Impacts of Anthropogenic Disturbances on the Functional Traits of Wetland Plants: A Retrospective Review of Studies Conducted Globally over the Past Two Decades
Bibliographic record
Abstract
As critical reservoirs of biodiversity and providers of ecosystem services, wetland ecosystems play a pivotal role in maintaining global ecological balance. They not only serve as habitats for diverse aquatic and terrestrial organisms but also play substantial roles in water purification, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation. However, intensified anthropogenic activities—including drainage, fertilization, invasion by alien species, grazing, and urbanization—pose unprecedented threats, leading to profound alterations in the functional traits of wetland plants. This review synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed studies published between 2005 and 2024 to elucidate the mechanisms by which human disturbances affect plant functional traits in wetlands. Drainage was found to markedly reduce plant biomass in swamp ecosystems, while mesophyte and tree biomass increased, likely reflecting altered water availability and species-specific adaptive capacities. Mowing and grazing enhanced aboveground biomass and specific leaf area in the short term but ultimately reduced plant height and leaf dry matter content, indicating potential long-term declines in ecological adaptability. Invasive alien species strongly suppressed the growth of native species, reducing biomass and height and thereby threatening ecosystem stability. Eutrophication initially promoted aboveground biomass, but excessive nutrient inputs led to subsequent declines, highlighting ecosystems’ vulnerability to shifts in trophic state. Similarly, fertilization played a dual role: moderate inputs stimulated plant growth, whereas excessive inputs impaired growth performance and exacerbated eutrophication of soils and water bodies. Urbanization further diminished key plant traits, reduced habitat extent, and compromised ecological functions. Overall, this review underscores the profound impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on wetland plant functional traits and their cascading effects on ecosystem structure and function. It provides a scientific foundation for conservation and management strategies aimed at enhancing ecosystem resilience. Future research should focus on disentangling disturbance-specific mechanisms across different wetland types and developing ecological engineering and management practices. Recommended measures include rational land-use planning, effective control of invasive species, and optimized fertilization regimes to safeguard wetland biodiversity, restore ecosystem functions, and promote sustainable development.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.002 | 0.007 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.008 | 0.016 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Open science | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".