Hybrid Cattail (Typha x glauca) Growth and Nutrient Content along a Water Depth Gradient in Two Prairie Marshes By Heidi Marliese Peterson A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Biological Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2015 by Heidi Marliese Peterson Abstract This study examined how growth and nutrient content of hybrid cattail (Typha x glauca) responded to water depth and hydroperiod in Oak Hammock Marsh and Delta Marsh, Manitoba. Above- and belowground biomass was collected along a water depth gradient at Oak Hammock Marsh and analyzed for total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, shoot height, and density. Shoot height and biomass allocation exhibited a plastic response to increasing water depth, indicating that hybrid cattail can adjust to environmental conditions associated with deeper water. Nitrogen uptake increased concomitantly with phosphorus but was disproportionately allocated to aboveground tissue. Archival data from experimental wetland cells in Delta Marsh subject to either one or two years of drawdown showed that drawdown duration did not result in different hybrid cattail aboveground biomass or phosphorus and nitrogen content. This is likely because the wetlands had reached the degenerating stage of the prairie marsh wet-dry cycle only four years after drawdown. Hybrid cattail was able to maintain productivity from upland to 55 cm of standing water which allows for latitude in wetland design and water level management. Quick progression to the degenerating stage presents a challenge to wetlands managed for nutrient removal because of decline in productivity and necessity for frequent drawdowns. i Acknowledgements I am most grateful to my advisor, Dr. Gordon Goldsborough, for his knowledge, encouragement, and unwavering support. This research would not have happened without you! I thank my committee members, Dr. Mark Hanson and Dr. John Markham, for their help with this manuscript and providing advice along the way. A special thanks goes to Andrew Olynyk for being an amazing help in the field. I thank Dr. Don Flaten and Mike Stainton for welcoming me into their labs, and Anthony Buckley and Paul Martin for showing me the ropes. For their professional advice and words of wisdom, I thank Dr. Dale Wrubleski, Lisette Ross, Llewellyn Armstrong, Dr. Iggy Litaor, and Idan Barnea. I am grateful to the Province of Manitoba for allowing me to study Oak Hammock Marsh, and Ducks Unlimited Canada for providing me with lab space and access to the Marsh Ecology Research Program datasets. I appreciate the following for their generous financial contributions: Keren Kayemeth Leisrael – Jewish National Fund, Winnipeg Chapter (as part of a Manitoba-Israel research partnership coordinated by Ducks Unlimited Canada, during which I spent six months working at the Migal Laboratories in Israel); Minister of Water Stewardship Scholarship for International Studies; University of Manitoba Faculty of Science Graduate Scholarship, Eugene Reimer Memorial Scholarship, and Delta Marsh Scholarship. I am grateful for the University of Manitoba Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, and Faculty of Graduate Studies for providing me with funds to travel and share my work with my peers. To my friends and family, thank you for showing interest, even when you were bored. And last but certainly not least, I thank my husband, Kerry Peterson, for his constant love and support, his patience with my stress, and enthusiasm with my success. ii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 – Literature Review ...................................................................................... 1 1.1. Wetlands .................................................................................................................. 1 1.2. North American Prairie Marshes ............................................................................ 4 1.3. Prairie Marsh Emergent Macrophytes .................................................................. 17 1.3.1. Adaptations to the Prairie Marsh Environment ............................................. 17 1.3.2. Functions in the Prairie Marsh Ecosystem .................................................... 19 1.3.3. Prairie Marsh Factors that Affect Growth and Nutrient Content .................. 21 1.3.4. Species Zonation ........................................................................................... 24 1.3.5. A Prairie Marsh Invasive: Hybrid Cattail (Typha x glauca) ......................... 25 1.4. Prairie Marsh Wet-Dry Cycle ............................................................................... 29 1.5. Wetland Functions and Values ............................................................................. 36 1.5.1. Ecological Benefits ....................................................................................... 36 1.5.2. Environmental Benefits ................................................................................. 37 1.5.3. Economic and Sociocultural Benefits ........................................................... 38 1.6. Wetland Loss, Restoration, and Management....................................................... 40 1.6.1. Wetland Loss ................................................................................................. 40 1.6.2. Wetland Restoration and Management ......................................................... 43 1.7. Objectives and Hypotheses ................................................................................... 44 Prairie Marshes in Southern Manitoba .................................................... 46 2.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 46 2.2. Oak Hammock Marsh Wildlife Management Area .............................................. 47 2.3. Delta Marsh and the Marsh Ecology Research Program ...................................... 56 2.3.1. Delta Marsh ................................................................................................... 56 2.3.2. Marsh Ecology Research Program ................................................................ 60 Effect of Water Depth on Emergent Macrophyte Biomass and Nutrient Content at Oak Hammock Marsh, Canada ....................................................................... 65 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 65 3.2. Methods ................................................................................................................. 69 iii 3.2.1. Study Site ...................................................................................................... 69 3.2.2. Field Collection and Sample Processing ....................................................... 72 3.2.3. Laboratory Analysis ...................................................................................... 82 3.2.4. Data Analysis ................................................................................................ 86 3.3. Results ................................................................................................................... 87 3.4. Discussion ........................................................................................................... 105 3.4.1. Water Depth Profile..................................................................................... 105 3.4.2. Emergent Macrophyte Taxa Distribution .................................................... 107 3.4.3. Biomass and Morphological Response to Water Depth .............................. 109 3.4.4. Nutrient Content Response to Water Depth ................................................ 116 3.5. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 119 Effect of Water Depth and Hydroperiod on Emergent Macrophyte Biomass and Nutrient Content in Constructed Wetlands in Delta Marsh, Manitoba ..... 122 4.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 122 4.2. Methods ............................................................................................................... 125 4.2.1. Site Description ........................................................................................... 125 4.2.2. Field Collection, Sample Processing, and Analysis .................................... 128 4.2.3. Data Processing and Analysis ..................................................................... 129 4.3. Results ................................................................................................................. 135 4.4. Discussion ........................................................................................................... 138 4.4.1. Biomass Response to Water