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Long-term data reveal effects of drought and snails on Spartina
A new GCE paper uses long-term monitoring data to show that both drought and Littoraria snails suppress the biomass of Spartina alterniflora plants. An analysis of the fall monitoring data (7 sites, 22 years) showed that drought reduced plant biomass, that snails reduced plant biomass when present at high densities, and that these two effects were additive. The first two results were consistent with past experimental studies; the last was not, perhaps because experiments used higher densities of snails than were typically present at the field sites. By addressing the same question using both experimental and observational approaches, we can gain new insights into the results and gain increased confidence in the conclusions.
Smith, Carter S., Y. Stacy Zhang, Marc J. S. Hensel, Steven C. Pennings, and Brian R. Silliman. 2024. “Long-Term Data Reveal that Grazer Density Mediates Climatic Stress in Salt Marshes.” Ecology e4323. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4323
(Contact Steve Pennings for additional information)
submitted May 21, 2024
