Inter- and Intraspecific Variation in Carbon and Nutrient Pools of Salt Marsh Plants

Inter- and Intraspecific Variation in Carbon and Nutrient Pools of Salt Marsh Plants PDF Author: Tracy Elsey-Quirk
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781109671841
Category : Plant nutrients
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
This study examined both inter- and intraspecific variation of four dominant salt marsh macrophytes, a high marsh shrub, Baccharis halimifolia, a high marsh rush, Juncus roemerianus, a mid-marsh grass, Spartina patens, and the low marsh grass that is ubiquitous in wetlands along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, short-form S. alterniflora. Chapter One evaluates the seasonal C pool dynamics of the four species including the seasonal allocation of above- and belowground C pools, C pool loss through decomposition, and soil C concentration in a wetland fringing Little Assawoman Bay, one of Delaware's Coastal Bays. To determine whether the rate of vertical accretion and organic matter accumulation differed between the low, S. alterniflora and high, J. roemerianus zones, soil cores from the two zones were used to measure 137 Cs and 210 Pb activity. Total plant C pools of the mid- and low marsh grass species, Spartina patens (4360 g C m -2) and Spartina alterniflora (4197 g C m -2), were similar and almost two and three times larger than total pools of Juncus roemerianus (2508 g C m -2) and Baccharis halimifolia (1490 g C m -2), respectively. Moving from the high to low marsh zones, the C pool shifted from primarily aboveground to belowground. Baccharis had the greatest aboveground C storage (1140 g m -2) and the slowest rate of C loss. Chapter Two examines interspecific variation in N pool dynamics in the four species including seasonal allocation of N pools above- and belowground, N loss through decomposition, N resorption efficiency, and soil N concentration. The seasonal fluctuation in the total N pools of the herbaceous species was due to belowground N pool dynamics, particularly fine root and dead large and small-sized macroorganic matter fluxes. Comparisons among the species revealed that the location, magnitude and timing of N storage and dispersal differed, which is important in the context of how species will shift in response to environmental change. Chapter Three describes the above- and belowground species associations in the fringing wetland and whether or not species shifts have occurred. Accurate productivity measurements in fringing wetlands may be dependent on species-specific organic matter separation, particularly belowground. Vegetation change in salt marshes may also become apparent when comparing above- and belowground species-specific live and dead organic matter. We surveyed species richness, frequency, and percent cover and measured above- and belowground biomass in three vegetation zones. Our study illustrates the importance of species-specific belowground biomass estimates to provide evidence of species shifts in both the low and high marsh zones. Chapter four examines intraspecific variation in morphological characteristics and carbon, nutrient, and mineral concentration and allocation within B. halimifolia, J. roemerianus, S. patens, and S. alterniflora. Ecotypic variation in morphology and composition and allocation of C, nutrients, and minerals in wetland plants may influence ecosystem functions such as the deposition and trapping of sediments, detritus production, secondary productivity, the cycling and storage of organic and inorganic nutrients, belowground organic matter production, and long-term C storage. We examined the expression of morphological traits and C, nutrient, and mineral composition and allocation among southern ecotypes, a tissue-culture regenerant, and a native mid-Atlantic ecotype for each of four salt marsh species after two growing seasons within natural stands in a mid-Atlantic salt marsh. Overall, we found that the expression of phenotypic variation was greatest in the low marsh, Spartina alterniflora than in the higher marsh species likely due to both the greater spatial variation in elevation and soil conditions in the higher marsh and potentially a lower tolerance of higher marsh species to environmental stress. The differences that we found among ecotypes have important implications for enhancing and developing ecosystem processes in restoration and creation projects. Chapter Five characterizes carbon pool dynamics of the salt marsh species, J. roemerianus, S. patens, and S. alterniflora using a STELLA model. The model was developed to examine the relationships between C pools and fluxes within species, to simultaneously compare the timing and magnitude of seasonal fluxes of C of each of the three species within a square meter, and to examine how changes to model parameters influence C pool dynamics and the accumulation of C belowground. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Inter- and Intraspecific Variation in Carbon and Nutrient Pools of Salt Marsh Plants

