A systematic review of published evidence linking wetland plants to water regime components

Abstract

We used the Eco Evidence method for systematic review to analyze the literature for evidence of causal relationships between components of wetland water regimes (waterlogging, inundation, depth, duration, frequency, timing) and their effects on plant establishment, growth, reproduction, assemblage composition and diversity. Using systematic keyword searches of Thompson ISI's Web of Science, we located 102 studies. Some studies examined multiple water regime components and/or plant characteristics. Overall, the papers yielded 281 pieces of evidence relevant to 38 cause-effect hypotheses. Of these papers, 49% studied plant growth responses. Inundation and water depth were the most-commonly stu..