Study

Comparison between restored and reference sedge meadow wetlands in south-central Wisconsin

  • Published source details Ashworth S.M. (1997) Comparison between restored and reference sedge meadow wetlands in south-central Wisconsin. Wetlands, 17, 518-527.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Transplant or replace wetland soil: freshwater marshes

Action Link
Marsh and Swamp Conservation
  1. Transplant or replace wetland soil: freshwater marshes

    A replicated, site comparison study in 1991 of three mixed sedge meadows/freshwater marshes in Wisconsin, USA (Ashworth 1997) found that wetlands amended with peat from a donor meadow/marsh had higher plant diversity than a natural wetland, and different cover of some key plant species. Statistical significance was not assessed. After five years, both amended wetlands had higher plant diversity than a nearby natural wetland (data reported as a diversity index). Taxa with different cover in amended and natural wetlands included Canadian reedgrass Calamagrostis canadensis (amended: 5–13%; natural: 34%), sedges Carex spp. (amended: 2–12%; natural: 25%) and cattails Typha spp. (amended: 5–13%; natural: 2%). The study reported differences between the amended and natural wetlands in peat depth and water levels, which may have been related to differences in vegetation. Methods: In 1986, sand was removed from two former wetlands and replaced with peat from the surface of a nearby meadow/marsh. The deposited peat formed a layer 5–180 cm thick. In 1991, plant species and their cover were estimated in 1-m2 quadrats along transects: approximately 50 quadrats in each of the two amended wetlands (0.2 ha), and 19 quadrats in an adjacent, undisturbed wetland (<0.01 ha).

    (Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)

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