Abstract

Wetlands provide many unique and important ecological functions, making them one of the most valuable ecosystems. When wetland destruction is unavoidable, creation or restoration of wetlands is a mandatory practice in order to recover lost ecosystem function. However, created wetlands often fail to provide functions and services equivalent to natural wetlands. The addition of carbon-rich plant compost has been shown to alter soil characteristics and biogeochemistry in wetlands. However, the impacts on wetland community structure are unknown. I evaluated the impact of long- term leaf-litter compost addition on soil properties, community structure of invertebrates and plants, algal photosynthesis and soil metabolism in two forested and one emergent created wetland. The three wetlands varied in prior land-use, hydrology, and time since construction and compost addition. Site differences in treatment impacts likely reflected antecedent land use history (row crop or pasture), wetland age (15, 12, 6 yr), hydrology, and time since last compost addition (5, 4, <1 yr). Overall, compost addition effectively increased soil moisture and organic matter while decreasing bulk density. Soil respiration and net metabolism were also enhanced by compost, indicating more rapid biogeochemical cycling, even years after compost addition. Benthic chlorophyll a levels were lower in the compost treatment, but GPP was higher. At some sites, compost reduced plant cover or diversity, indicating potential pitfalls of using compost as a singular management strategy. While macroinvertebrate communities were similar between treatments, there were site and seasonal differences associated with variation in temperature and hydrology. These results suggest that while compost additions can improve some functions associated with soil characteristics and biogeochemistry, integration with other management practices is needed to promote long-term ecological success. Continuous monitoring and adaptive management are crucial for optimizing the benefits of soil amendments and enhancing the ecological performance of created wetlands.

Publication Date

6-3-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Environmental Science (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences

College

College of Science

Advisor

Anna Christina Tyler

Advisor/Committee Member

Carmody McCalley

Advisor/Committee Member

Karl Korfmacher

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Download

Share

COinS