Abstract
Belowground production of roots and rhizomes in the top 20 cm of soil was 2.2 kg m−2 yr−1 based on a maximum minus minimum estimation procedure in a giant cordgrass (Spartina cynosuroides (L.) Roth) marsh in Mississippi. Approximately 1.9 kg m−2 (86%) of this production occurred in late spring-summer and 0.3 kg m−2 in late fall. This estimate ignores any production below 20 cm depth and is thus an underestimate. Production values increased to 4.0 kg m−2 yr−1 using Smalley’s technique and accounting for decomposition. Aboveground tissues (leaves and stems) were depleted in nitrogen in July which corresponded to peaks in both above- and belowground biomass. The low root/shoot ratio (2.6) on this marsh does not suggest that growth is nutrient limited. Indeed, total productivity (above- and belowground) for this marsh was high (between 4.4 and 6.2 kg m−2 yr−1).
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Hackney, C.T., de la Cruz, A.A. Belowground productivity of roots and rhizomes in a giant cordgrass marsh. Estuaries 9, 112–116 (1986). https://doi.org/10.2307/1351943
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1351943