marsh soils remaining

This analysis uses data from a survey of shoreline property owners combined with data on shoreline modification permits to examine whether and how property owners modify their estuarine shorelines. We find that shoreline armoring is very popular among property owners that choose to modify their shoreline. While living shorelines are less common, applications for them are increasing both in absolute

In 2016, widespread dieback of Phragmites australis was reported in the Mississippi River Delta (MRD), Louisiana. We conducted two common-garden experiments to investigate several potentially important factors associated with this dieback: scale insects, water depth, fertilization and P. australis genetics (three lineages: Gulf, Delta and invasive EU). Predictions tested were scale abundance is lower

To evaluate the influence of flavonoids on the biogeochemistry of sulfur in mangrove sediments polluted with Cd, Avicennia marina individuals were cultivated in rhizoboxes under different concentrations of Cd and flavonoid. The reduced inorganic sulfur concentrations in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere sediments were examined. According to the results, acid-volatile sulfide concentrations in non-rhizosphere

Many wetlands in the Yellow River Delta have degraded as a result of drainage and conversion for development and other land uses in recent years. To provide information for targeted protection and restoration of degraded wetlands, we explored the landscape ecological network based on the wetland classification data in 2016 by using landscape connectivity index, least-cost distance model, gravity model

There has been much debate about the external drivers that affect the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM). Particularly, the feedback mechanisms between SOM and mineral weathering are poorly understood. We used the cotton strip assay combined with measurements of water table, pore water salinity, and soil properties along a landscape-scale gradient to study these mechanisms. The results revealed

Global loss of wetlands has significantly reduced the habitat available for amphibians. Various organizations now regularly construct wetlands to provide areas for amphibian reproduction and larval development. To support wetland taxa, including federally-endangered salamanders, numerous ponds have been constructed in Southern Ontario. We examine natural and constructed ponds to address three questions:

We radiotracked eight, free-living, Red-Bellied Mudsnakes (Farancia abacura) from April to October 2019 in a bottomland hardwood forest wetland in Central Arkansas. Four snakes emerged in April from their overwintering sites in an earthen dam of a 1.2 ha pond and confined all of their movements to the pond basin. All four snakes were lost to predators during the course of the year. Four other snakes

To achieve the common goal of sustainable development of wetland ecotourism, the nature reserve managers face the challenge of balancing ecological protection and tourism demand. To make appropriate management strategies, more information is needed to understand how visitors evaluate the ecological and recreational attributes, as well as the willingness to pay and preferences. Choice experiment (CE)

Emergent wetlands have declined in North America and, in response, many wetland-dependent animals have declined in abundance. For example, many species of secretive marsh birds in North America have declined during the last century. However, estimates of population decline and efforts to assess the effects of management actions are hampered because marsh birds are difficult to detect using conventional

Soil seed banks serve as reservoirs of taxonomic and genetic diversity and can buffer the effect of perturbations on plant communities, and thus are critical for community resilience. We studied the relationship of seed bank abundance and richness with different hydrological attributes, evaluated beta diversity patterns among wetlands in the Middle Paraná River floodplain, and experimentally explored

In the past two decades, the supratidal wetland in the Yellow River Delta experienced severe saline-alkalization and vegetation degradation. Restoration with enclosure-freshwater release mode has prevailed since 2002. This method presented some positive effects, but need a massive freshwater supply. Furthermore, the subsequent formed single Phragmites australis vegetation weakened the bird habitation

Few studies have examined zooplankton assemblages associated with grey willow (Salix cinerea) invasions in wetlands. Our aim was to quantitatively examine zooplankton composition among S. cinerea stands within the South Taupō Wetland, New Zealand, to determine whether these assemblages are affected by willow growth and willow control treatment using the herbicide metsulfuron (C14H15N5O6S). Alternatively

This study explored the influence of ferrous iron (Fe2+) addition on ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) removal and microbial communities in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSFs) at different carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios. Fe2+ addition could improve NH4-N removal under the C/N ratio of 2.1 and alter the microbial community structure. The microbial diversity and functional genes at the C/N

In the article by McDeid, S.M., Green, D.I.S. & Crumpton, W.G. entitled Morphology of Drained Upland Depressions on the Des Moines Lobe of Iowa [Wetlands 2018, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-018-1108-4], the following corrections have been added.

The authors regret that we unknowingly used erroneous bulk density data in Figs. 4 and 6 (panels b,c,e) that affected results in Fig. 7.

A chronosequence of wetland swales between beach ridges in the Manistique/Thompson embayments of Lake Michigan contains plant communities that differ across the strandplain. We characterized vegetation in 33 swales and compared distribution with previously reported groundwater flow systems. Older swales near a groundwater divide created by the peak Nipissing ridge receive local flows and hold sedge/leatherleaf

The original publication has been updated. A typographical error has been corrected and references have been updated.

Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that provide many ecosystem services. They protect coasts from erosion, storm surge, and small tsunami by dissipating wave energy. Plant flexibility has been reported to reduce drag force on and wave attenuation of marsh plants. In this study, we proposed a new drag coefficient formula to account plant flexibility so that the classical theory based on rigid cylinders

In estuarine wetland ecosystems, the heavy metal content and especially the metal fractionation are influenced by water and salinity conditions. We collected sediments from the intertidal zone of the Yellow River Delta, where the water and salinity conditions changed frequently. The incubation experiments at different water and salinity levels were carried out in the laboratory to investigate the migration

Tropical peatlands are complex and globally-important ecosystems that are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic disturbances, primarily via agricultural development. Microbes in peatlands play important roles in governing overall ecosystem functions and sustenance, with specific population dynamics governing carbon sink or source dynamics. We determined phenotypic microbial community structures