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High nutrient loads amplify carbon cycling across California and New York coastal wetlands but with ambiguous effects on marsh integrity and sustainability.
Watson, Elizabeth Burke; Rahman, Farzana I; Woolfolk, Andrea; Meyer, Robert; Maher, Nicole; Wigand, Cathleen; Gray, Andrew B.
Affiliation
  • Watson EB; Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Sciences and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America.
  • Rahman FI; Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Sciences and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America.
  • Woolfolk A; Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Watsonville, California, United States of America.
  • Meyer R; Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Watsonville, California, United States of America.
  • Maher N; The Nature Conservancy in New York, Uplands Farm Sanctuary, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, United States of America.
  • Wigand C; Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Narragansett, Rhode Island, United States of America.
  • Gray AB; Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America.
PLoS One ; 17(9): e0273260, 2022.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36084085
Eutrophic conditions in estuaries are a globally important stressor to coastal ecosystems and have been suggested as a driver of coastal salt marsh loss. Potential mechanisms in marshes include disturbance caused by macroalgae accumulations, enhanced soil sulfide levels linked to high labile carbon inputs, accelerated decomposition, and declines in belowground biomass that contribute to edge instability, erosion, and slumping. However, results of fertilization studies have been mixed, and it is unclear the extent to which local environmental conditions, such as soil composition and nutrient profiles, help shape the response of salt marshes to nutrient exposure. In this study, we characterized belowground productivity and decomposition, organic matter mineralization rates, soil respiration, microbial biomass, soil humification, carbon and nitrogen inventories, nitrogen isotope ratios, and porewater profiles at high and low marsh elevations across eight marshes in four estuaries in California and New York that have strong contrasts in nutrient inputs. The higher nutrient load marshes were characterized by faster carbon turnover, with higher belowground production and decomposition and greater carbon dioxide efflux than lower nutrient load marshes. These patterns were robust across marshes of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts that varied in plant species composition, soil flooding patterns, and soil texture. Although impacts of eutrophic conditions on carbon cycling appeared clear, it was ambiguous whether high nutrient loads are causing negative effects on long-term marsh sustainability in terms of studied metrics. While high nutrient exposure marshes had high rates of decomposition and soil respiration rates, high nutrient exposure was also associated with increased belowground production, and reduced levels of sulfides, which should lead to greater marsh sustainability. While this study does not resolve the extent to which nutrient loads are negatively affecting these salt marshes, we do highlight functional differences between Atlantic and Pacific wetlands which may be useful for understanding coastal marsh health and integrity.
Subject(s)

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Ecosystem / Wetlands Country/Region as subject: America do norte Language: En Journal: PLoS One Journal subject: CIENCIA / MEDICINA Year: 2022 Document type: Article Affiliation country: United States Country of publication: United States

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Ecosystem / Wetlands Country/Region as subject: America do norte Language: En Journal: PLoS One Journal subject: CIENCIA / MEDICINA Year: 2022 Document type: Article Affiliation country: United States Country of publication: United States