Factors affecting root system response to nutrient heterogeneity in forested wetland ecosystems

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dc.contributor.authorNeatrour, Matthew Aaronen
dc.contributor.committeecochairJones, Robert H.en
dc.contributor.committeecochairGolladay, Stephen W.en
dc.contributor.committeememberWebster, Jackson R.en
dc.contributor.committeememberBurger, James A.en
dc.contributor.committeememberNilsen, Erik T.en
dc.contributor.departmentBiologyen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:11:18Zen
dc.date.adate2005-05-03en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:11:18Zen
dc.date.issued2005-04-21en
dc.date.rdate2006-05-03en
dc.date.sdate2005-04-30en
dc.description.abstractSoil nutrients are often heterogeneously distributed in space and time at scales relevant to individual plants, and plants can respond by selectively proliferating their roots within nutrient-rich patches. However, many environmental factors may increase or decrease the degree of root proliferation by plants. I explored how soil fertility, nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) limitation, and soil oxygen availability affected root system response to nutrient heterogeneity in forested wetland ecosystems of southeastern United States. Fine root biomass was not correlated with soil nutrient availability within wetland ecosystems, but was related to ecosystem-scale fertility. Root systems generally did not respond to P-rich patches in both floodplain (nutrient-rich) and depressional swamps (nutrient-poor) swamps, but results were inconclusive because the growth medium (sand) potentially hindered root growth. In floodplain forests, roots proliferated into N-rich patches but not P-rich patches, even though litterfall N:P ratios were > 15, which suggested that these ecosystems were P-limited. The combination of nutrient and oxygen heterogeneity affected root proliferation and biomass growth of three common floodplain forest species (Liquidambar styraciflua, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Nyssa aquatica) in a potted study, which was related to species' flood tolerance. My results suggest that the environmental context of plants can affect roots system response to nutrient heterogeneity in forested wetland ecosystems and highlights the need for field studies that investigate this phenomenon. Learning how environmental conditions affect plant response to nutrient heterogeneity at a fine-scale will provide better predictions of nutrient cycling, plant competition and succession, and forest productivity, which are important factors that determine carbon sequestration and timber production.en
dc.description.degreePh. D.en
dc.identifier.otheretd-04302005-191841en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-04302005-191841/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/27457en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartNeatrour_dis.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectroot proliferationen
dc.subjectroot foragingen
dc.subjectnutrient heterogeneityen
dc.subjectforested wetlandsen
dc.titleFactors affecting root system response to nutrient heterogeneity in forested wetland ecosystemsen
dc.typeDissertationen
thesis.degree.disciplineBiologyen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.namePh. D.en

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