TY - JOUR
T1 - Aboveground decomposition dynamics in riparian depression and slope wetlands of central Pennsylvania
AU - Hough, Zaneta
AU - Cole, Charles Andrew
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments We thank S. Goslee, R. Koide, and D.H. Wardrop for thoughtful suggestions, questions, and comments on this project. A special thanks to Nick Reeder and Earl Hough for countless hours of field help. This research was supported in part by an EPA STAR grant No. R-82949701-0 and a 2004 Society of Wetland Scientists student research grant.
Copyright:
Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2009/6
Y1 - 2009/6
N2 - We examined two types of groundwater-fed wetlands (riparian depressions and slopes) classified using the hydrogeomorphic (HGM) system. These wetland types had previously been shown to differ hydrologically. Our first objective was to determine if HGM was a useful structuring variable when examining aboveground decomposition dynamics (rate of mass loss and rate of nitrogen loss). Our second objective was to determine what soil variables were related to any differences in aboveground decomposition dynamics we might find regardless of HGM subclass. We used the litterbag field bioassay technique, and employed a standard litter type (Phalaris arundinacea) across all wetlands. Our results indicated that HGM would not readily serve as an adequate structuring variable for aboveground decomposition in riparian depressions and slope wetlands of central Pennsylvania. Discriminant analysis and classification and regression tree (CART) modeling found soil cation exchange capacity, soil pH, soil organic matter, and soil % nitrogen to be potentially important soil variables related to mass loss, and soil % nitrogen and soil pH to be potentially important variables related to nitrogen loss rate.
AB - We examined two types of groundwater-fed wetlands (riparian depressions and slopes) classified using the hydrogeomorphic (HGM) system. These wetland types had previously been shown to differ hydrologically. Our first objective was to determine if HGM was a useful structuring variable when examining aboveground decomposition dynamics (rate of mass loss and rate of nitrogen loss). Our second objective was to determine what soil variables were related to any differences in aboveground decomposition dynamics we might find regardless of HGM subclass. We used the litterbag field bioassay technique, and employed a standard litter type (Phalaris arundinacea) across all wetlands. Our results indicated that HGM would not readily serve as an adequate structuring variable for aboveground decomposition in riparian depressions and slope wetlands of central Pennsylvania. Discriminant analysis and classification and regression tree (CART) modeling found soil cation exchange capacity, soil pH, soil organic matter, and soil % nitrogen to be potentially important soil variables related to mass loss, and soil % nitrogen and soil pH to be potentially important variables related to nitrogen loss rate.
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U2 - 10.1007/s10452-008-9198-3
DO - 10.1007/s10452-008-9198-3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:67349201213
SN - 1386-2588
VL - 43
SP - 335
EP - 349
JO - Netherlands Journal of Aquatic Ecology
JF - Netherlands Journal of Aquatic Ecology
IS - 2
ER -