Implications of changes in range expansion behavior of salt marshes and mangroves on dominant wetland cover and morphodynamics

Coastal wetlands, salt marshes and mangroves, fulfil important functions for biodiversity conservation and coastal protection, which are inextricably linked to interactions between hydrodynamics, sediment transport and ecology the so-called eco-geomorphological feedback. However, range expansion patterns of salt marshes and mangroves are changing due to both human influences and global change. Human driven introduction of salt marsh species for erosion mitigation starting in the last century e.g. (Europa and China) are influence natural mangrove habitats and its implications are still unfolding. Conversely, within the last decades, a climate change induced ubiquitous trend of mangrove encroachment on salt marshes has been observed globally in the mangrove-salt marsh transition zones, e.g. the southern USA, South America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Here we present a novel eco-morphodynamic model able to predict species-species interactions, i.e. competition and facilitating, sediment transport on morphodynamics. The aim of our study is to predict competitive outcomes of mangrove-saltmarsh interactions resulting from the interaction of species-specific growth and stress tolerance, and additional natural and climatic factors. First results indicate the competitive outcome to be context dependent on the relative growth properties of the mangrove and salt marsh species in question. Thereby providing highly need to context to interpret implication on shifts in species ranges on morphodynamic wetland development.