Development and use of a floristic quality index for coastal Louisiana marshes
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
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Abstract
The Floristic Quality Index (FQI) has been used as a tool for assessing the integrity of plant communities and for assessing restoration projects in many regions of the USA. Here, we develop a modified FQI (FQImod) for coastal Louisiana wetlands and verify it using 12 years of monitoring data from a coastal restoration project. Plant species that occur in coastal Louisiana were assigned a coefficient of conservatism (CC) score by a local group with expertise in Louisiana coastal vegetation. Species percent cover and both native and non-native species were included in the FQImod which was scaled from 0?100. The FQImod scores from the long-term monitoring project demonstrated the utility of this index for assessing wetland condition over time, including its sensitivity to a hurricane. Ultimately, the FQI developed for coastal Louisiana will be used in conjunction with other wetland indices (e.g., hydrology and soils) to assess wetland condition coastwide and these indices will aid managers in coastal restoration and management decisions.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Development and use of a floristic quality index for coastal Louisiana marshes |
| Series title | Environmental Monitoring and Assessment |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10661-011-2125-4 |
| Volume | 184 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Year Published | 2012 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Contributing office(s) | National Wetlands Research Center |
| Description | 15 p. |
| First page | 2389 |
| Last page | 2403 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |