. Assessing the natural range of variability in minimally disturbed wetlands across the Rocky Mountains : the Rocky Mountain ReMAP project. Wetlands; Wet meadow ecology; Shrubland ecology; Flowers. ability. However, some Level 2 metrics, particu- larly those related to vegetation structure and topo- graphical complexity, did appear to have potential for capturing variability For example, wetland as- sessment metrics often include the abundance, type and interspersion of patches. If values for these metrics vary widely among minimally disturbed wetlands and the variability is linked to wetland
. Assessing the natural range of variability in minimally disturbed wetlands across the Rocky Mountains : the Rocky Mountain ReMAP project. Wetlands; Wet meadow ecology; Shrubland ecology; Flowers. ability. However, some Level 2 metrics, particu- larly those related to vegetation structure and topo- graphical complexity, did appear to have potential for capturing variability For example, wetland as- sessment metrics often include the abundance, type and interspersion of patches. If values for these metrics vary widely among minimally disturbed wetlands and the variability is linked to wetland class or region, this would be an important factor to consider in designing wetland assessments. By contrast, if the variable responses exist but can- not be linked to wetland class or region, then these metrics may not lend themselves to describing a dose-response relationship between stressors and condition. Because a related goal of this project was to refine the Level 1, 2 and 3 indicators and methods so that they could be standardized into a regional assess- ment protocol, we decided to combine the Montana and Colorado Ecological Integrity Assessment (EIA) methods into a full draft protocol (Appendix E), carrying out complete assessments at every site. This allowed us to test the reliability of all metrics, establish baseline values for Level 2 metrics at ref- erence sites, and use selected Level 2 and Level 3 vegetation metrics to fully assess the range of natu- ral variability in our target sites. we collected information on multiple ground cover variables including standing water, bare ground, lit- ter, woody debris, and nonvascular plant species. In these intensive modules we identified all vascular plants to species and estimated each species abso- lute cover for the 100 m2 module. 10 METERS. Figure 2. Flexible-plot layout (adaptedfrom Peetetal. 1998). Methods Field sampling: Field crews established an assess- ment area (AA) of ha centered on the selected sample p
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