Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Data Set Details

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GCE-LTER Data Set Summary

Accession:

PLT-GCEM-1610

Research Theme:

Plant Ecology (Monitoring)

Contributors:

Steven C. Pennings, Jessica O'Connell, Caroline Reddy, Dontrece Smith, Tim Montgomery, Elise Diehl, John Williams, Adam Sapp

Title:

Monthly Vegetation and Invertebrate Population Monitoring near the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Flux Tower

Abstract:

Permanent study plots were established in a Spartina alterniflora-dominated marsh in the vicinity of the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Flux Tower to provide measurements of plant biomass and invertebrate population density over time for comparison with marsh-atmospheric CO2 exchange. Six replicate plots were randomly placed within each of three height zones of Spartina alterniflora (i.e. short, medium and tall Spartina). Beginning in June 2013, surveys were conducted approximately monthly to determine abundance of Littoraria irrorata, Prokelisia marginata, and grasshoppers in each plot. Plant species, stem density, height, and flowering status were also measured in each of the plots, and biomass was calculated using allometric relationships between plant height, flowering status and mass from plant clipping studies. During these surveys, destructive core sampling was also performed in the proximity of the plots (n = 2 per zone - additional cores collected some months in 2014 and 2016) to measure above and below ground biomass for each Spartina zone. Beginning in February 2016, chlorophyll measurements were taken in the proximity of the plots in each Spartina zone (n = 15 per zone).

DOI:

10.6073/pasta/7f06441e8c200b6429dee520a3cc3366

Key Words:

belowground biomass, biomass, chlorophyll, cores, flowering, grasshoppers, Littoraria, littoraria irrorata, marshes, plants, Prokelisia, Prokelisia marginata, Spartina, Spartina alterniflora, stem density, stem height

LTER Core Area:

Population Studies, Primary Production

Research Themes:

GCE2 Q2 - Domain Patterns, GCE3 Area2 - Patterns within the Domain, GCE3 Area3 - Responses to Salinity and Inundation, Plant Ecology, Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology, Terrestrial Insect Ecology

Study Period:

11-Jun-2013 to 31-Dec-2021

Study Sites:

GCE_Flux -- GCE Flux Tower Marsh, Sapelo Island, Georgia

» Download Geographic Coverage: Google Earth

Species References:

Littoraria irrorata, Prokelisia marginata, Spartina alterniflora

Project References:

End of year biomass, Flux tower monthly vegetation monitoring

Research Protocols:

Flux Tower Vegetation Chlorophyll Sampling Protocol (Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER)

Flux Tower Monthly Vegetation Monitoring Protocol (Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER)

Publications:

Jung, Y. and Burd, A.B. 2017. Seasonal changes in above- and below-ground non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) in Spartina alterniflora in a marsh in Georgia, USA. Aquatic Botany. 140:13-22. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2017.04.003)

Downloads:

Data Table: PLT-GCEM-1610_Animals (Grasshopper, Prokelisia, and Littoraria abundance, 1927 records)