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Development and use of a floristic quality index for coastal Louisiana marshes

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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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Wetlands Research Center, Coastal Restoration Assessment Branch, U.S. Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Kari F. Cretini & Gregory D. Steyer

  2. Department of Renewable Resources and Institute for Coastal Ecology and Engineering, University of Louisiana Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, 70506, USA

    Jenneke M. Visser

  3. National Wetlands Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Lafayette, LA, 70506, USA

    Ken W. Krauss

Authors
  1. Kari F. Cretini
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  2. Jenneke M. Visser
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  3. Ken W. Krauss
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  4. Gregory D. Steyer
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Correspondence to Kari F. Cretini.

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Cretini, K.F., Visser, J.M., Krauss, K.W. et al. Development and use of a floristic quality index for coastal Louisiana marshes. Environ Monit Assess 184, 2389–2403 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2125-4

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