Nitrogen Pools of Macrophyte Species in a Coastal Lagoon Salt Marsh: Implications for Seasonal Storage and Dispersal |
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Authors: | Tracy Elsey-Quirk Denise M Seliskar John L Gallagher |
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Institution: | (1) College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958, USA;(2) Present address: Patrick Center for Environmental Research, Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia, 1900 Benjamin Franklyn Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA |
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Abstract: | High nitrogen (N) loading rates received by coastal bays can have deleterious effects on aquatic ecosystems. Salt marshes
can intercept land-based N through seasonal plant uptake, denitrification, and burial. Salt marshes fringing Delaware’s Inland
Bays are characterized by different plant species occurring in close proximity. To evaluate N pool retention and loss for
the dominant plant species, we measured seasonal N concentration and pool size, N resorption efficiency, loss during decomposition,
and soil N. Seasonal variation in N pools and fluxes differed among species. Seasonal differences in the total N pools of
the herbaceous species were largely influenced by belowground fine root and dead macro-organic matter fluxes. N production
rate estimates ranged from 18 g N m−2 year−1 aboveground for the high marsh shrub to 40.8 g N m−2 year−1 above- and belowground for the high marsh rush illustrating the importance of incorporating species-specific dynamics into
ecosystem N budgets. |
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