Linking Landscapes to Wetland Condition: A Case Study of Eight Headwater Complexes in Pennsylvania

摘要: A major focus of wetland management is on documenting condition, identifying stressors, and determining the relationship between two. One challenge this work to relate understand pathways stressors that are being controlled at landscape scale microbially mediated ecosystem ­processes (e.g., nitrification, denitrification, decomposition, methanogenesis) ­happening much smaller spatial extents. In chapter, we use a preexisting multiple-stress function (alternately termed an anthropogenic or human disturbance indicator) select study sites for comparison condition metrics. More specifically, case eight headwater complexes, four reference standard sites, “stressed” where site level structural components compared contrasted. The were selected analysis those known influence processes. We reveal many significant differences in these groups both parameters across space time, components. addition collecting process-based data, suggest connecting baseline data such as described herein with models, way begin hypothesize what collective effects processes, well which most influential. With understanding it becomes easier link processes landscape-driven through knowledge about links structure. also shifting some attention spatiotemporal dynamics stressor(s), order determine feasibility managing, restoring, and/or protecting ecosystems.