High marsh annual monitoring of Borrichia Juncus mixtures Dr. Steven C. Pennings University of Houston

Department of Biology and Biochemistry University of Houston Houston Texas 77204-5513 USA

scpennin@central.uh.edu https://uh.edu/nsm/biology-biochemistry/people/profiles/steven-pennings/ https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4757-7125 Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Project

Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602-3636 USA

gcelter@uga.edu https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/ Dr. Steven C. Pennings University of Houston

Department of Biology and Biochemistry University of Houston Houston Texas 77204-5513 USA

scpennin@central.uh.edu https://uh.edu/nsm/biology-biochemistry/people/profiles/steven-pennings/ https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4757-7125 Principal investigator 2026

The goal of the project is to determine if annual changes in precipitation or other abiotic factors shift the composition of the high marsh vegetation in areas initially dominated by Borrichia and Juncus. Methods: Plots will be established at Moses Hammock (side closest to Sapelo Island) and Dean Creek (lighthouse road). At each site, eight plots (0.5 x 0.5 m) will be marked with PVC poles. A single person will visit the plots for about half an hour once a year to measure vegetation composition. We expect to monitor these plots indefinitely.

Area 2: Patterns within the Domain (more information)

marsh biomass population density population diversity LTER NSF GCE Borrichia Juncus plants plant ecology Overall geographic extent of the research project -81.299522 -81.258908 31.497026 31.371003 2013-08-30

Part of GCE LTER core award

estuary marsh complex Hunt Camp - Barrier island/marsh site on western Sapelo Island. This site is located at the upper reaches of the Duplin River, and is within the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. Existing well fields border small marsh area to northwest, some wells have been installed to south end of hammock where marsh is more extensive and permanent plots are located. Two existing hydrographic sondes and weather stations within this site are operated by SINERR (Hunt Camp dock) and UGAMI (flume dock). -81.295506 -81.258908 31.497026 31.462320 Dean Creek - Doboy Sound/salt marsh site at the southern end of Sapelo Island near Dean Creek and the Sapelo lighthouse. A few small creeks are present, but a large creek (Dean Creek) is easily accessed. Upland is composed of small hammocks and some constructed causeways, with sand dune complexes east of Dean Creek and extending to the beach. Upper end of the watershed is affected by a culvert at Beach Road and heavy student use of marsh immediately adjacent to culvert. A hydrographic sonde is deployed in Doboy Sound near Commodore Island approximately 1.5km from this site. GCE6 is also the focus of Sapelo Island Microbial Observatory research on microbial diversity and genomics (http://simo.marsci.uga.edu) -81.299522 -81.264378 31.394072 31.371003 Map (Google Earth KML/KMZ or map image) https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/Maps/GCE-51-2013_Maps_GCE_51.kmz

Moses Hammock (side closest to Sapelo Island) and Dean Creek (lighthouse road).

Each plot will be marked with pvc pipes (half inch diameter) at the corners of the plot.

No collections will be made.