Factors associated with urbanization, such as sediment contamination, as well as the presence of many common and rare species in reed marshes, indicate that alteration rather than eradication of reed stands should be considered. Conservation planners should also consider the constraints and opportunities imposed by the urban context of the Meadowlands, especially with regard to the management of habitats dominated by Phragmites. However, other, poorly studied organisms (invertebrates, for example) also contribute to the biodiversity value of the Meadowlands and should be taken into account. Relatively well-studied groups, such as birds and fishes, have received the most attention from local conservation planners. The marshes and swamps of the Meadowlands provide critical habitat for many species, and several species also rely on the upland habitat types. The mix of wetlands and uplands gives rise to a diversity of plant and animal life. Upland habitats are found on bedrock hills and wetland fill. Wetlands make up 3,200 hectares (roughly 7,800 acres) of the Meadowlands, and they include brackish and freshwater marshes dominated by the common reed ( Phragmites australis) as well as cordgrass ( Spartina) marshes and hardwood swamps. Species documented so far include 260-plus birds (33 of which are state-listed as endangered, threatened, or declining), 22 mammals, 51-plus fishes, 51 bees, and 420 plants. The 8,300 hectares (roughly 20,500 acres) of wetlands, uplands, and developed areas of the Hackensack Meadowlands in northeastern New Jersey are a major urban biodiversity reservoir in the New York metropolitan region. ☮cology and Evolution Program, Rutgers University, 1 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Abstract Petersburg, Russiaīiodiversity Patterns and Conservation in the Hackensack Meadowlands, New Jersey by Erik Kiviat and Kristi MacDonald ¹Hudsonia Ltd., P.O. Floristic Investigations of Historical Parks in St.Historical and Current Ecology of the Lower Passaic River.Evaluating Urban Wetland Restorations: Case Studies for Assessing Connectivity and Function.Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Habitat Heterogeneity Between Tide-Restricted and Tide-Open Areas in the New Jersey Meadowlands.Influence of Sediment Characteristics on Heavy Metal Toxicity in an Urban Marsh.Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis as Habitat for the Ribbed Mussel, Geukensia demissa, in Saw Mill Creek of New Jersey's Hackensack Meadowlands.Species Composition and Food Habits of Dominant Fish Predators in Salt Marshes of an Urbanized Estuary, the Hackensack Meadowlands, New Jersey.Biodiversity Patterns and Conservation in the Hackensack Meadowlands, New Jersey.The Meadowlands Before the Commission: Three Centuries of Human Use and Alteration of the Newark and Hackensack Meadows.
Volume two SPECIAL FEATURE: History, Ecology, and Restoration of a Degraded Urban Wetland DECEMBER 2004
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