Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Journal

Coastal wetlands play a valuable role in sequestering carbon, but many have been degraded by human activities. Wetland restoration can help re-establish ecosystem function, including long term carbon storage, but the extent is somewhat unknown. One of the factors that determines how much carbon is stored in wetlands is plant tissue chemistry, specifically carbon content and C:N ratio. Plant carbon content directly translates to carbon stored in living biomass, and C:N is an indicator of decomposition rate, which can predict long term carbon storage. Taking C:N as an indicator of decomposition rate and thus longer term carbon storage, and carbon content as an indicator of carbon storage in living biomass, this study examines variation of C:N, carbon, and nitrogen in Salicornia pacifica (pickleweed), a common coastal wetland plant, between restored and established wetlands, as well as across elevations. I found that pickleweed from an established wetland has a higher carbon content than from a restored wetland. I did not find significant differences in pickleweed nitrogen content or C:N between established and restored wetlands, nor any significant differences in pickleweed carbon, nitrogen or C:N across elevations. These results mean that an established wetland contains more carbon in its biomass than its restored counterpart. This suggests that in the short term, established wetlands may store more carbon in their biomass than restored wetlands, but in the long term restored wetlands may store just as much or more carbon as they mature and catch up to their established counterparts.