The diversity of plant species and their distribution in space are both thought to have important effects on the function of wetland ecosystems. However, knowledge of the relationships between plant species and spatial diversity remains incomplete. In this study, we investigated relationships between spatial pattern and plant species diversity over a five year period following the initial restoration of experimental wetland ecosystems. In 2003, six identical and hydrologically-isolated 0.18 ha wetland “cells” were constructed in former farmland in northeast Ohio. The systems were subjected to planting treatments that resulted in different levels of vascular plant species diversity among cells. Plant species diversity was assessed through annual inventories. Plant spatial pattern was assessed by digitizing low-altitude aerial photographs taken at the same time as the inventories. Diversity metrics derived from the inventories were significantly related to certain spatial metrics derived from the photographs, including cover type diversity and contagion. We found that wetlands with high cover type diversity harbor higher plant species diversity than wetlands with fewer types of patches. We also found significant relationships between plant species diversity and spatial patterning of patch types, but the direction of the effect differed depending on the diversity metric used. Links between diversity and spatial pattern observed in this study suggest that high-resolution aerial imagery may provide wetland scientists with a useful tool for assessing plant diversity.
Environmental Studies Program, Biology Department, Oberlin College, Adam Joseph Lewis Center, 122 Elm Street, Oberlin, Ohio, United States of America;Environmental Studies Program, Biology Department, Oberlin College, Adam Joseph Lewis Center, 122 Elm Street, Oberlin, Ohio, United States of America;Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 100 Ecology Building, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America;Environmental Studies Program, Biology Department, Oberlin College, Adam Joseph Lewis Center, 122 Elm Street, Oberlin, Ohio, United States of America;Environmental Studies Program, Biology Department, Oberlin College, Adam Joseph Lewis Center, 122 Elm Street, Oberlin, Ohio, United States of America
Recommended Citation:
Erika C. Brandt,John E. Petersen,Jake J. Grossman,et al. Relationships between Spatial Metrics and Plant Diversity in Constructed Freshwater Wetlands[J]. PLOS ONE,2015-01-01,10(8)