Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- File Type
Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Assessing Wetland Ecological Condition In The Cuyahoga River Watershed., Siobhan Fennessy, J. J. Mack, E. Deimeke, M. T. Sullivan, J. Bishop, M. Cohen, M. Micacchion, M. Knapp
Assessing Wetland Ecological Condition In The Cuyahoga River Watershed., Siobhan Fennessy, J. J. Mack, E. Deimeke, M. T. Sullivan, J. Bishop, M. Cohen, M. Micacchion, M. Knapp
Siobhan Fennessy
We used an assessment approach combining the USEPA EMAP probabilistic sampling design with existing Ohio wetland assessment tools, including the Ohio rapid assessment method (ORAM), the modified Penn State Stressor Checklist, the Vegetation IBI and the Amphibian IBI, along with a landscape analysis (the Landscape Development Intensity Index) to evaluate the ecological condition of wetlands in the 1,300 km2 Cuyahoga River watershed. Sample sites were selected using the Generalized Random Tesselation Stratified (GRTS) survey design, which provides a geospatially balanced, stratified random sample. The Ohio Wetland Inventory was used as the sample frame for the population of wetlands in the …
Standardized Monitoring Protocols And Performance Standards For Wetland Creation, Enhancement And Restoration, Siobhan Fennessy
Standardized Monitoring Protocols And Performance Standards For Wetland Creation, Enhancement And Restoration, Siobhan Fennessy
Siobhan Fennessy
A condition-based approach to assessing functional replacement for wetland mitigation has been developed using a reference wetland data set of natural wetlands that includes data from the major wetland types that span a gradient of human disturbance. From this data set wetland program tools were developed 1) multimetric biological indices (IBIs) and hydrological and biogeochemical indicators; 2) a rapid (conditionbased) wetland assessment tool (Ohio Rapid Assessment Method for Wetlands); and 3) a wetland classification scheme based on landscape position and dominant vegetation that accounts for variability in ecosystem processes (functions) and ecological services (values) of different types of natural wetlands. …
Review Of: Wetlands- Nutrients, Metals, And Mass Cycling. Edited By J. Vymazal, Siobhan Fennessy
Review Of: Wetlands- Nutrients, Metals, And Mass Cycling. Edited By J. Vymazal, Siobhan Fennessy
Siobhan Fennessy
No abstract provided.
Biogeochemical And Hydrological Investigations Of Natural And Mitigation Wetlands., Siobhan Fennessy
Biogeochemical And Hydrological Investigations Of Natural And Mitigation Wetlands., Siobhan Fennessy
Siobhan Fennessy
We performed a comprehensive investigation of the biota (structure) and biogeochemical cycles (processes or functions) of a population of natural (n = 9) and mitigation wetlands (n = 10). Intensive data were collected on various wetland ecosystem components including: hydrology, soil and water chemistry, characteristics of the plant, macroinvertebrate and amphibian communities, biomass production, decomposition, and nutrient cycles. The goals of the project were as follows: 1) to demonstrate the efficacy of floral and faunal community-based indicators in order to assess the performance of mitigation wetlands, 2) determine the links between floral and faunal community structural attributes and ecosystem processes …
Testing The Floristic Quality Assessment Index As An Indicator Of Riparian Wetland Disturbance., Siobhan Fennessy
Testing The Floristic Quality Assessment Index As An Indicator Of Riparian Wetland Disturbance., Siobhan Fennessy
Siobhan Fennessy
No abstract provided.