Inter- and Intraspecific Variation in Carbon and Nutrient Pools of Salt Marsh Plants PDF Author: Tracy Elsey-Quirk
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781109671841
Category : Plant nutrients
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
This study examined both inter- and intraspecific variation of four dominant salt marsh macrophytes, a high marsh shrub, Baccharis halimifolia, a high marsh rush, Juncus roemerianus, a mid-marsh grass, Spartina patens, and the low marsh grass that is ubiquitous in wetlands along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, short-form S. alterniflora. Chapter One evaluates the seasonal C pool dynamics of the four species including the seasonal allocation of above- and belowground C pools, C pool loss through decomposition, and soil C concentration in a wetland fringing Little Assawoman Bay, one of Delaware's Coastal Bays. To determine whether the rate of vertical accretion and organic matter accumulation differed between the low, S. alterniflora and high, J. roemerianus zones, soil cores from the two zones were used to measure 137 Cs and 210 Pb activity. Total plant C pools of the mid- and low marsh grass species, Spartina patens (4360 g C m -2) and Spartina alterniflora (4197 g C m -2), were similar and almost two and three times larger than total pools of Juncus roemerianus (2508 g C m -2) and Baccharis halimifolia (1490 g C m -2), respectively. Moving from the high to low marsh zones, the C pool shifted from primarily aboveground to belowground. Baccharis had the greatest aboveground C storage (1140 g m -2) and the slowest rate of C loss. Chapter Two examines interspecific variation in N pool dynamics in the four species including seasonal allocation of N pools above- and belowground, N loss through decomposition, N resorption efficiency, and soil N concentration. The seasonal fluctuation in the total N pools of the herbaceous species was due to belowground N pool dynamics, particularly fine root and dead large and small-sized macroorganic matter fluxes. Comparisons among the species revealed that the location, magnitude and timing of N storage and dispersal differed, which is important in the context of how species will shift in response to environmental change. Chapter Three describes the above- and belowground species associations in the fringing wetland and whether or not species shifts have occurred. Accurate productivity measurements in fringing wetlands may be dependent on species-specific organic matter separation, particularly belowground. Vegetation change in salt marshes may also become apparent when comparing above- and belowground species-specific live and dead organic matter. We surveyed species richness, frequency, and percent cover and measured above- and belowground biomass in three vegetation zones. Our study illustrates the importance of species-specific belowground biomass estimates to provide evidence of species shifts in both the low and high marsh zones. Chapter four examines intraspecific variation in morphological characteristics and carbon, nutrient, and mineral concentration and allocation within B. halimifolia, J. roemerianus, S. patens, and S. alterniflora. Ecotypic variation in morphology and composition and allocation of C, nutrients, and minerals in wetland plants may influence ecosystem functions such as the deposition and trapping of sediments, detritus production, secondary productivity, the cycling and storage of organic and inorganic nutrients, belowground organic matter production, and long-term C storage. We examined the expression of morphological traits and C, nutrient, and mineral composition and allocation among southern ecotypes, a tissue-culture regenerant, and a native mid-Atlantic ecotype for each of four salt marsh species after two growing seasons within natural stands in a mid-Atlantic salt marsh. Overall, we found that the expression of phenotypic variation was greatest in the low marsh, Spartina alterniflora than in the higher marsh species likely due to both the greater spatial variation in elevation and soil conditions in the higher marsh and potentially a lower tolerance of higher marsh species to environmental stress. The differences that we found among ecotypes have important implications for enhancing and developing ecosystem processes in restoration and creation projects. Chapter Five characterizes carbon pool dynamics of the salt marsh species, J. roemerianus, S. patens, and S. alterniflora using a STELLA model. The model was developed to examine the relationships between C pools and fluxes within species, to simultaneously compare the timing and magnitude of seasonal fluxes of C of each of the three species within a square meter, and to examine how changes to model parameters influence C pool dynamics and the accumulation of C belowground. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Vegetation Influence on CO2 and CH4 Exchange in a Temperate Salt Marsh Ecosystem

