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Effects of Environmental Variation and Non-point Source (NPS) Nutrient Pollution on Aquatic Plant Communities in Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR), AL

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Abstract

This study was designed to investigate non-point source nutrient pollution and its influences on submerged aquatic plant community structure and biological invasion in the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR). A monthly vegetation survey was conducted to document plant abundance and changes in community structure; physicochemical data and water samples were collected on a bi-monthly basis to monitor environmental conditions (i.e., pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, light intensity, and attenuation) and water column nutrient (NO −2 /NO −3 and NH +4 ) and chlorophyll a concentrations. A total of seven submerged aquatic species were identified at the WBNERR with the occurrence of only one non-native species (Hydrilla verticillata). Statistical analyses suggest that water column nitrogen concentrations along with variations in dissolved oxygen (0.6–11.5 mg L−1), light attenuation, pH (5.6–8.6), and temperature (11–33°C) play key roles in determining the aquatic plant abundance and distribution in the WBNERR.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Estuarine Reserves Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-NERR Graduate Research Fellow, award #NAO8NOS4200284 MMM). The authors also wish to thank Z. Barwary, E. Brunden, A. Ecker, S. Glenos, C. Lafabrie, C. Partridge, K. VanDeven, and J. Waldrup for their assistance with field sample collection and processing. Finally, we thank two anonymous reviewers for their critical and constructive comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, 36688, USA

    Molly M. Miller, Clinton S. Major & Kelly M. Major

  2. Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Fairhope, AL, 36532, USA

    Scott W. Phipps

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  1. Molly M. Miller
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Correspondence to Molly M. Miller.

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Miller, M.M., Phipps, S.W., Major, C.S. et al. Effects of Environmental Variation and Non-point Source (NPS) Nutrient Pollution on Aquatic Plant Communities in Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR), AL. Estuaries and Coasts 34, 1182–1193 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9422-6

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