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  • Presentation | B21B: Advancing Community-Driven Nature-Based Climate Solutions I Oral
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  • B21B-07: Investigating historical land use impacts on vegetation and salmon communities in Coos Bay to inform Pacific Northwest estuarine restoration through biogeochemical and eDNA analyses
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Author(s):
Katya Podkovyroff, University of Oregon (First Author, Presenting Author)
Adrienne Rizzo, University of Oregon
Aaron Drummond, University of Oregon
Katrina Poppe, Western Washington University
Karen Adair, University of Oregon
Ashely Cordes, University of Oregon
Ava Minu-Sepehr, University of Oregon
Jason Younker, University of Oregon
Lillian Aoki, University of Oregon
Brendan Bohannan, University of Oregon
Scott Bridgham, University of Oregon
Lucas Silva, University of Oregon


This study looks at how estuary ecosystems in Oregon and Washington have changed over time, especially since the arrival of European-American settlers in the mid-1800s. We used sediment samples from the Coos Bay Estuary, OR to understand how plant life, salmon populations, and nutrient cycles have shifted. The Coquille Indian Tribe (CIT), who are partnered on the research, shared with our research team that Coos Bay once supported many salmon, which helped shape the local environment. The study investigates how human land use, especially after settlement, likely caused ecosystem damage, reducing salmon numbers, changing vegetation, and altering nutrient levels in the soil. Early results show that restored marshes have more nitrogen available (lower carbon-to-nitrogen ratios and higher nitrogen isotope values), while undisturbed marshes show signs of receiving more plant material from land. These patterns suggest salmon once played a key role in nutrient cycling. DNA from the soil (eDNA) was successfully extracted and will help identify long-term ecological changes. By combining chemical and genetic data, we aim to understand how ecosystems functioned in the past and use that knowledge to guide future habitat restoration and conservation efforts in the Pacific Northwest.



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