SGER: The Impact of Hurricanes on Native Plants

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Wetlands support a higher diversity of species than most ecosystems and have many important functions including sheltering fish and wildlife, nutrient cycling, and flood protection. Roughly 30 percent of the nation's plant life is contained by wetlands that encompass only 5 percent of the land area. It is virtually unprecedented for two major hurricanes to strike the same geographic region within 30 days, as occurred in the summer of 2005 with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Louisiana wetlands were particularly hard-hit by flooding and saltwater intrusion. This project will assess the extent of the damage to native plants and determine the ability of impacted plant populations to recover from the severe disturbance.