Consumer diversity impacts in salt marshes Dr. Brian R. Silliman Duke University

135 Duke Marine Lab Rd. Duke University Marine Lab Beaufort North Carolina 28516-9721 USA

brian.silliman@duke.edu https://nicholas.duke.edu/people/faculty/silliman https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6360-650X 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. Brian R. Silliman Duke University

135 Duke Marine Lab Rd. Duke University Marine Lab Beaufort North Carolina 28516-9721 USA

brian.silliman@duke.edu https://nicholas.duke.edu/people/faculty/silliman https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6360-650X Principal investigator Marc Simon Hensel University of Florida

Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida 32611 USA

mhensel@vims.edu Co-investigator 2026

Here I am investigating the importance of consumer diversity in marsh community structure and ecosystem function. The three major consumers of the dominant marsh grass Spartina alterniflora include the marsh periwinkle (Litorraria irrorata), the putple marsh crab (sesarma reticulatum), and an ubiquitous marsh fungus. These consumers have variable impacts on the marsh grass and I will be using manipulative field techniques to help tease apart the importance of interactions and the impacts of having a diverse consumer assemblage. I am using 1m2 aluminum flashing cages as marsh field-cosms and will be manipulating presence or absence of these consumers

Question 2: How do the spatial and temporal patterns of biogeochemical processes, primary production, community dynamics, decomposition, and disturbance vary across the estuarine landscape, and how do they relate to environmental gradients? (more information)

marsh biomass chlorophyll nutrients population density population diversity LTER NSF GCE crustaceans fungi microbes/fungi other plants Spartina invertebrate ecology Overall geographic extent of the research project -81.307978 -81.176185 31.536369 31.380150 2011-05-17 2011-11-28

University Scholars Program, University of Florida, $2.5K

estuary marsh complex Sapelo Island - Sapelo Island on the Southeast Georgia Coast -81.307978 -81.176185 31.536369 31.380150 GIS file (ArcGIS shapefile) https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/gis/GCE-8-2011_GIS_GCE-8-2011-GCE8_GIS_HenselSilliman.zip GPS data file (Trimble, Excel) https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/gps_data/GCE-8-2011_GPS_GCE8_HenselSilliman.zip Map (Google Earth KML/KMZ or map image) https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/maps/GCE-8-2011_Maps_Hensel_cage_study_2011.kmz

31.25.25N 81.17.31W

64 1m2 aluminum flashing cages painted with antifouling paint and secured with wooden stakes and galvanized staples The equipment will be deployed from May til November

16,000 L. irrirata 320 S. reticulatum Invertebrate collection permit issued May 2011 by Mary Price, UGAMI