SOUTHEASTERN WETLANDS

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SOUTHEASTERN WETLANDS

• COASTAL
• FORESTED
• RIVERINEFebruary 25, 2003

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FORESTED WETLAND
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COASTAL FRESH WETLAND
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COASTAL WETLANDS
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WETLAND MANAGEMENT FOCUS TONIGHT

• SEASONALLY FLOODED WETLANDS IN THE SOUTHEAST

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WHAT DOES SEASONAL MEAN??

• FLOODED FOR PART OF THE YEAR
• FLOODED DURING WINTER OR DORMANT SEASON IN THE
  SOUTH
• FLOODING OF SHORT DURATION

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WHY ARE SEASONAL WETLANDS IMPORTANT IN THE
SOUTH???

• GOOD CONDITIONS FOR GERMINATION DURING GROWING
  SEASON
• PLANTS PRODUCE SEEDS DURING GROWING SEASON
• PLANTS ARE FLOODED DURING DORMANT SEASON

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RIVERINE WETLANDS
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NATURAL MICROTOPOGRAPHY
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FOCUS TODAY

• MOIST SOIL IMPOUNDMENTS
• GREENTREE RESERVOIRS

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TOPICS

• BASIC WETLAND ECOLOGY
• ABIOTIC
• BIOTIC
• LANDSCAPE SETTING
• PLANT ECOLOGY
• MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

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INFORMATION OF IMPORTANCE

• HISTORIC CONDITION
• CURRENT CONDITION

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DEGREE OF PERTURBATION
INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT
PROTECTION
PHYSICAL
PROCESSES
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LANDSCAPE SETTING

• GEOMORPHOLOGY
• FORMATIVE PROCESSES
• PARENT MATERIALS

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WETLAND MODEL
WETLAND PLANTS
INVERTEBRATES
MICROBES
AMPHIBIANS
FISH
REPTILES
BIRDS
ABIOTIC FACTORS
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ABIOTIC FACTORS

• HYDROLOGY
• SOILS
• CLIMATE
• FIRE

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WETLAND SOIL
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SOIL PROFILE
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WETLAND PLANTS

• TOLERANT OF FLOODING
• ANNUALS PRODUCE ABUNDANT SEEDS
• PERENNIALS PRODUCE UNDERGROUND RESOURCES
• PROVIDE STRUCTURE FOR INVERTEBRATES

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SEEDBANK
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GERMINATION FACTORS

• SOIL TEMPERATURE
• SOIL MOISTURE
• LIGHT
• pH
• SOIL CHEMISTRY

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INVERTEBRATE ADAPTATIONS

• RAPID GROWTH
• RESISTANCE TO DESSICATION
• TIME EMERGENCE
• ACTIVE/PASSIVE DISPERSAL
• IMMIGRATION/EMIGRATION TO FLOOD WATERS

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BUG ABUNDANCE

• COMPLEX PLANT STRUCTURE
• WATER DEPTH
• LENGTH OF FLOODING
• PREDATION

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DECOMPOSITION AND BUGS
PLANT
SOLUBLE NUTRIENTS
LITTER
WATER COLUMN
MICROBES
BUGS AND ALGAE
GRAZERS COLLECTORS FILTER FEEDERS
PREDATORS
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FORAGING DEPTHS
DEEP
GREBES
DIVING DUCKS
WADERS
DABBLING DUCKS
SHOREBIRDS
SHALLOW
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WHAT IS MOIST SOIL MANAGEMENT?

• MANIPULATION OF SOIL AND WATER TO PRODUCE
  RESOURCES FOR WETLAND DEPENDENT WILDLIFE IN
  SEASONALLY FLOODED ENVIRONMENTS

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RESOURCES IN MOIST-SOIL ENVIRONMENTS

• 1. PLANT RESOURCES
• SEEDS
• TUBERS
• BROWSE
• 2. INVERTEBRATES

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RESPONSE TO MOIST SOIL BY VERTEBRATES

• MIGRANT WATERBIRDS
• MIGRANT SPARROWS
• AERIAL FORAGING SONGBIRDS
• BREEDING FISH
• BREEDING AMPHIBIANS
• BREEDING WADERS

