Virginia Coastal Program: 1999 Coastal Grant Project Description and Final Summary
Project Task:
FY1999 Task 1.08
Grantee:
College of William and Mary
Project Title:
Avian Use of Created Saltmarshes
Project Description as Proposed:
Project Description
Federal Funding:
$4,906.00
Project Contact:
Dan Cristol; 757.221.2405
Project Status:
Grant Closed
Final Product Received:
Report entitled: Avian Use of Created Wetlands. 10/14/02
Project Summary Provided by Grantee:
Project scope: Over two years, we investigated breeding bird communities on 11 created tidal marshes paired with 11 natural reference sites of similar marsh type, size, and surrounding land use in an attempt to determine whether created wetlands are providing habitat for the same bird communities that are lost when the original wetland was developed. We also compared created marshes with a different set of reference marshes - 11 portions of much larger marshes, with the expectation that any differences detected between created and small marshes would be greater when the created marshes were compared to the larger, more pristine reference sites.
Results: Bird communities on created wetlands had significantly lower values than matched small reference marshes for 11 of 23 avian comparisons, and significantly higher values for none. Thus, created wetlands were supporting fewer species and fewer individuals of most types of birds, especially those that are highly reliant on wetlands and those species likely to be declining (specialists, predators, neotropical migrants). When we compared created marshes with equal-size and shape portions of large reference marshes, we found, contrary to our expectation, no significant differences in bird communities. This probably resulted from the lower proportion of marsh edge in the larger sites, possible differences in likelihood of detection due to size differences, and limitations of the statistical tests to detect small differences. Plant diversity was significantly lower on created sites versus either large or small reference wetlands. Surprisingly, the amount of invasive Common Reed (Phragmites australis) present did not differ between created sites and small references, while it was, as expected, much lower on the less-disturbed large reference wetlands. Thus, because vegetation distribution did not provide a simple explanation for the poor performance of created wetlands when compared to matched natural wetlands, further research is necessary to pinpoint the mechanism responsible for the fact that they are not currently replacing the bird communities lost when small natural wetlands are developed.
Dissemination of results: Manuscript in preparation for submission to an international, peer-reviewed ornithology journal.
Form C end
Disclaimer: This project summary provides the federal dollars initially awarded to the grantee. Due to underexpenditure or reprogramming of grant funds, this figure may change. For more information on the allocation of coastal grant funds, please contact Laura McKay, Virginia Coastal Program Manager, at 804.698.4323 or email: Laura.McKay@deq.virginia.gov
A more detailed Scope of Work for this project is available. Please direct your request for a copy to Virginia.Witmer@deq.virginia.gov
