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Greater phosphorus uptake in forested headwater streams modified by clearfell forestry

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Abstract

Clearfell, burn and sow (CBS) forestry can potentially alter stream environments by increasing available light and the input of woody debris. However, little is known about how CBS forestry affects in-stream processes such as nutrient uptake. We evaluate whether short-term (2–7 years) environmental changes (e.g. light availability and woody debris) associated with CBS forestry lead to differences in nutrient uptake metrics. To do this, we measured in-stream uptake of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and ammonium (NH4) in three old growth (OG) and four CBS-affected headwater stream reaches. The abundance of fine woody debris and light availability were significantly greater in CBS-affected than in OG reaches. Uptake velocities varied from 0.0880 to 0.951 mm min−1 for NH4 and from 0.0383 to 1.06 mm min−1 for SRP across all sites. The mean uptake of SRP, but not NH4, was significantly greater (i.e. higher uptake velocities and lower uptake lengths) in CBS-affected than in OG reaches. These results suggest that CBS forestry altered the stream environment enabling greater SRP uptake relative to OG reaches. Our findings highlight the tight linkage between headwater streams and their surrounding terrestrial environment, which has direct implications for catchment-scale biogeochemical processes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank K. Hawkes, E. Polymeropoulos, T. Hollings, J. Delaine, J. Haag, J. Fountain, S. Griffin, A. Brüniche-Olsen, J. Kramer, J. Goon, and K. Kreger for their field assistance. We also thank Forestry Tasmania who granted access to the study sites and the staff at Geeveston for their support. RMB received a postgraduate scholarship funded by the CRC for Forestry and the School of Zoology, University of Tasmania. Further financial and in-kind support was provided by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment (awarded to RMB), Forestry Tasmania, Forest Practices Authority Tasmania, Maxwell Ralph Jacobs Fund of The Institute of Foresters of Australia (awarded to RMB), and School of Zoology at the University of Tasmania. Dr. S. Munks (Forest Practices Authority), Professor P.E. Davies (University of Tasmania), Dr. S. Roberts (Forestry Tasmania), and Dr. P. Grierson (University of Western Australia) provided comments and advice throughout the project.

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  1. School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 5, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia

    Ryan M. Burrows, Regina H. Magierowski & Leon A. Barmuta

  2. CRC for Forestry, Hobart, TAS, Australia

    Ryan M. Burrows & Leon A. Barmuta

  3. School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

    Jason B. Fellman

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  1. Ryan M. Burrows
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Burrows, R.M., Fellman, J.B., Magierowski, R.H. et al. Greater phosphorus uptake in forested headwater streams modified by clearfell forestry. Hydrobiologia 703, 1–14 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1332-5

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