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FALL MIGRANT WATERFOWL
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RAILS
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WADERS
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SMARTWEED
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BEGGARTICKS
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NUTSEDGE
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SPIKERUSH
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HIBISCUS
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YELLOWWATERLILYRHIZOME
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PLANT DIVERSITY
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ALLEOPATHY
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IMPORTANCE OF HABITAT CONDITION FOR GERMINATION

• SOIL TEMPERATURE
• SOIL MOISTURE
• SOIL CHEMISTRY
• SOIL NUTRIENTS

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GENERAL PLANT RESPONSE

• EARLY DRAWDOWN SMARTWEEDS
• MID-SEASON DRAWDOWN MILLETS
• LATE SEASON DRAWDOWN
• SPRANGLETOP

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LATITUDE VARIATION

• EARLY DRAWDOWN
• SOUTHERN LOUISIANA FEBRUARY
• ARKANSAS MID-MARCH
• MISSOURI MID-APRIL

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SOIL TEMPERATURE

• COOLER
• EARLY IN SEASON
• IF MOIST
• IF ORGANIC SOIL
• IF LITTER IS PRESENT

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SOIL MOISTURE

• WET
• EARLY IN SEASON
• IF ORGANIC SOIL
• IF LITTER IS PRESENT
• IF SURFACE IS LIGHTER
• IF TEXTURE IS FINE
• IF SOIL IS COMPACTED

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SOIL CONDITIONS FOR GERMINATION

• SMARTWEEDS COOL AND WET
• MILLETS WARM AND MOIST
• SPRANGLETOP HOT AND DRY

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IDENTIFICATION OF SMALL PLANTS
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PLANT DENSITY AT GERMINATION
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EFFECTS OF SUCCESSION

• NO DISTURBANCE
• LOWER SEED PRODUCTION
• MORE PERENNIALS
• MORE WOODY VEGETATION

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CHANGES IN SEED PRODUCTION

• MILLETS
• FIRST YEAR 1800 LBS/ACRE
• SECOND YEAR 1400 LBS/ACRE
• THIRD YEAR 950 LBS/ACRE
• FOURTH YEAR 500 LBS/ARCE

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STRATEGY FOR CONTROL

• MONITORING
• LIMIT EXOTICS AND PERENNIALS
• MULTIPLE TREATMENTS
• PATIENCE

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CONTROL OF VEGETATION

• TILLAGE
• MOWING
• FLOODING
• HERBICIDES

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HEAVY DISC
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UNEVEN SURFACE
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FINISH DISC
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CULTIPACKER
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TOPOGRAPHY AFTER DISKING
HEAVY DISK
FINISH DISK
CULTIPACKER
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PLANTS AFTER DISKING
HEAVY DISK COCKLEBUR
FINISH DISK MILLET
CULTIPACKER ANNUAL SEDGES
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GERMINATION CONDITIONS AND TOPOGRAPHY
WARM AND DRY
COCKLEBUR
COOL AND WET
MILLET
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ROTARY MOWER
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SICKELBAR MOWER
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EFFECTS OF MOWING
GROWING POINT AT BASE
GROWING POINT AT TIP
DICOTS
MONOCOTS
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EFFECTS OF MOWING

• MONOCULTURE OF MONOCOTS
• LESS STRUCTURAL DIVESITY
• POSSIBLE LOSS OF SEED PRODUCTION

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FLOODED COCKLEBUR
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WHAT IS GREENTREE RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT

• MANIPULATION OF WATER IN IMPOUNDED WETLAND FORESTS

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DEEPLY FLOODED FOREST
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FLOODED FOREST
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RESOURCES IN GREENTREE RESERVOIRS

• 1. PLANT FOODS
• HARD MAST
• SOFT MAST
• 2. FOREST INVERTEBRATES
• AQUATIC
• SEMI-AQUATIC

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FINGERNAIL CLAMS
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AQUATIC SOWBUG
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GREENTREE FLOODING REGIME
MANAGED
DEPTH
NATURAL
S O N D J F
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BASALSWELLING
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BASAL SWELLING DAMAGE
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CHLOROSIS
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THIN CANOPY
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VARY FLOODING REGIMES

• WITHIN A YEAR
• AMONG YEARS
• NEVER THE SAME PATTERN

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TAKE HOME LESSONS

• KNOW YOUR SITE
• HAVE AN OBJECTIVE
• MONITOR YOUR RESULTS
• WETLANDS ARE DYNAMIC
• SHALLOW WATER IS BEST
• THINK BEYOND ONE SEASON