This study examined how different living shoreline designs affect vegetation diversity. The researcher measured vegetation at sites with continuous sills, overlapping sills, and segmented sills. Segmented sills and overlapping sills had higher diversity than continuous sills. Low energy sites also had higher species richness than high energy sites. In conclusion, segmented sills best supported vegetation diversity at low energy sites.

1. Does Living Shoreline Design
Affect Vegetation Diversity?
Kyle Runion
Chesapeake Bay Trust
Introduction:
A living shorelines is a natural bank
stabilization technique. Additions of plant,
sand, and rock provide shoreline protection
and valuable habitat. As the concept of living
shorelines has become more common,
several different design types have evolved.
Continuous Sill
Overlapping Sill
Segmented Sill
Methods:
• Measure site and divide into up to 10
transects
• Sample 1m2 at every other meter of
transect until project edge
• Count shoots and estimate percent
cover of each plant
Results:
• Spartina Patens is more likely to grow
at segmented or overlapping sills
• Continuous Sill tended to have lower
diversity.
• Low Energy tended to have higher
species richness.
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0.1
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0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Continuous Sill Overlapping Sill Segmented Sill
Simpson's Index of Diversity
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10
20
30
40
50
60
Continuous Sill Overlapping Sill Segmented Sill
Spartina Patens
Low Energy
High Energy
Conclusions:
Low Energy
• Segmented and
Overlapping Sills
High Energy
• Segmented Sills
Preference of Low Energy
Hypothesis:
Vegetation at
Segmented sills
will be less
diverse, and low
energy sites will
have higher
diversity.