Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison of Belowground Biomass in C3- and C4-Dominated Mixed Communities in a Chesapeake Bay Brackish Marsh

  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Belowground biomass is a critical factor regulating ecosystem functions of coastal marshes, including soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation and the ability of these systems to keep pace with sea-level rise. Nevertheless, belowground biomass responses to environmental and vegetation changes have been given little emphasis marsh studies. Here we present a method using stable carbon isotopes and color to identify root and rhizomes of Schoenoplectus americanus (Pers.) Volk. ex Schinz and R. Keller (C3) and Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl. (C4) occurring in C3− and C4-dominated communities in a Chesapeake Bay brackish marsh. The functional significance of the biomass classes we identified is underscored by differences in their chemistry, depth profiles, and variation in biomass and profiles relative to abiotic and biotic factors. C3 rhizomes had the lowest concentrations of cellulose (29.19%) and lignin (14.43%) and the lowest C:N (46.97) and lignin:N (0.16) ratios. We distinguished two types of C3 roots, and of these, the dark red C3 roots had anomalously high C:N (195.35) and lignin:N (1.14) ratios, compared with other root and rhizome classes examined here and with previously published values. The C4-dominated community had significantly greater belowground biomass (4119.1 g m−2) than the C3-dominated community (3256.9 g m−2), due to greater total root biomass and a 3.6-fold higher C3-root:rhizome ratio in the C4-dominated community. C3 rhizomes were distributed significantly shallower in the C4-dominated community, while C3 roots were significantly deeper. Variability in C3 rhizome depth distributions was explained primarily by C4 biomass, and C3 roots were explained primarily by water table height. Our results suggest that belowground biomass in this system is sensitive to slight variations in water table height (across an 8 cm range), and that the reduced overlap between C3 and C4 root profiles in the C4-dominated community may account for the greater total root biomass observed in that community. Given that future elevated atmospheric CO2 and accelerated sea-level rise are likely to increase C3 abundance in Atlantic and Gulf coast marshes, investigations that quantify how patterns of C3 and C4 belowground biomass respond to environmental and biological factors stand to improve our understanding of ecosystem-wide impacts of global changes on coastal wetlands.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

SOM:

soil organic matter

C:

carbon

CO2:

carbon dioxide

N:

nitrogen

δ13C:

13C abundance relative to standard Peedee Belemnite

SERC:

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

References

  • J D Aber J M Melillo K J Nadelhoffer C A McClaugherty J Pastor (1985) ArticleTitleFine root turnover in forest ecosystems in relation to quantity and form of nitrogen availability – a comparison of 2 methods Oecologia 66 317–321 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00378292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • W J Arp (1991) Vegetation of a North American Salt Marsh and Elevated Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide University of Amsterdam Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • W J Arp B G Drake W T Pockman P S Curtis D F Whigham (1993) ArticleTitleInteractions between C3 and C4 salt-marsh plant species during 4 years of exposure to elevated etmospheric CO2 Vegetatio 104 133–143 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00048149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • A S Ball B G Drake (1997) ArticleTitleShort-term decomposition of litter produced by plants grown in ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations Global Change Biol. 3 29–35

    Google Scholar 

  • F A Bazzaz (1990) ArticleTitleThe responses of natural ecosystems to the rising global CO2 levels Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 21 167–196 Occurrence Handle10.1146/annurev.es.21.110190.001123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Benner A E Maccubbin R E Hodson (1984) ArticleTitlePreparation, characterization, and microbial-degradation of specifically radiolabelled C-14 lignicelluloses from marine and fresh-water macrophytes Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 47 381–389 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaL2cXhtVSitLY%3D Occurrence Handle16346477

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • M D Bertness A M Ellison (1987) ArticleTitleDeterminants of pattern in a New England salt marsh plant community Ecol. Monogr. 57 129–147

    Google Scholar 

  • P M Bradley J T Morris (1992) ArticleTitleEffect of salinity on the critical nitrogen concentration of Spartina alterniflora Loisel Aquat. Bot. 43 149–161 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0304-3770(92)90040-P

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S D Bridgham S P Faulkner C J Richardson (1991) ArticleTitleSteel rod oxidation as a hydrologic indicator in wetland soils Soil Sci. Soc. of Am. J. 55 856–862

    Google Scholar 

  • S W Broome I A Mendelssohn K L Mckee (1995) ArticleTitleRelative growth of Spartina patens (Ait) Muhl and Scirpus olneyi Gray occurring in a mixed stand as affected by salinity and flooding depth Wetlands 15 20–30

    Google Scholar 

  • D M Burdick (1989) ArticleTitleRoot aerenchyma development in Spartina patens in response to flooding Am. J. Bot. 76 777–780

