Habitat switching
The habitat switching module simulates shifts in vegetative community type given long-term shifts in salinity & inundation due to restoration projects.
The CLEAR habitat switching module is one of the core modules used in the CLEAR framework. This module can be used to predict changes in habitat type under a scenario of no increased restorative action as well as future conditions given different restoration alternatives. Salinity & inundation output from a hydrodynamic model is used as input to forecast changes in wetland types
Habitat switching assumptions include:
(1) land area is based on output from the landscape change module;
(2) emergent herbaceous communities switch in progression from one community to another along a salinity gradient;
(3) swamp forests can switch to intermediate marsh based on salinity;
(4) upland habitats remain upland habitats
It is also understood that the responses of vegetation to physical factors are often indirect, & switching may be mediated by factors including competition, grazing, fertility & even mutualism. The CLEAR Program is working to incorporate these factors into the habitat switching model.
Common habitat types in coastal Louisiana, moving along an inland-fresh salinity gradient to coastal-saline.
.jpg "Swamp forest")
.jpg "Fresh marsh")
.jpg "Salt marsh")
Model output
Output from the habitat switching module is given in 5-year time-steps for 500m x 500m cells across the geographic extent of the CLEAR model domain. Output can be mapped on a coast-wide basis, or output values can be tabulated or graphed to demostrate the shifts in habitat type over the course of the model run.
For more information on Habitat switching, view these publications:
Forecasting 50-years of Habitat Switching in Coastal Louisiana: No Increased Action & Preliminary Draft Master Plan
CLEAR Ecosystem Models Overview
Habitat Switching Module