Role of Flooding Patterns in the Biomass Production of Vegetation in a Typical Herbaceous Wetland, Poyang Lake Wetland, China

Flooding is an important factor influencing the biomass production of vegetation in natural wetland ecosystems. However, how biomass production is linked to flooding patterns in wetland areas remains unclear. We utilized gauging station data, a digital elevation model, vegetation survey data, and a Landsat 8 image to study the effects of average inundation depth (AID) and inundation duration (IDU) of flooding on end-of-season biomass of vegetation in Poyang Lake wetland, in particular, after operation of Three Gorges Dam. The end-of-season biomass of wetland vegetation showed Gaussian distributions along both the AID and IDU gradients. The most favorable flooding conditions for biomass production of vegetation in the wetland had an AID ranging from 3.9 to 4.0 m and an IDU ranging from 39% to 41%. For sites with a lower AID (<3.9 m; IDU < 39%), the end-of-season biomass values were positively related, whereas for sites with a higher AID (4.0 m; IDU > 41%), the end-of-season biomass values were negatively related. After the operation of the Three Gorges Dam, flooding patterns characterized by AID and IDU of the Poyang Lake wetland were significantly alleviated, resulting in a mixed changing trend of vegetation biomass across the wetland. Compared with 1980–2002, the increase of end-of-season biomass in lower surfaces caused by the alleviated flooding pattern far exceeded the decrease of end-of-season biomass in higher surfaces, resulting in an end-of-season biomass increase of 1.0%–6.7% since 2003. These results improved our understanding of the production trends of vegetation in the wetland and provided additional scientific guidance for vegetation restoration and wetland management in similar wetlands.