Salinity Influences on Aboveground and Belowground Net Primary Productivity in Tidal Wetlands
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 22, Issue 1
Abstract
Tidal freshwater wetlands are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to climate change and rising sea levels. However salinification within these systems is poorly understood, therefore, productivity (litterfall, woody biomass, and fine roots) were investigated on three forested tidal wetlands [(1) freshwater, (2) moderately saline, and (3) heavily salt-impacted] and a marsh along the Waccamaw and Turkey Creek in South Carolina. Mean aboveground (litterfall and woody biomass) production on the freshwater, moderately saline, heavily salt-impacted, and marsh, respectively, was 1,061, 492, 79, and versus belowground (fine roots) 860, 490, 620, and . Litterfall and woody biomass displayed an inverse relationship with salinity. Shifts in productivity across saline sites is of concern because sea level is predicted to continue rising. Results from the research reported in this paper provide baseline data upon which coupled hydrologic/wetland models can be created to quantify future changes in tidal forest functions.
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Acknowledgments
Appreciation is expressed to Steven Hutchinson, Robert Price, Philip Schulte, Jake Blackstock, and Lauren Behnke for their assistance collecting field samples; Meg Bloodworth and Amber Click for their assistance separating roots; and Robin Governo for laboratory analysis. Dr. Camille Stagg (USGS) is also thanked for the herbaceous productivity data reported in Ensign et al. (2013). The research reported in this paper was funded by the USGS Survey Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program, administered through the Piedmont South-Atlantic Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) and by National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)/USDA, under Project No. SCZ-1700424; Technical Contribution No. 6329 of the Clemson University Experiment Station. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
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Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 22 • Issue 1 • January 2017
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© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Aug 24, 2014
Accepted: Mar 9, 2015
Published online: May 7, 2015
Discussion open until: Oct 7, 2015
Published in print: Jan 1, 2017
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