Posted by Lucy Zipf
As Caitlin mentioned in the last post, the Primack lab
(Amanda, Caitlin, Richard, Abe Miller-Rushing, and I) got together in early
June to set up a salt marsh experiment in Acadia National Park in Maine.
Caitlin, Amanda,
Richard and me, collecting plants for transplant in the low marsh in Bass Harbor
The study will test the effect of sea-level rise on growth
and reproduction of salt marsh cord grass in low and mid tidal marsh vegetation.
We chose two beautiful sites in the park, one in Bass Harbor and one on
Thompson Island. We reciprocally transplanted individual plants of the two cord
grass species between the low and mid marsh, exposing the mid marsh plants to a
higher inundation intended to imitate sea-level rise. Low marsh plants
transplanted to the mid marsh will experience a lower inundation comparable to
a sea-level fall. We will monitor growth and reproduction in all of our
transplants as well as control plots throughout the growing season.
Holding a Spartina alterniflora sample ready for
transplant to the mid marsh
Transplanted Spartina alterniflora (cordgrass) in the
mid marsh, which is dominated by Spartina
patens (marsh hay)
Thanks to everyone for their help with the set up for this
study! It involved some hard work and we had a lot of fun.
Caitlin, Abe and me, celebrating successful Spartina
alterniflora collection
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