Abstract
Accumulation of significant quantities of organic matter is an important characteristic of anaerobic soils that influences the physical, chemical and biological processes of wetland ecosystems. Organic matter effects include soil water holding capacity, porosity, nutrient storage, nutrient cycling and species composition and abundance of sediment-dwelling invertebrates. These infauna are thought to be important links in transferring primary production from the marsh to the estuarine food web. Tidal marsh restoration and creation often occur on mineral soils that contain little or no organic carbon, and research results indicate that low SOM contents are associated with lower functional value of wetlands. The objectives of this paper are to review the literature and assess the relationship of SOM quantity and quality to functional value of created and restored tidal marshes relative to natural reference marshes. This assessment includes rate of accumulation of organic matter, comparison of carbon and nutrient pools in natural and created marshes, the relationship of organic matter to species composition and abundance of infauna, and the potential for accelerating functional development by adding organic amendments to the soil.
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Broome, S.W., Craft, C.B., Toomey, W.A. (2002). Soil Organic Matter (SOM) Effects on Infaunal Community Structure in Restored and Created Tidal Marshes. In: Weinstein, M.P., Kreeger, D.A. (eds) Concepts and Controversies in Tidal Marsh Ecology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47534-0_32
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47534-0_32
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