PLUM ISLAND ECOSYSTEM LTER DATABASE

DATA FILE: LTE-EX-ARGILLA RM VEGTRANS.xls

DOCUMENTATION FILE: LTE-EX-ARGILLA RM VEGTRANS.doc

YEAR: 1995-2002

PI: Robert Buchsbaum

OTHERS: John Catena, Eric Hutchins (both of National Marine Fisheries Service, Gloucester, MA)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DATA FILE: Plant species presence along vegetation transects at the Argilla Rd. salt marsh restoration site (Ipswich) and Rough Meadows reference marsh (Rowley – Stackyard Road area).

KEYWORDS: Phragmites australis, Spartina alterniflora, salt marsh, restoration, tidal restriction, invasive species, salt marsh vegetation

SITE TYPE: Long term data set. Not directly part of the PIE LTER, but a companion study.

RESEARCH LOCATION: Argilla Rd. salt marsh is located on land owned by the Trustees of Reservations between Castle Hill and Crane Beach. Rough Meadows salt marsh includes marshes located on the north side of Patmos Road in Rowley. Some sections are part of Massachusetts Audubon’s Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary and additional sections are owned by Dan McHugh.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND METHODS: Line intercept method as described in Brower, J., J. Zar, and C. von Ende (1990) Field and Laboratory for General Ecology. Wm. C. Brown. Transects typically start at edge of marsh creek in Spartina sp. and run perpendicular from creek into a zone of Phragmites australis. Lengths of individual transects vary from 25-60 m depending on the shape of the marsh sites. The presence of plants within each one meter interval along the transect line was recorded. Data then converted into % frequency.

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

VARIABLE DESCRIPTION:

SITE = Site where data collected

TRANSECT = Transect number

YEAR = Year data collected

INTERVAL = Interval along transect in one meter increments, generally from the edge of a creek running perpendicular to that creek.

VARIABLES “Phragmites Australis” through “Lonicera sp.” = species names. If that species is present at that site/transect/year/interval it is marked with a “1” and if absent, with a “0”.

COMMENT = notes and comments

CALCULATIONS:

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Robert Buchsbaum

OTHER DATA FILES TO REFERENCE: LTE-EX-ARGILLA RM VEGQUADS.xls, LTE-EX-ARGILLA RM VEGSTN.xls

REFERENCE CITATIONS:

DATA AVAILABILITY STATUS: Type 2

ARCHIVE INFORMATION:

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