Sapelo Research Application Form
Research Application ID: GCE-127-2022 (submitted: 12/08/2022, status: approved)
Provide a brief title for web display
Plant-microbe-mineral interactions in a marsh organ
Investigator Information
On Island Sponsor: GCE SINERR UGAMI GADNR
| Principal Investigator: | Amanda C. Spivak | ||
| Home Institution: | University of Georgia | ||
| Award Information: | NSF MCA | ||
| Mailing Address: | Marine Science Rm. 164 | Phone Number: | (706) 542-5709 |
| Marine Sciences | E-mail Address: | aspivak@uga.edu | |
| Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 | |||
| Co-investigators: | |||
Briefly describe the project goals and methodology
Predicting the resilience of blue carbon ecosystems to SLR and other global-change disturbances and understanding spatial heterogeneity in soil carbon stocks requires a thorough knowledge of the mechanisms regulating microbial access to organic matter. Using marsh organs I will test 3 mechanisms of marsh soil organic carbon persistence - redox conditions, mineral protection, and root exudate priming. Marsh organs with soil-only or marsh grass + soil mesocosms will be deployed at three elevations relative to mean sea level. The three elevations represent a gradient of soil redox conditions. Mesocosms with marsh grasses will capture inundation-induced differences in plant productivity and rhizodeposition (i.e., root oxygen loss, exudates).
Where will the project be located?
Northing: 3473278.6; Easting: 473903.7
How will you provide GPS coordinates for study sites?
GPS coordinates are listed in the project location field
What are the expected start and end dates of the project?
Start Date: 03/01/2023 End Date: 10/01/2023
How many people will access the site and at what frequency?
3-5 people will set up the organ over 2-3 days in March. After that it will be periodically assessed by one person until August when 3-5 people will take measurements and collect samples over ~1 week.
Keywords that describe your project
What equipment will be deployed in the field?
I plan to deploy a second, smaller marsh organ adjacent to the one that Dr. Alber established as part of the coastal SEES project. The new organ will have 3 rows, with six 6" PVC pipes per row (18 PVC pipes total). The lowest and highest levels will be 62 and 111 cm in elevation (NAVD88), respectively.
Will plants or animals be collected as part of this study?
Plants will be transplanted directly into the PVC pipes and monitored from March - August. In the beginning of August, we will conduct an experiment to trace carbon fixed by the plants into the soils, following methods developed by Spivak and Reeve 2015. At the conclusion of the experiment all plants and soils will be harvested and removed.
What are the likely impacts of the project on the site?
The total dimensions of the marsh organ will be ~4.5' deep and 3' wide. The specific site chosen because 1 marsh organ is already present but does not have sufficient capacity for the experiment. Temporary boards will be placed around the organ to reduce trampling and will be removed upon completion of activity at the organ.
Will the project design include boardwalks? If not, explain why not.
No because the organ will be visited infrequently. During sampling events temporary boards (wood or aluminum) will be placed around the organ to reduce trampling. Those boards will be removed upon completion of sampling and exiting of the site.
How long will impacts persist after the research is concluded?
The plants will likely regrow within 1-2 years