    Google Scholar 

  • D M Burdick I A Mendelssohn (1990) ArticleTitleRelationship between anatomical and metabolic responses to soil waterlogging in the coastal grass Spartina patens J. Exp. Bot. 41 223–228 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK3cXhslOntL0%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • D M Burdick I A Mendelssohn K L McKee (1989) ArticleTitleLive standing crop and metabolism of the marsh grass Spartina patens as related to edaphic factors in a brackish, mixed marsh community in Louisiana Estuaries 12 195–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Y Choi Y Wang Y P Hsieh L Robinson (2001) ArticleTitleVegetation succession and carbon sequestration in a coastal wetland in northwest Florida: Evidence from carbon isotopes Global Biogeochem. Cycles 15 311–319 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2000GB001308 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3MXktlWhsLc%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • L H Comas D M Eissenstat A N Lakso (2000) ArticleTitleAssessing root death and root system dynamics in a study of grape canopy pruning New Phytol. 147 171–178 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1469-8137.2000.00679.x Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3cXms1yltLw%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • H Coops N Geilen G Vandervelde (1994) ArticleTitleDistribution and growth of the helophyte species Phragmites australis and Scirpus lacustris in water depth gradients in relation to wave exposure Aquat. Bot. 48 273–284 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0304-3770(94)90020-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • H Coops G Vandervelde (1996) ArticleTitleEffects of waves on helophyte stands: Mechanical characteristics of stems of Phragmites australis and Scirpus lacustris Aquat. Bot. 53 175–185

    Google Scholar 

  • P S Curtis B G Drake D F Whigham (1989) ArticleTitleNitrogen and carbon dynamics in C3 and C4 estuarine marsh plants grown under elevated CO2 in situ Oecologia 78 297–301

    Google Scholar 

  • P S Curtis L M Balduman B G Drake D F Whigham (1990) ArticleTitleElevated atmospheric CO2 effects on belowground processes in C3 and C4 estuarine marsh communities Ecology 71 2001–2006

    Google Scholar 

  • B G Drake (1992) ArticleTitleA field study of the effects of elevated CO2 on ecosystem processes in a Chesapeake Bay wetland Aust. J. Bot. 40 579–595 Occurrence Handle10.1071/BT9920579 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK3sXht1WitLs%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Drake B G, Arp W, Curtis P S, Leadley P W, Sager J and Whigham D 1986 Effects of Elevated CO2 on Chesapeake Bay Wetlands. I. Description of the Study Site. United States Department of Energy, Carbon Dioxide Research Division Report Number 034, Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC

  • B G Drake G Peresta E Beugeling R Matamala (1996) Long-term elevated CO2 exposure in a Chesapeake Bay wetland: Ecosystem gas exchange, primary production, and tissue nitrogen G W Koch H A Mooney (Eds) Carbon Dioxide and Terrestrial Ecosystems Academic Press San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • J R Ehleringer R F Sage L B Flanagan R W Pearcy (1991) ArticleTitleClimate change and the evolution of C4 photosynthesis Trends Ecol. Evol. 6 95–99 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0169-5347(91)90183-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S M L Ewe L D Sternberg (2003) ArticleTitleSeasonal gas exchange characteristics of Schinus terebinthifolius in a native and disturbed upland community in Everglades National Park, Florida Forest Ecol. Manag. 179 27–36

    Google Scholar 

  • J L Gallagher F G Plumley (1979) ArticleTitleUnderground biomass profiles and productivity in Atlantic coastal marshes Am. J. Bot. 66 156–161

    Google Scholar 

  • W S Gordon R B Jackson (2000) ArticleTitleNutrient concentrations in fine roots Ecology 81 275–280

    Google Scholar 

  • T E Jordan J W Pierce D F Correll (1986) ArticleTitleFlux of particulate matter in the tidal marshes and subtidal shallows of the Rhode River estuary Estuaries 9 310–319

    Google Scholar 

  • M S Kearney R E Grace J C Stevenson (1988) ArticleTitleMarsh loss in Nanticoke estuary, Chesapeake Bay Geogr. Rev. 78 205–220

    Google Scholar 

  • U Krauss J W Deacon (1994) ArticleTitleRoot turnover of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in soil tubes Plant Soil 166 259–270 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00008339 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2MXjsl2jurw%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • P W Leadley B G Drake (1993) ArticleTitleOpen top chambers for exposing plant canopies to elevated CO2 concentration and for measuring net gas exchange Vegetatio 104 3–15 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00048141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G Lin L D L Sternberg (1992) ArticleTitleEffect of growth form, salinity, nutrient and sulfide on photosynthesis, carbon isotope discrimination and growth of red mangrove (Rhizophora-mangle L) Aust. J. Plant. Physiol. 19 509–517 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK3sXjs1Wjug%3D%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • W J Mitsch J G Gosselink (1993) Wetlands Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York New York 722

