Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MARYLAND
(N/A)
COLLEGE PARK,MD 20742
Performing Department
Environmental Science and Technology
Non Technical Summary
Many coastal salt marshes in the Northeast U.S. were drained through hand-dug ditches in the 1930s to reduce mosquitos. However, this drainage may have harmed these marsh habitats and may not be effective for mosquito control. Ditch-plugging may be an effective method to restore these marshes, but has not been widely implemented because we are not certain if it will be an effective restoration practice and if it will cause an increase in mosquitos. In this study we will collect pre-restoration data at three marsh areas that are scheduled for ditch-plugging by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in the fall of 2012; these data will allow us to conduct post-restoration studies at these sites. We will assess conduct a series of interviews to assess stakeholder knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards salt marsh restoration. We anticipate that our results will show that ditch plugging will increase salt marsh ecosystem services and sustainability without increasing mosquito production and that community-based education and engagement is essential for successful restoration implementation.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of this project is to facilitate the restoration of ditch-dredged coastal marshes through better scientific and social information. Specific objectives are to: 1. Collect pre-restoration ecological data at three marsh areas (Deal Is. WMA, Somerset Co.; EA Vaughn WMA, Worcester Co.; and Assateague State Park, Worcester Co.) in order to be able to conduct a longer-term BACI (before, after, control, impact) study design in future years; 2. Test specific factors by which ditch-plugging and climate (e.g., salinity, temperature, humidity) are likely to regulate mosquito production using laboratory experiments; 3. Assess stakeholder knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards salt marshes, restoration activities, and climate change; 4. Develop preliminary estimates of the regional impacts of ditch-plugging on two focal services: mosquito regulation and marsh elevation gain; 5. Engage with stakeholders to inform restoration policies and implementation plans.
Project Methods
We will sample hydrological (water level & quality), soil (soil C and N content, bulk density, surface accretion, root zone elevation change, net surface elevation change), vegetation (plant species composition, vegetative cover and height, aboveground biomass, belowground production), and mosquito (species composition, abundance) variables along transects that begin 50-m from the tidal source (at approximate ditch-plug positions) and extend upland to traverse both low to high marsh ecotypes. At each site, variables will be measured at 12 sampling stations in each ecotype using standard methods. Laboratory experiments on mosquitos will be conducted. Mated females of Aedes sollicitans, Culex salinarus and other common mosquitoes will be allowed to oviposit under long day length (14:10, L:D) to mimic summer conditions. Replicate batches of eggs will be placed into open glass vials and housed in 250-mm plastic desiccators creating appropriate humidity conditions and housed within environmental chambers that span summer temperatures under different climates. We will assay batches or eggs for mortality after 2, 4, and 8 weeks and 3 months. Proportional mortality of eggs will be analyzed using logistic regressions with temperature, relative humidity, and time as continuous variables and species as a categorical variable. We will use social science tools to study stakeholder knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards salt marshes, restoration activities, and climate change. We will conduct targeted key informant interviews (n=15) of environmentalists, farmers, agency officials, and community members to identify key issues relevant to salt marsh restoration.