AUTHOR=Zhu Zhenchang , Bouma Tjeerd J. , Zhu Qin , Cai Yanpeng , Yang Zhifeng TITLE=Effects of Waves and Sediment Disturbance on Seed Bank Persistence at Tidal Flats JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2021 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.728065 DOI=10.3389/fmars.2021.728065 ISSN=2296-7745 ABSTRACT=
Coastal wetlands such as salt marshes have been increasingly valued for their capacity to buffer global climate change effects, yet their long-term persistence is threatened by environmental changes. Whereas, previous studies largely focused on lateral erosion risk induced by stressors like sea level rise, it remains poorly understood of the response of lateral expansion to changing environments. Seedling establishment is a key process governing lateral marsh expansion as seen in many coastal regions such as Europe and East Asia. Here, we evaluate mechanistically the response of seed bank dynamics to changing physical disturbance at tidal flats, using the globally common coastal foundation plant, cordgrass as a model. We conducted a large-scale field study in an estuary in Northwest Europe, where seed bank dynamics of cordgrass in the tidal flats was determined and linked to