PROJECT HIGHLIGHT:
The goal of this project is to improve our understanding of long-term changes in the wetland landscape of Northern Mission Bay in San Diego, California, especially its plant communities and how humans interact with them, to inform restoration and management.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
In wetlands, resilience to sea-level rise and increased sea surface temperatures is influenced by the community structure and function of plants. Understanding the historical changes in wetlands, as well as the role of plants in resilience, is essential for accurate predictions and the development of effective management and restoration strategies — including the implementation of land use or water management practices, restoring degraded wetland habitat or hydrology, and promoting sustainable use of wetland resources and cultural practices.
This study combines several research methods to document changes in the wetland landscape, plant communities and the ethnobotanical uses of salt marsh in northern Mission Bay in San Diego. The team has analyzed long-term changes in landscape and plant community structure of the entire wetland — including creeks, salt pannes and vegetation zones — over decades by analyzing aerial imagery dating back to 1928. In each of three zones (low, mid, and high marsh) the team has identified the dominant plant species; total biomass has been estimated for selected areas. Vegetation field plot surveys have also been completed.
Given that the project’s ultimate aim is to impact and improve restoration strategies, the team has met with a community advisory group and begun research to assemble a “palette” of plant species that can guide restoration — noting species that are historically common, historically rare, and once common but now rare and important culturally.
Community Mentors: Theresa Talley (California Sea Grant), Andrew Meyer (San Diego Audubon Society), Kellie Uyeda (Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve), Heather Henter (UC San Diego Natural Reserve System)