Vegetation Influence on CO2 and CH4 Exchange in a Temperate Salt Marsh Ecosystem PDF Author: Alma Vázquez-Lule
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
Salt marshes are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world with the capacity to store large amounts of carbon per unit area, referred as Blue Carbon. This carbon can remain in the ecosystem, be emitted to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane (CH4), or laterally exported by the tidal exchange of water. The influence of vegetation on the CO2 and CH4 exchange between salt marsh ecosystems and the atmosphere is uncertain, as a response to the high temporal and spatial variability in these ecosystems. This information is needed for a better understanding of the role of salt marsh ecosystems into the global carbon cycle. In this PhD study, I aim to understand the influence of the salt marsh vegetation on the exchange of carbon between a temperate salt marsh and the atmosphere. I describe and quantify the influence of different plant phenological phases on the CO2 and CH4 exchange, as well as their influence on the Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) at the ecosystem and canopy scale (i.e., canopy photosynthesis by each dominant salt marsh species; FA). For that, I use proximal canopy sensing (PCS; PhenoCam, hyperspectral reflectance data and spectral vegetation indices) to measure and monitor the temporal and spatial variability of the exchange of carbon. This study was performed on the East Coast of the United States, within the Mid-Atlantic in the State of Delaware. The study site is a temperate tidal salt marsh dominated by grasses (i.e., Spartina alterniflora and S. cynosuroides). My main results show that contrasting biophysical factors influence Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) of CO2 and CH4 exchange across the diel cycle and plant phenological phases (i.e., Greenup, Maturity, Senescence, Dormancy). I find that plant phenological phases have a substantial influence on the exchange of carbon, being Senescence and Dormancy the phases where this salt marsh ecosystem is emitting more CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere. (Chapter 2). My results show that plant phenological phases also have an influence on the daily GPP variability, and that PCS is also able to model and predict this variability across the annual cycle and during the beginning of the growing season, but challenges remain for the rest of the plant phenological phases, as a response to changes in the salt marsh vegetation and exposition of soils. I find that vegetation indices used to explain changes in the chlorophyll/carotenoid ratio were more useful to model GPP variability, in contrast to some indices used to explain changes on the greenness condition of the vegetation. My results also show that the use of hyperspectral data from the visible and infrared sregion (VIS-IR) coupled with the partial least square regression (PLSR) approach, is more useful to model and predict daily GPP than specific areas of the electromagnetic region such as the Sun Induced Fluorescence (SIF), red edge (RedEdge) and infrared (IR) (Chapter 3). I find that the spatial heterogeneity in salt marshes influences the relationship between canopy photosynthesis (FA) and leaf nutrients for the most dominant species of vegetation. Nitrogen leaf nutrient (N) has an influence on the FA of S. cynosuroides but not on the FA of S. alterniflora, as a response of the availability of vegetation to uptake this nutrient from soils under lower redox conditions. Leaf nutrients such as phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sodium (Na) are related with FA for the most dominant salt marsh species in this ecosystem. My results show the promising application of hyperspectral PCS and PLSR approach for linking information of leaf nutrients with FA in canopy salt marshes (Chapter 4). My PhD results are useful to better understand and monitor the carbon cycle in temperate salt marshes, to reduce the uncertainty on the carbon exchanged within the atmosphere and to improve estimations and models of blue carbon in coastal wetlands.

Selected Water Resources Abstracts

Selected Water Resources Abstracts PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Hydrology
Languages : en
Pages : 956

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Official Meeting Program

Official Meeting Program PDF Author: Ecological Society of America. Meeting
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 820

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Bibliography of Agriculture

Bibliography of Agriculture PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Agriculture
Languages : en
Pages : 1152

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The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate

The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate PDF Author: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781009157971
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 755

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Book Description
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It provides policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of human-induced climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. This IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate is the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the observed and projected changes to the ocean and cryosphere and their associated impacts and risks, with a focus on resilience, risk management response options, and adaptation measures, considering both their potential and limitations. It brings together knowledge on physical and biogeochemical changes, the interplay with ecosystem changes, and the implications for human communities. It serves policymakers, decision makers, stakeholders, and all interested parties with unbiased, up-to-date, policy-relevant information. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Root Ecology

Root Ecology PDF Author: Hans de Kroon
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9783540001850
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
In the course of evolution, a great variety of root systems have learned to overcome the many physical, biochemical and biological problems brought about by soil. This development has made them a fascinating object of scientific study. This volume gives an overview of how roots have adapted to the soil environment and which roles they play in the soil ecosystem. The text describes the form and function of roots, their temporal and spatial distribution, and their turnover rate in various ecosystems. Subsequently, a physiological background is provided for basic functions, such as carbon acquisition, water and solute movement, and for their responses to three major abiotic stresses, i.e. hard soil structure, drought and flooding. The volume concludes with the interactions of roots with other organisms of the complex soil ecosystem, including symbiosis, competition, and the function of roots as a food source.

