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Widgeon Grass Restoration


The“ecosystem services” that submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) beds provide include nursery areas for various species, sediment stabilization, food production, and nutrient uptake have been valued at $9,000 per hectare per year. Since the Caloosahatchee has ruppiaover 5,000 hectares of shallows where various SAV species could potentially colonize,millions of dollars worth of “ecosystem services” are being lost every year.

The main stem of the Caloosahatchee River as of late has had almost no SAV though conditions appear to be generally appropriate for plant growth perhaps to a depth of one meter. This may be partly a result of: 1) insufficient plant biomass and production to exceed the level of plant grazing, and 2) too few seeds or plants to initiate any potential population expansions.  Widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima),another submersed monocot has the ability to thrive throughout the river because of its wide tolerance to a large range of salinities (0 to 70 ppt).

Initiated in the summer and fall of 2008, this study is addressing the need for a population that can be used to monitor effects of water quality changes. Approximately 50 m2 of widgeon grass will be planted with individuals propagated in outdoor tanks. After the establishments of enclosed plots along a typically brackish section of the estuary, the one-year study will be: 1)monitoring growth and spread from the exclosures; 2) determining potential grazing rates (by measuring loss from uncaged plants); 3)light attenuation thresholds; and 4) estimating bed sizes needed for uncaged plants to survive.

Using the the established plots we will be able to judge the ecosystem effects of water quality changes (success of Everglades RECOVER restoration efforts) which we would otherwise be unable to do in the absence of thriving SAV populations.

Read the final report.