| Restoration ecologists could benefit from predictions on how species composition affects community structure and function. We found that plant species richness, frequency, cover, and assemblage composition differed between cells with and without tidal creeks on the marsh plain of Bahia de San Quintin, Mexico. The most common plant assemblage had six species: Batis maritima, Frankenia salina, Salicornia bigelovii, S. virginica, Salicornia sp., and Triglochin concinna.; Emergent seedlings from tidal material, wrack, rabbit pellets, and soil samples were used to assess the temporal and spatial pattern of seed availability and seed accumulation on the marsh plain in two restored sites within Tijuana Estuary, CA. We conclude that seed dispersal and seed bank accumulation were limited for most marsh plain species. Over 90% of seeds were S. virginica , likely a function of this species' abundance and seed characteristics. Even when canopy cover was similar, seed banks differed in composition from reference sites, suggesting that site-based characteristics influence seed bank formation.; We found that T. concinna increases N competition and reduces biomass of competitive species by accumulating a large N pool. N stored in T. concinna tissue, released following shoot decomposition, might be used by other species. Biomass of a 7-species assemblage, composed of the common marsh plain species, was higher when T. concinna was absent. Using 15N stable isotopes, we demonstrated N translocation between T. concinna and the other marsh plain species. We conclude that when N is limiting, competitive dominance of T. concinna over S. virginica occurs belowground, resulting from T. concinna's superior ability to sequester available N; an increase in N-supply augments S. virginica biomass aboveground.; Two appendices present examples of applied wetland ecology. We found that the implementation of various bioretention systems (rain gardens, vegetated swales, trenches, and infiltration basins) in the St. Francis subdivision, Cross Plains, WI, was impaired by existing stormwater ordinances. Then, through mail surveys, we found that satisfaction of landowners enrolled in the federally funded Wetlands Reserve Program in a three-county region in Wisconsin was a function of landowner participation during restoration and economic incentives provided by the program. |