Concepts and Controversies in Tidal Marsh Ecology

Concepts and Controversies in Tidal Marsh Ecology PDF Author: M.P. Weinstein
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0792360192
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 862

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Book Description
Tidal salt marshes are viewed as critical habitats for the production of fish and shellfish. As a result, considerable legislation has been promulgated to conserve and protect these habitats, and much of it is in effect today. The relatively young science of ecological engineering has also emerged, and there are now attempts to reverse centuries-old losses by encouraging sound wetland restoration practices. Today, tens of thousands of hectares of degraded or isolated coastal wetlands are being restored worldwide. Whether restored wetlands reach functional equivalency to `natural' systems is a subject of heated debate. Equally debatable is the paradigm that depicts tidal salt marshes as the `great engine' that drives much of the secondary production in coastal waters. This view was questioned in the early 1980s by investigators who noted that total carbon export, on the order of 100 to 200 g m-2 y-1 was of much lower magnitude than originally thought. These authors also recognized that some marshes were either net importers of carbon, or showed no net exchange. Thus, the notion of `outwelling' has become but a single element in an evolving view of marsh function and the link between primary and secondary production. The `revisionist' movement was launched in 1979 when stable isotopic ratios of macrophytes and animal tissues were found to be `mismatched'. Some eighteen years later, the view of marsh function is still undergoing additional modification, and we are slowly unraveling the complexities of biogeochemical cycles, nutrient exchange, and the links between primary producers and the marsh/estuary fauna. Yet, since Teal's seminal paper nearly forty years ago, we are not much closer to understanding how marshes work. If anything, we have learned that the story is far more complicated than originally thought. Despite more than four decades of intense research, we do not yet know how salt marshes function as essential habitat, nor do we know the relative contributions to secondary production, both in situ or in the open waters of the estuary. The theme of this Symposium was to review the status of salt marsh research and revisit the existing paradigm(s) for salt marsh function. Challenge questions were designed to meet the controversy head on: Do marshes support the production of marine transient species? If so, how? Are any of these species marsh obligates? How much of the production takes place in situ versus in open waters of the estuary/coastal zone? Sessions were devoted to reviews of landmark studies, or current findings that advance our knowledge of salt marsh function. A day was also devoted to ecological engineering and wetland restoration papers addressing state-of-the-art methodology and specific case histories. Several challenge papers arguing for and against our ability to restore functional salt marshes led off each session. This volume is intended to serve as a synthesis of our current understanding of the ecological role of salt marshes, and will, it is hoped, pave the way for a new generation of research.

Biology of Halophytes

Biology of Halophytes PDF Author: Yoav Waisel
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0323151582
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 411

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Book Description
Biology of Halophytes is a monograph on the biological aspects of halophytes and their behavior under saline conditions. It explores the physioecological characteristics of halophytes, such as reproduction, growth, metabolism, water relations, mineral nutrition, salt transport, salt secretion, and salt resistance. It also provides ecological information on higher marine plants, particularly submerged angiosperms, mangroves, and high coast plants. Organized into 16 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of sources of salinity and the development and nature of salines and salt-affected soils. It proceeds with a discussion of the classification of halophytes, their mutual relationships, distribution, and sociology. It also summarizes autecological information on some terrestrial halophytes and introduces the reader to the formative effects of salinity, interrelationships between plants and spatial distribution within the community, ion transport and mineral nutrition, and regulation of salt content of shoots, before concluding with a short review on ecotypic differentiation in halophytes. This book will be a valuable resource for advanced students, as well as teachers of plant and environmental sciences.

Coastal Wetlands

Coastal Wetlands PDF Author: Gerardo M.E. Perillo
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080932134
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 975

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Book Description
Coastal wetlands are under a great deal of pressure from the dual forces of rising sea level and the intervention of human populations both along the estuary and in the river catchment. Direct impacts include the destruction or degradation of wetlands from land reclamation and infrastructures. Indirect impacts derive from the discharge of pollutants, changes in river flows and sediment supplies, land clearing, and dam operations. As sea level rises, coastal wetlands in most areas of the world migrate landward to occupy former uplands. The competition of these lands from human development is intensifying, making the landward migration impossible in many cases. This book provides an understanding of the functioning of coastal ecosystems and the ecological services that they provide, and suggestions for their management. In this book a CD is included containing color figures of wetlands and estuaries in different parts of the world. Includes a CD containing color figures of wetlands and estuaries in different parts of the world.