Swamp forest root systems : biomass distribution, nutrient content, and aspects of growth and mortality / by Emilie S. Kane.
| Author/creator | Kane, Emilie S. author. |
| Other author | Brinson, Mark M., degree supervisor. |
| Other author | East Carolina University. Department of Biology. |
| Format | Theses and dissertations |
| Production | 1981. |
| Description | vi, 94 leaves, 3 leaves of plates : illustrations, map ; 28 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Access via ScholarShip |
| Subjects |
| Summary | Lateral root biomass distribution and nutrient content were studied in an alluvial swamp forest and a headwater stream swamp forest in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Lateral root biomass 9 to 40 cm depth was estimated to be 2345g-m⁻² in the alluvial swamp and 2702 g-m⁻² in the headwater swamp, from excavations of 0.125 m² soil pits removed in 10 cm increments. Root biomass increased with depth in the alluvial swamp forest due to increasing contributions of large diameter roots while fine root ([less than]2mm diameter) biomass was distributed equally throughout the soil profile. This trend is in contrast to lateral root biomass distribution in the headwater swamp forest, where biomass was concentrated in the upper soil layers (to 20 cm) and decreased rapidly with greater depth. Concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na and Fe were found to vary with root diameter and depth in both swamps, with M concentrations decreasing with increasing root diameter, probably reflecting the greater proportion of metabolicelly active tissue in finer roots. Total P concentrations were greater in roots of the alluvial swamp, possibly related to the abundance of P in floodwaters and sediments. Concentrations of K, Ca, Mg and Na varied with site, size class of roots, and depth, but failed to show consistent trends. Both root Y. biomass and stocks of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Na were within the range of values for other forested ecosystems. However, Fe concentrations and stocks of Fe per unit area of swamp floor in both swamps were severalfold higher than for upland forests, suggesting precipitation of the Fe abundant in swamp waters and sediments on root surfaces, a possible consequence of cambial oxygen transport in flood-tolerant species. Attempts were made to estimate mortality and production of roots. Counts of roots in cross sections of soil blocks, and correlation of root diameter with growth rings, suggest that about 85% of fine roots die within a one year interval. Observations of fine root growth in water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica L.) seedlings showed that opposing processes of growth and mortality were taking place simultaneously at different rates and that a net change in visible root length reflected only a fraction of the actual production of fine roots. Application of estimated fine root turnover rates to organic matter and nutrient stocks of roots per unit area of swamp floor suggests that fine root turnover contributes annually from two to nine times the quantities of organic matter and nutrients returned by aboveground litterfall to the soil. These results lend support to the theory of rapid fine root turnover and underscore the potential importance of roots in biogeochemical cycling. |
| General note | "Presented to the faculty of the Department of Biology ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Biology." |
| General note | Advisor: Mark M. Brinson |
| Dissertation note | M.S. East Carolina University 1981 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-94). |
| Genre/form | dissertations. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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