Soil Organic Matter (SOM) Effects on Infaunal Community Structure in Restored and Created Tidal Marshes

Abstract

Accumulation of significant quantities of organic matter is an importantcharacteristic of anaerobic soils that influences the physical, chemicaland biological processes of wetland ecosystems, Organic matter effectsinclude soil water holding capacity, porosity, nutrient storage,nutrient cycling and species composition and abundance ofsediment-dwelling invertebrates. These infauna are thought to beimportant links in transferring primary production from the marsh to theestuarine food web. Tidal marsh restoration and creation often occur onmineral soils that contain little or no organic carbon, and researchresults indicate that low SOM contents are associated with lowerfunctional value of wetlands. The objectives of this paper are to reviewthe literature and assess the relationship of SOM quantity and qualityto functional value of created and restored tidal marshes relative tonatural reference marshes. This assessment includes rate of accumulationof organic matter, comparison of carbon and nutrient pools in naturaland created marshes, the relationship of organic matter to speciescomposition and abundance of infauna, and the potential for acceleratingfunctional development by adding organic amendments to the soil.