Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Data Set Details

Jump to Files

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/9746c71b35e9f8c544ea12c601c33949

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-2022

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)

Nahrawi, H.B., Leclerc, M.Y., Pennings, S.C., Zhang, G., Singh, N. and Pahari, R. 2020. Impact of tidal inundation on the net ecosystem exchange in daytime conditions in a salt marsh. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 294:108133. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.108133)

O'Connell, J.L., Mishra, D., Alber, M. and Byrd, K.B. 2021. BERM: A belowground ecosystem resilience model for estimating Spartina alterniflora belowground biomass. New Phytologist. (DOI: 10.1111/nph.17607)

Downloads:

Data Table: PLT-GCEM-1610_Animals (Grasshopper, Prokelisia, and Littoraria abundance, 2207 records)