4.3 Wetland Natural Communities
increase erosion. Increased frequency may have benefcial efects but increased duration may kill species not adapted to long periods of inundation. More large foods might mean increased river area with increased instability of bars. Tis would come at the expense of forests along the river banks, which are often the least altered forests in the foodplains. If food frequency increases, it might also cause the boundaries between bottomland hard- woods and cypress-gum swamp to shift. Efects on species composition are unknown but changes to the overall community structure are likely, especially in lower reaches that may eventually convert to marsh. Sea Level Rise. Saltwater intrusion associated with sea level rise is expected to have signif- icant adverse efects on lower reaches of blackwater foodplains where it is likely to afect long-term survivability of canopy species. Saltwater intrusion will afect long-term surviv- ability of canopy species in the lower foodplain reaches. Wetlands close to the Cape Fear River near Wilmington and the lower portion of the Scuppernong River near Columbia have already been impacted. No expansion of this community type is possible upstream and expansion into the Piedmont is not possible for this ecosystem. Consequently, the net efect from climate change will be an overall loss of acreage. Because there is not substan- tial potential for the foodplain systems to expand inland, there will be a net loss in area. 4.3.3.4 Climate Change Compared to Other Threats Comparing climate change to other ecosystem threats can help defne short- and long-term conservation actions and recommendations. While climate change is not the most severe threat, a combination of synergistic efects with other existing conditions could stress these systems to the point where several species are unable to persist. Changes in food regimes and rising sea level are the most important climate efects. Most Coastal Plain wetland communities, including blackwater systems, may be moderately vul- nerable to climate change, depending on importance of precipitation and riverine food- ing for hydrologic inputs. Direct loss of wetlands due to sea level rise is expected to be the greatest threat in coastal landscapes (DeWan et al. 2010) . However, these systems will remain common. Table 4.17 summarizes the comparison of climate change with other existing threats. 4.3.3.5 Impacts to Wildlife Appendix G provides a list of SGCN and other priority species for which there are knowl- edge gaps and management concerns. Appendix H identifes SGCN that depend on or are associated with this habitat type.
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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