    Google Scholar 

  • J T Morris W B Bowden (1986) ArticleTitleA mechanistic, numerical model of sedimentation, mineralization, and decomposition for marsh sediments Soil Sci. Soc. of Am. J. 50 96–105 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaL28Xht1yqsrk%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • G Naidoo K L Mckee I A Mendelssohn (1992) ArticleTitleAnatomical and metabolic responses to waterlogging and salinity in Spartina alterniflora and S. patens (Poaceae) Am. J. Bot. 79 765–770 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK38Xls1Oqsbk%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • C E Owensby J M Ham A K Knapp L M Auen (1999) ArticleTitleBiomass production and species composition change in a tallgrass prairie ecosystem after long-term exposure to elevated atmospheric CO2 Global Change Biol. 5 497–506 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1365-2486.1999.00245.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R T Parrondo J G Gosselink C S Hopkinson (1978) ArticleTitleEffects of salinity and drainage on the growth of three salt marsh grasses Bot. Gaz. 139 102–107 Occurrence Handle10.1086/336975 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaE1cXktVGhtbo%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • D Pont J W Day P Hensel E Franquet F Torre P Rioual C Ibanez E Coulet (2002) ArticleTitleResponse scenarios for the deltaic plain of the Rhone in the face of an acceleration in the rate of sea-level rise with special attention to Salicornia-type environments Estuaries 25 337–358

    Google Scholar 

  • J Pozo R Colino (1992) ArticleTitleDecomposition processes of Spartina maritima in a salt marsh of the Basque Country Hydrobiologia 231 165–175 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00018200 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK38XktVKqurs%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • D P Rasse G Peresta B G Drake (2005) ArticleTitleSeventeen years of elevated CO2 exposure in a Chesapeake Bay Wetland: sustained but contrasting responses of plant growth and CO2 uptake Global Change Biol. 11 369–377

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross W M, Chabreck R H 1972 Factors affecting the growth and survival of natural and planted stands of Scirpus olneyi. Proceedings of the Annual Conference, Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners. 26, 178–188

  • J M Rybczyk J C Callaway J W Day (1998) ArticleTitleA relative elevation model for a subsiding coastal forested wetland receiving wastewater effluent Ecol. Modell. 112 23–44 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0304-3800(98)00125-2 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXmt1Ojtbs%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • C J Saunders (2003) Soil Accumulation in a Chesapeake Bay Salt Marsh: Modeling 500 Years of Global Change, Vegetation Change, and Rising Atmospheric CO2 Duke University Durham, North Carolina

    Google Scholar 

  • D Scavia J C Field D F Boesch R W Buddemeier V Burkett D R Cayan M Fogarty M A Harwell R W Howarth C Mason D J Reed T C Royer A H Sallenger J G Titus (2002) ArticleTitleClimate change impacts on US coastal and marine ecosystems Estuaries 25 149–164

    Google Scholar 

  • R A Scheffer R Aerts (2000) ArticleTitleRoot decomposition and soil nutrient and carbon cycling in two temperate fen ecosystems Oikos 91 541–549 Occurrence Handle10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.910316.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M Schwarzbeck (1982) Competition for belowground space in salt marsh plants Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland

    Google Scholar 

  • D M Seliskar (1985) ArticleTitleMorphometric variations of five tidal marsh halophytes along environmental gradients Am. J. Bot. 72 1340–1352

    Google Scholar 

  • D M Seliskar (1988) ArticleTitleWaterlogging stress and ethylene production in the dune slack plant, Scirpus americanus J. Exp. 39 1639–1648 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaL1MXhsFWns70%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • D M Seliskar (1990) ArticleTitleThe role of waterlogging and sand accretion in modulating the morphology of the dune slack plant Scirpus americanus Can. J. Bot. 68 1780–1787

    Google Scholar 

  • I Valiela J M Teal S D Allen R Vanetten D Goehringer S Volkmann (1985) ArticleTitleDecomposition in salt-marsh ecosystems – the phases and major factors affecting disappearance of above-ground organic-matter J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 89 26–54 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0022-0981(85)90080-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • F J Vernberg (1993) ArticleTitleSalt-marsh processes – a review Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 12 2167–2195

    Google Scholar 

  • E C Webb I A Mendelssohn (1996) ArticleTitleFactors affecting vegetation dieback of an oligohaline marsh in coastal Louisiana: field manipulation of salinity and submergence Am. J. Bot. 83 1429–1434

    Google Scholar 

  • D S White B L Howes (1994) ArticleTitleTranslocation, remineralization, and turnover of nitrogen in the roots and rhizomes of Spartina alterniflora (Gramineae) Am. J. Bot. 81 1225–1234 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2MXitFWjsr8%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • R K Wieder S T Starr (1998) ArticleTitleQuantitative determination of organic fractions in highly organic, Sphagnum peat soils Comm. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 29 847–857 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXktVKktbs%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Colin J. Saunders & James F. Reynolds

  2. Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University, OE 231, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Colin J. Saunders

  3. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, 28, Edgewater, MD, 21037-0028, USA

    J. Patrick Megonigal

Authors
  1. Colin J. Saunders
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Patrick Megonigal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James F. Reynolds
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Colin J. Saunders.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Saunders, C.J., Megonigal, J.P. & Reynolds, J.F. Comparison of Belowground Biomass in C3- and C4-Dominated Mixed Communities in a Chesapeake Bay Brackish Marsh. Plant Soil 280, 305–322 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-3275-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-3275-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation