Study

Amphibian community responses to playa restoration in the Rainwater Basin

  • Published source details Beas B.J. & Smith L.M. (2014) Amphibian community responses to playa restoration in the Rainwater Basin. Wetlands, 34, 1247-1253.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Reprofile/relandscape: freshwater marshes

Action Link
Marsh and Swamp Conservation
  1. Reprofile/relandscape: freshwater marshes

    A replicated, site comparison study in 2008–2009 involving 11 reprofiled ephemeral freshwater marshes (playas) in Nebraska, USA (Beas et al. 2014) found that reprofiled marshes had similar emergent vegetation cover, after 2–11 years, to both degraded and natural playas. In two of two years, emergent vegetation cover did not significantly differ between reprofiled marshes (74–95%), degraded marshes (81–91%) and natural marshes (85–96%). Methods: In June 2008, vegetation cover was recorded in 34 playa marshes (two transects/marsh). Of the marshes, 11 were reprofiled (by removing excess upland sediment to create a graded basin; surrounded by crops or grassland), 11 were degraded (with excess upland sediment; surrounded by and/or planted with crops) and 12 were natural (unaffected by sediment; surrounded by grassland). Surveys were repeated in 32 of the playas in June 2009. This study largely used the same marshes as (11).

    (Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)

Output references
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