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Do Hummocks Provide a Physiological Advantage to Even the Most Flood Tolerant of Tidal Freshwater Trees?

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Abstract

Hummock and hollow microtopography is pervasive in tidal freshwater swamps. Many tree species grow atop hummocks significantly more than in hollows, leading to the hypothesis that hummocks provide preferred locations for maximizing physiological proficiency of inhabiting trees that experience repeated flooding. We used thermal dissipation probes to measure the ecophysiological proficiency of a very flood-tolerant tree, Taxodium distichum, as manifested through in-situ changes in sapflow (a proxy for transpiration) in 11 trees on hummocks and 11 trees in hollows. Overall, sapflow increased significantly by 3.3 g H2O m−2 s−1 (11 %) in trees on both hummocks and hollows during flooding, contrary to our expectations. We found no significant differences in sapflow rates between T. distichum trees positioned on hummocks versus hollows in relation to discrete flood events. Coincidentally, hummock elevations were equivalent to the flood depths that promoted greatest physiological proficiency in T. distichum, suggesting a physiological role for the maintenance of hummock height in tidal swamps. While we reject our original hypotheses that flooding and positioning in hollows will reduce sapflow in T. distichum, this research reveals a potentially important feedback between hummock height, flood depth, and maximum tree physiological response.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this study was provided by the U.S. Geological Survey Climate and Land Use Change Research and Development Program and by NIFA/USDA, under project number SC-1700424. Technical Contribution No. 6104 of the Clemson University Experiment Station. Marshall “Craig” Sasser (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge) granted permission to conduct research on the refuge property. Nicole Cormier (U.S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center) assisted with the initial setup of the field study. Brian Williams and Stephen Hutchinson (Clemson University, Baruch Institute) helped with field data collection. Andy From (Five Rivers Services, LLC) helped develop the study area map. Scott Ensign (U.S. Geological Survey) and 2 anonymous reviewers provided very valuable feedback on early versions of the manuscript. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, Clemson University, P.O. Box 596, Georgetown, 29442, USA

    Jamie A. Duberstein & William H. Conner

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette, USA

    Ken W. Krauss

  3. Mathematical Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, USA

    William C. Bridges Jr.

  4. College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, USA

    Victor B. Shelburne

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  1. Jamie A. Duberstein
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  2. Ken W. Krauss
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  3. William H. Conner
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  4. William C. Bridges Jr.
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  5. Victor B. Shelburne
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Correspondence to Jamie A. Duberstein.

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Duberstein, J.A., Krauss, K.W., Conner, W.H. et al. Do Hummocks Provide a Physiological Advantage to Even the Most Flood Tolerant of Tidal Freshwater Trees?. Wetlands 33, 399–408 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-013-0397-x

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