Progress 04/01/06 to 04/01/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Background data gaps: a. We knew very little about the natural beds in the Bay, their extent, density, flowering, productivity, or genetic diversity or structure. It seemed imperative that we gather basic information and assess variability if we were to choose donor material or evaluate success of restoration sites. b. Little was known about the most effective methodologies for restoration. We suggested an experimental approach. Previous efforts with transplanting had met with limited success, and conditions suggested that seeding techniques would be an appropriate focus. Task 1: We conducted a survey effort to collect information on naturally occurring beds that could serve as donors and reference sites for restoration projects. Task 2: Within several of these beds we sought to compare characteristics along a depth gradient. This was to better understand finer scale differences in bed characteristics that could influence where in the bed we collect donor material. Task 3: We tested a new buoy-deployed seeding technique (BuDS), and compared this technique to other planting methodologies. We compared restoration success of multiple donor populations, including an annual population, and we tested the success of different restoration sites. Task 4: We tested broadcast seeding, commonly used for eelgrass restoration, as one of the alternate methodologies. Task 5: We evaluated the potential for using substrate intended for native oyster establishment as a mechanism to increase eelgrass establishment and survivorship. Task 6: We held a San Francisco Bay Eelgrass Restoration Workshop on November 3, 2006 to assess the current state of knowledge on eelgrass (Zostera marina) resources and restoration in San Francisco Bay and to suggest future directions. Outreach: 1. Project featured on Save the Bay website: http://www.savesfbay.org/site/pp.aspc=dgKLLSOwEnH&b=891711. 2. Interview in Save the Bay's Winter 2008 "Watershed": http://www.savesfbay.org/site/pp.aspc=dgKLLSOwEnH&b=490259. 3. Bay Area ABC affiliate report in August 2005. 4. Webcast seminar, Romberg Tiburon Center/SF Bay NERR headquarters in August 2007. 5. CNN Headline News interview in May 2007. 6. Article in the Alameda Sun in June 2007: http://www.alamedasun.com/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=1 627&Itemid=10. 7. We placed interpretive signs along the shorelines, and fielded phone calls from community members. 8. Wetlands Ecology, Restoration Ecology, and Marine Ecology courses at San Francisco State University. 9. The Wetlands Ecology class assisted with the project. 10. Crumb and Kiriakopolos gave presentations at a Tiburon Audubon open house in September 2007. 10. Presentation to the Tiburon Sunset Rotary Club in February 2008. 11. Podcast sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture in September 2008: http://yourwetlands.org/podcast/. 12. Conferences: Restore America's Estuaries, Western Society of Naturalists, Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation, CALFED Science Conference, and State of the San Francisco Estuary meeting. 13. Forthcoming article coming in the Journal of Heredity Science. PARTICIPANTS: Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria, Research Professor, Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington. Kathy Boyer, Assistant Professor of Biology, Romberg Tiburon Center, San Francisco State University. Stephanie Kiriakopolos, Research Technician, Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University. Sarah Cohen, Assistant Professor of Biology, Romberg Tiburon Center, San Francisco State University. Esa Crumb, graduate student, S. Cohen lab. Brian Ort, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University. Laura Reynolds, Research Technician, Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University. Lindsey Carr, Research Technician, Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University. Natalie Cosentino-Manning, Marine Ecologist/Restoration Specialist, NOAA Restoration Center. Abe Doherty, Project Manager, San Francisco Bay Conservancy Program, California Coastal Conservancy. Mark Fonseca, Team Leader, Applied Ecology and Restoration Research, National Ocean Service / NOAA, Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research. Jessie Jarvis, Doctoral Student, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Keith Merkel, Merkel and Associates. Bob Orth, Professor of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Chris Pickerell, Habitat Restoration Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Marine Program. Fred Short, Research Professor, Natural Resources and Marine Science, University of New Hampshire, Jackson Estuarine Laboratory. Ron Thom, Staff Scientist and Manager, Coastal Assessment and Restoration Group, Marine Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Save the Bay (STB) staff and volunteers. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include marine scientists, resource managers, consultants, educators, students, and the general public. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Bed spatial extent assessment through wading and snorkeling with a GPS unit was not successful and we instead recommend periodic surveys (every 3-5 years) with sidescan sonar or a similar technique that permits detection of plants through turbid waters.
Impacts
Task 1: Our data can serve as a guide when assessing restored eelgrass beds, and provide a baseline for future evaluation of impacts to these beds. That beds vary in their structural and functional characteristics as well as genetic structure indicates that beds are unique and should be managed as such. We emphasize the importance of periodic monitoring. Task 2: In two perennial beds and one bed that is primarily annual but perennial at the deepest zones, shoot densities declined with depth while the total number of spathes on flowering shoots was greater with depth. Differences in sediment organic matter and percent sand may have influenced patterns; however, the one bed that showed genetic differentiation with depth did not differ in sediment characteristics. Shallow regions can be used as sources for restoration material to maximize logistical ease and participation by volunteers. At Crown Beach we suggest greater caution as the annual life history in the shallower regions suggest it should be a conservation priority because it does not have an alternate mechanism for persistence if its seed viability or survivorship are low in a given year. Task 3: The buoy-deployed seeding (BuDS) system is unique: the sowing of seeds mimics natural dispersal and citizen volunteers can be actively involved in assembly and deployment of the buoy units. Of the three methods we tested, the BuDS technique was the most successful. Buoy-deployed seeding holds promise for future large-scale restoration projects. However, careful site selection is essential. We recommend small-scale test plots or other methods of refining site selection before proceeding with larger scale efforts. Transplantation of whole shoots should still be considered despite poor success of frame transplants; additional study has found high transplant success in many locations using a bamboo stake technique to hold shoots in place until rooting. However, genetic diversity is unlikely to be introduced or maintained when compared to seed-based restoration methods, and does not allow novel genetic combinations that provide the raw material for localized adaptation. Task 4: Broadcast seeding, though commonly used in other regions, was not successful. It produced a small number of seedlings at only one restoration site, and these did not persist. Our successes with buoy-deployed seeding and the relative ease by which that technique is employed lead us to recommend proceeding with buoy-deployed seeding rather than further evaluation of broadcast seeding. Task 5: Pacific oyster shell inserted into the sediments in order to protect young seedlings did not persist in the sandy sediments. We did not find evidence that oyster shell bags placed in u-shaped plots benefitted eelgrass seedlings. Shell bags or other oyster substrate structure in close proximity to eelgrass might reduce herbivory by Canada Geese. Task 6: We distributed a "Lessons Learned" document and speaker presentations to attendees and other interested resource managers, scientists, and consultants in the area.
Publications
- Boyer, K. E., L. K. Reynolds, and S. Wyllie Echeverria. 2007. Restoring the seagrass, Zostera marina L., in San Francisco Bay: experimental evaluation of a seeding technique. Final Report to the NOAA Restoration Center Research Program.
- Ort, B., and S. Cohen. 2007. Establishing eelgrass (Zostera marina) in mesocosms using a seeding technique: assessment of genetic diversity. Final report to the California Coastal Conservancy/Ocean Protection Council, Grant agreement No. 05-103.
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