The Effectiveness And Restoration Potential Of Riparian Ecotones For The Management Of Nonpoint Source Pollution, Particularly Nitrate, Siobhan Fennessy
The Effectiveness And Restoration Potential Of Riparian Ecotones For The Management Of Nonpoint Source Pollution, Particularly Nitrate, Siobhan Fennessy
Siobhan Fennessy
The interface found where rivers meet terrestrial systems is an ecotone that has a profound influence on the movement of water and waterborne contaminants. Maintaining or restoring ecotone functions and characteristics such as natural near stream vegetation and channel morphology are important means to safeguard water quality in agricultural landscapes. A riparian buffer zone of 20 to 30 m width can remove up to 100% of incoming nitrate. Denitrification is the major pathway of removal and rates depend on nitrate loadings, carbon availability, and hydrology. Denitrification occurs throughout the year as long as subsurface hydrology is intact, whereas plant uptake …
Testing The Floristic Quality Assessment Index As An Indicator Of Wetland Condition, Siobhan Fennessy, Ricardo D. Lopez
Testing The Floristic Quality Assessment Index As An Indicator Of Wetland Condition, Siobhan Fennessy, Ricardo D. Lopez
Siobhan Fennessy
Biological indicators of ecosystem integrity are increasingly being sought for use in ecosystem ashessment and goal-setting for restoration projects. We tested the effectiveness of a plant community-based bioassessment tool. the floristic quality assessment index (FQAI) in 20 depressional wetlands in Ohio, USA. A priori. the 20 depressional wetlands were classified by type and ranked to form a disturbance gradient according to the local landscape condition. Ranks were based on surrounding land~cover characteristics. vegetated buffer characteristics. and the extent of human-induced hydrologic alteration at the wetland site. The index was negatively correlated with the disturbance rank of a wetland and with …
Modeling To Improve Vegetation-Based Wetland Biological Assessment, Siobhan Fennessy
Modeling To Improve Vegetation-Based Wetland Biological Assessment, Siobhan Fennessy
Siobhan Fennessy
The accurate and precise biological assessment of wetland ecosystems has proven to be a significant challenge to natural resource managers. Biological assemblages in wetland ecosystems are highly variable and this variability can confound inferences of biological condition resulting from biological assessments. Efforts to control for this natural biological variation have led to the development of many different biological assessment indices that are based on classification. Classification-based indices often lack broad applicability and may not adequately control for natural sources of biological variation. Biological variation is often associated with natural environmental gradients that modeling techniques may be able to account for. …
Hydrophytes In The Mid-Atlantic Region: Ecology, Communities, Assessment, And Diversity, Siobhan Fennessy
Hydrophytes In The Mid-Atlantic Region: Ecology, Communities, Assessment, And Diversity, Siobhan Fennessy
Siobhan Fennessy
Hydrophytes, or wetland plants, are the most conspicuous and perhaps most colorful element of wetland systems. In the mid-Atlantic region, hydrophytes have been the focus of many studies, resulting in a wealth of information on wetland classification, vegetation stressors, and plant-based assessment tools. For example, exploration of the relationship between hydrophytes and the physical aspects of wetlands has led to a new hydrogeomorphic classification of headwater systems that combines three previously distinct classes. Studies of stressors have shown that plants respond differentially to human-mediated disturbances in the surrounding landscape. Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), a native but highly …
Methods For Evaluating Wetland Condition: Using Vegetation To Assess Environmental Conditions In Wetlands, Siobhan Fennessy
Methods For Evaluating Wetland Condition: Using Vegetation To Assess Environmental Conditions In Wetlands, Siobhan Fennessy
Siobhan Fennessy
In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began work on this series of reports entitled Methods for Evaluating Wetland Condition. The purpose of these reports is to help States and Tribes develop methods to evaluate (1) the overall ecological condition of wetlands using biological assessments and (2) nutrient enrichment of wetlands, which is one of the primary stressors damaging wetlands in many parts of the country. This information is intended to serve as a starting point for States and Tribes to eventually establish biological and nutrient water quality criteria specifically refined for wetland waterbodies. This purpose was to be …
Review Of Rapid Methods For Assessing Wetland Condition, Siobhan Fennessy
Review Of Rapid Methods For Assessing Wetland Condition, Siobhan Fennessy
Siobhan Fennessy
No abstract provided.
Carbon Sequestration In Mediterranean Tidal Wetlands: San Francisco Bay And The Ebro River Delta, Siobhan Fennessy
Carbon Sequestration In Mediterranean Tidal Wetlands: San Francisco Bay And The Ebro River Delta, Siobhan Fennessy
Siobhan Fennessy
Tidal wetlands accumulate soil carbon at relatively rapid rates, in large part because they build soil to counteract increases in sea-level rise. Because of the rapid rates of carbon sequestration, there is growing interest in evaluating carbon dynamics in tidal wetlands around the world; however, few measurements have been completed for mediterranean-type tidal wetlands, which tend to have relatively high levels of soil salinity, likely affecting both plant productivity and decomposition rates. We measured sediment accretion and carbon sequestration rates at tidal wetlands in two mediterranean regions: the San Francisco Bay Estuary (California, USA) and the Ebro River Delta (Catalonia, …