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Effects of sediment removal on nitrogen uptake by riparian plants in the higher floodplain of the Chikuma River, Japan

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Abstract

Riparian plants can use nitrogen (N) from soil and river water, but the use of river water N might be limited in higher floodplain environments of the Chikuma River. The purpose of this study is to reveal the relationship between N uptake by riparian plants and the floodplain topography (relative height and distance from a river channel). We examined the hypothesis that surface sediment removal from the higher floodplain increases river water N uptake by riparian plants by using a stable isotope analysis. The δ15N value of river water samples (ca. 8‰) were significantly higher than those of the soil extracts (ca. 3‰) in the study area. The δ15N value of riparian plants increased from +3.0‰ (standard deviation, SD ±2.1‰) before sediment removal to +9.6‰ (±2.1‰) after sediment removal, although there was no significant change in the δ15N value in N sources of soil and river water. The sediment removal enhanced frequency of flood disturbance, relative ground water level, and river water N uptake by riparian plants on the floodplain.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Chikuma River Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, Japan, for their cooperation and research support. This study was supported by the River Ecology Research Group of Japan.

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Author notes

  1. Fumikazu Akamatsu

    Present address: River Restoration Team, Water Environment Research Group, Public Works Research Institute, 1-6 Minami Hara, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8516, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano, 390-8621, Japan

    Fumikazu Akamatsu, Koji Shimano, Koichi Ide, Masatsugu Ishihara & Hideshige Toda

  2. Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan

    Fumikazu Akamatsu

  3. River Restoration Team, Water Environment Research Group, Public Works Research Institute, 1-6 Minami Hara, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8516, Japan

    Masatoshi Denda

Authors
  1. Fumikazu Akamatsu
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  2. Koji Shimano
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  3. Masatoshi Denda
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  4. Koichi Ide
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  5. Masatsugu Ishihara
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  6. Hideshige Toda
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Correspondence to Fumikazu Akamatsu.

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Akamatsu, F., Shimano, K., Denda, M. et al. Effects of sediment removal on nitrogen uptake by riparian plants in the higher floodplain of the Chikuma River, Japan. Landscape Ecol Eng 4, 91–96 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-008-0046-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-008-0046-3

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