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Abstract
Geographically isolated depressional wetlands (GIDWs) are important components of biodiversity, and widespread loss has motivated interest in their restoration. Six wetlands in the Coastal Plain of Georgia, USA were studied as part of a hydrologic restoration effort. I paired hydrologic monitoring with soil investigations to determine the most important controls on water availability and assess restoration success. I surveyed the vegetation structure and community composition of ecotones and conducted electromagnetic induction surveys to explore the relationship between plants and soil moisture depletion. Wetland water levels were determined by precipitation stochasticity in the year after restoration, and no effect of treatment was found. Wetland plant communities were distinct between wetlands. A weak relationship between tall shrub cover and increased deep soil moisture variability was identified, but soil moisture varied primarily at the wetland level. Diverse responses to precipitation and unique plant community assemblages suggest that conservation of the diversity of these systems requires working at a landscape scale.