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Physiological and Ecological Effects of Spilled Motor oil on Inland Salt Marsh Communities: A Mesocosm Study

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Abstract

Numerous studies have investigated impacts of oil spills on coastal ecosystems, but no previous studies have tested effects of spilled oil on inland salt marshes. This study used experimental mesocosms to test effects of spilled motor oil on inland salt marsh communities in a greenhouse experiment. It was hypothesized that oil exposure would lead to decreases in photosynthesis, chlorophyll, canopy coverage, and biomass. Communities of plants were collected from a salt marsh in Kansas, USA, and used motor oil was applied at 10 L m−2 to mesocosm soil with a treatment of 10 weeks. In the dominant species, inland salt grass (Distichlis spicata), oil exposure resulted in a 91 % decrease in photosynthetic rates and an 83 % reduction in chlorophyll concentration. Community-level biomass was primarily driven by D. spicata, where above-ground biomass was reduced by 34 % for D. spicata and by 31 % for total community biomass in oil treatments. Canopy coverage measures were similar to biomass measures, with significant reductions in D. spicata with oil exposure and no difference between treatments for less abundant species. Inland marsh plants are sensitive to spilled motor oil. These results could help future studies to determine how salt marsh vegetation is impacted by spilled oil.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a Society of Wetland Scientists Student Research Grant, a Botanical Society of America Undergraduate Research Award, the Fort Hays State University Undergraduate Research Experience Program, a Kansas Academy of Science Undergraduate Research Grant, and the Li-Cor LEEF Program. The authors thank the Staff at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge for a sampling permit, the Fort Hays State University Department of Biological Sciences for use of facilities and equipment, and the Fort Hays State University Motor Pool for used motor oil.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS, 67601-4099, USA

    Keri L. Caudle & Brian R. Maricle

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  1. Keri L. Caudle
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  2. Brian R. Maricle
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Correspondence to Brian R. Maricle.

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Caudle, K.L., Maricle, B.R. Physiological and Ecological Effects of Spilled Motor oil on Inland Salt Marsh Communities: A Mesocosm Study. Wetlands 35, 501–507 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-015-0636-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-015-0636-4

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