Effect of elevation, nutrient-enrichment and sedimentation on productivity of Sagittaria lancifolia
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Dec 19, 2022 version files 65.32 KB
Abstract
For this study, we tested the hypothesis that elevation, sedimentation, and nutrient-enrichment interact to affect wetland community composition and plant productivity. Plant productivity was generally predicted to be greater with a combination of less flooding, greater sedimentation and nutrient-enrichment. To test these hypotheses, 96 marsh soil plugs were collected from a Sagittaria lancifolia-dominated oligohaline marsh and placed them into a greenhouse mesocosm. Plugs experienced a simulated diurnal tide of 15 cm and were subjected to a combination of three treatments for two growing seasons (n = 8): 1) an elevation treatment of low (20 cm below MHW) or high (5 cm below MHW) 2) sediment deposition treatment of 0 (control), 5, or 10 cm and 3) no nutrient-enrichment (control) or a nutrient-enriched treatment of 2.0 mg/L N as (CaNO3)2 and 0.3 mg/L P as PO4. Measurements included water column and porewater nutrient concentrations, species richness, species-specific stem densities and heights, aboveground biomass, root ingrowth, soil organic matter content, and bulk density.