Thresholds of Change in Decomposition Rate along a Dune/Swale Transect on a Virginia Barrier Island

Graziani, D.J. and Day, F.P., 2015. Thresholds of change in decomposition rate along a dune/swale transect on a Virginia barrier island. The objective of the current study was to examine fine spatial scale variation in aboveground decomposition rate over a barrier island dune/swale gradient in relat...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of coastal research 2015-01, Vol.31 (1), p.148-154
Main Authors: Graziani, Dominic J., Day, Frank P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Barrier islands
Barriers
Coasts
Decay
Decay rate
Decomposition
Dune soils
Dunes
Ecological research
Ecosystems
elevation
Free surfaces
Fresh water
ground water
Groundwater
Islands
leaves
LTER
Marine
Marshes
Morella cerifera
Nitrogen
Rain
RESEARCH PAPERS
Sea level
Soil (material)
Soil nitrogen
Soil water
State change
Studies
Thickets
Thresholds
Topographical elevation
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Graziani, D.J. and Day, F.P., 2015. Thresholds of change in decomposition rate along a dune/swale transect on a Virginia barrier island. The objective of the current study was to examine fine spatial scale variation in aboveground decomposition rate over a barrier island dune/swale gradient in relation to the ground-water-free surface, soil nitrogen, and associated ecosystem states in order to identify thresholds of process or state change. The litterbag study was conducted on the Virginia Coast Reserve-Long Term Ecological Research Site in Virginia, United States. Mean aboveground decay rate (yr−1) ranged from 0.339 (upper dune) to 0.699 (marsh/lower dune transition). The upper dune, marsh, and lower dune (Morella thicket side) had the lowest aboveground decay rates. The marsh edge, marsh/lower dune transition and Morella thicket exhibited the highest decomposition rates. Our results did not suggest that soil N content was a good indicator of state change or system process rates, whereas, distance to ground water demonstrated a significant relationship with aboveground decay. Relatively small (approximately 0.2–0.4 m) increases or decreases in elevation affected decay rates and community state. Free-surface thresholds that cause state changes or shifts in ecosystem processes provide the capability to project changes prompted by sea-level rise or shifts in other free surfaces over entire landscapes. Our results suggest that the ground-water-free surface is a good candidate for making such projections.
ISSN:0749-0208
1551-5036
DOI:10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-13-00102.1