SGER: The Impact of Hurricanes on Native Plants

湿地比大多数生态系统支持更高的物种多样性，并具有许多重要功能，包括为鱼类和野生动物提供庇护，营养循环和防洪。全国大约30%的植物生活在湿地中，而湿地只占陆地面积的5%。两个主要飓风在30天内袭击同一地理区域，这实际上是前所未有的，就像2005年夏天的卡特里娜飓风和丽塔飓风一样。路易斯安那州的湿地受到洪水和盐水入侵的打击尤为严重。该项目将评估本地植物受到的破坏程度，并确定受影响植物种群从严重干扰中恢复的能力。

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.