HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Jolley, R. L. Articles by Cavalcanti, G. G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Jolley, R. L. Articles by Cavalcanti, G. G. Agricola Articles by Jolley, R. L. Articles by Cavalcanti, G. G. Related Collections Ecosystem Management Plant and Soil Interactions

TECHNICAL REPORTS

Plant and Environment Interactions

Productivity of Ephemeral Headwater Riparian Forests Impacted by Sedimentation in the Southeastern United States Coastal Plain

^a School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn Univ., Present address: Mailstop 9514 Bio Sciences, Mississippi State, MS 39762
^b School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn Univ., AL 36849-5418
^c 5015 Colony Park Dr., Birmingham, AL 35243

^* Corresponding author (jollerl{at}yahoo.com).

Received for publication April 30, 2008. Riparian forests serve an essential function in improving water quality through the filtering of sediments and nutrients from surface runoff. However, little is known about the impact of sediment deposition on productivity of riparian forests. Sediment inputs may act as a subsidy to forest productivity by providing additional nutrients for plant uptake or may act as a stress by creating anoxic soil conditions. This study determined how sediment deposition affected riparian forests along ephemeral headwater streams at Ft. Benning, Georgia, USA. Above- and belowground productivity, leaf-area index (LAI), and standing crop biomass for fine roots, shrubs, and trees were compared along a gradient of present sedimentation rates in 17 riparian forests. Annual litterfall production was determined from monthly collections using 0.25- m² traps; woody biomass was determined from annual diameter at breast height (DBH) measurements using species-specific allometric equations; fine root productivity was determined using sequential coring; LAI was measured by expanding specific leaf area by annual litterfall production; and shrub biomass was determined using species-specific biomass equations based on height and root collar diameter. Significant declines in litterfall, woody biomass production, fine root production, LAI, and shrub biomass were found with as little as 0.1 to 0.4 cm yr^–2 sedimentation. We conclude that the levels of sedimentation in this study do not subsidize growth in ephemeral headwater riparian forests but instead create a stress similar to that found under flooded conditions.

Abbreviations: ANPP, aboveground net primary productivity • BNPP, belowground net primary productivity • C, carbon • DBH, diameter at breast height • HD, highly disturbed • LAI, leaf-area index • MD, moderately disturbed • N, nitrogen • NPP, net primary productivity • P, phosphorus • RF, reference