Sapelo Research Application Form
Research Application ID: GCE-67-2015 (submitted: 07/08/2015, status: approved)
Provide a brief title for web display
Does water from upland habitats control high marsh ecology?
Investigator Information
On Island Sponsor: GCE SINERR UGAMI GADNR
| Principal Investigator: | Steven C. Pennings | ||
| Home Institution: | University of Houston | ||
| Award Information: | GCE-LTER, approximately $4,900,000 over 6 years. | ||
| Mailing Address: | Department of Biology and Biochemistry | Phone Number: | (713) 743-2989 |
| University of Houston | E-mail Address: | scpennin@central.uh.edu | |
| Houston, Texas 77204-5513 | |||
| Co-investigators: | |||
Briefly describe the project goals and methodology
We will test the hypothesis that the flow of surface water and shallow groundwater from terrestrial habitats is crucial to determining the ecological characteristics of adjacent high marsh. We will set up 15 transects (each 8-10 m long) in the Iva shrub zone just below the upland border, parallel to the upland, and partially block water flow from the upland through 5 of the transects by installing a plastic barrier 3 feet deep along each transect. Blocked water will be diverted into 5 "water addition" zones, with the remaining 5 transects serving as controls. We will run 5 transects 10 m long perpendicular to each of the 15 shrub marsh transect into the high marsh. Along these high marsh transects we will measure a variety of response variables, including hydrology, plant and animal abundance, and decomposition.
The primary manipulation will be the trenching and plastic barrier installed along the high marsh transects. In addition, small pvc wells (2 inch diameter and 1.5 meters deep) will be installed above and below each high marsh transect. We will use pvc stakes to mark high marsh transects below the shrub zone transect. We anticipate that the experiment will run for several years (likely 6-8). The barrier of plastic sheeting will be removed midway through the experiment to observe recovery to initial conditions. At the end of the experiment, all materials will be removed.
Where will the project be located?
North of lumber landing on the Duplin River, Sapelo Island GA, approximately 31o 27'43.69N; 81o 16' 20.77W to 31o27'38.73"N;81o16'20.12"W.
How will you provide GPS coordinates for study sites?
GPS coordinates are listed in the project location field
What are the expected start and end dates of the project?
Start Date: 07/20/2015 End Date: (ongoing)
How many people will access the site and at what frequency?
Once the transects are set up, a single person will visit weekly for four hours to take routine measurements, and several people will visit twice a year for 3 days each to monitor the results of the experiment.
Please list keywords (as many as are appropriate) that describe your project:
What equipment will be deployed in the field?
The primary manipulation will be buried plastic sheeting, 3 feet deep by 10 m long, installed along 5 shrub transects (n=5). In addition, we will use pvc stakes to mark high marsh transects, and will deploy small wells (2 inches diameter x 1.5 m deep). The experiment will run for several (estimated 6-8) years. Plastic sheeting will be removed in the middle of the experiment. At the very end, all equipment will be removed. Total area of deployed stakes and wells will be less than 2 square meters.
Will plants or animals be collected as part of this study?
Yes, we will collect small numbers of plants and animals each year under the UGAMI collection permit.
What are the likely impacts of the project on the site?
The initial manipulation (installing the plastic sheet) will disturb approximately 22 square meters in the Iva zone, plus associated trampling. Removing the sheeting midway through the experiment will have a similar effect. The shrub vegetation should recover within 2-3 years in each case. While the experiment is running, we expect to alter shallow ground water flow, with the result that some plots will be wetter and others dryer (similar to natural variation among years at this site), and we expect ecological communities to respond this variation in groundwater with changes in high marsh plant and invertebrate communities. We will remove the plastic sheeting after several years and monitor the recovery of the hydrology and ecology to its original conditions. The pvc stakes and wells will occupy less than 2 square meters of marsh surface for several years and then be removed. While the project is running, sampling by scientists will cause some trampling of marsh vegetation. We expect that this will recover 1-2 years after the experiment is terminated.
Will the project design include boardwalks? If not, explain why not.
No. The area is sandy, high marsh, and soils should not be highly affected by occasional visits. Thus, boardwalks would be a greater disturbance than occasional trampling of vegetation. We will use portable aluminum boardwalks that we deploy and remove each day to access any areas that prove to be sensitive to occasional foot traffic.
How long will impacts persist after the research is concluded?
We expect to monitor the plots until they have largely recovered from the manipulation. At that point, removing the final pvc stakes and wells will represent a minor disturbance. We will have created trails through the vegetation by walking around the plots. These trails should revegetate in 1-2 years after we stop working at the site.
Study Area Map:
Site Photographs:
Files attached to this application
GCE-67-2015_GPS_Upland_experiment_location.kmz (Compressed KML file, 0.76 kb, submitted 09/14/2015)
[web link: https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/gps_data/GCE-67-2015_GPS_Upland_experiment_location.kmz]
GCE-67-2015_GPS_Water_experiment_diagram.jpg (Jpeg image, 38.5 kb, submitted 09/14/2015)
[web link: https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/gps_data/GCE-67-2015_GPS_Water_experiment_diagram.jpg]
GCE-67-2015_Photos_transect_stake.jpg (Jpeg image, 78.95 kb, submitted 09/14/2015)
[web link: https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/Photos/GCE-67-2015_Photos_transect_stake.jpg]