I. Data Set Descriptors A. Title: Steven C. Pennings. 2004. Plant community response to fertilization at Sapelo Island, Georgia. Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Data Catalog (data set PLT-GCED-0409; http://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/app/dataset_details.asp?accession=PLT-GCED-0409) B. Accession Number: PLT-GCED-0409 C. Description 1. Originator(s): Name: Steven C. Pennings Address: Department of Biology and Biochemistry University of Houston Houston, Texas 77204-5513 Country: USA Email: scpennin@central.uh.edu 2. Abstract: Parallel fertilization experiments were performed in five different types of perennial plant mixtures found in the salt marsh habitat around Sapelo Island, Georgia, from May 1996 to September 1997. Each mixture differed in plot elevation, soil water content, and soil salinity, so each was considered a separate habitat. The mixtures also occurred in different geographic locations (i.e. Dean Creek on southern Sapelo Island, Marsh Landing on southwestern Sapelo Island, and Shell Hammock, which is near the University of Georgia Marine Institute). In May 1996, 16 1mx1m plots were placed within each plant mixture and alternate plots were assigned to control and fertilization treatments. Pelletized fertilizer (29% N, 3% P, 4% K) was broadcast into fertilization treatment plots by hand at the rate of 60g/m^2 every 2 weeks. The central 0.5mx0.5m of each plot was harvested in September 1997 after two summers growth. Live plants were sorted to species, dried to a constant mass, and weighed to measure biomass. Standing dead shoots and litter were not weighed. 3. Study Type: Directed Study 4. Study Themes: Plant Ecology 5. LTER Core Areas: Primary Production 6. Georeferences: none 7. Submission Date: Sep 02, 2004 D. Keywords: Batis maritima, Borrichia frutescens, communities, Distichlis spicata, fertilization, Juncus roemerianus, nitrogen, permanent plots, plant cover, plants, Primary Production, Salicornia virginica, Spartina alterniflora II. Research Origin Descriptors A. Overall Project Description 1. Project Title: Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Project 2. Principal Investigators: Name: James T. Hollibaugh Address: Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 Country: USA Email: aquadoc@uga.edu 3. Funding Period: May 01, 2000 to May 01, 2006 4. Objectives: To investigate the linkages between coastal and distant upland areas in central Georgia mediated by surface and ground water delivery to the coastal zone. This will be addressed by examining the relationship between variability in environmental factors driven by river flow, primarily salinity, and ecosystem processes and structure. 5. Abstract: We propose to establish a Long Term Ecological Research site on the central Georgia coast in the vicinity of Sapelo Island. This is a barrier island and marsh complex with the Altamaha River, one of the largest and least developed rivers on the east coast of the US, as the primary source of fresh water. The proposed study would investigate the linkages between local and distant upland areas mediated by water - surface water and ground water - delivery to the coastal zone. We would explicitly examine the relationship between variability in environmental factors driven by river flow, primarily salinity because we can measure it at high frequency, and ecosystem processes and structure. We will accomplish this by comparing estuary/marsh complexes separated from the Altamaha River by one or two lagoonal estuary/marsh complexes that damp and attenuate the river signal. This spatial gradient is analogous to the temporal trend in riverine influence expected as a result of development in the watershed. We will implement a monitoring system that documents physical and biological variables and use the time trends and spatial distributions of these variables and of their variance structure to address questions about the factors controlling distributions, trophic structure, diversity, and biogeochemistry. An existing GIS-based hydrologic model will be modified to incorporate changes in river water resulting from changes in land use patterns that can be expected as the watershed develops. This model will be linked to ecosystem models and will serve as an heuristic and management tool. Another consequence of coastal development is that as river flow decreases, groundwater flow increases and becomes nutrified. We will compare the effects of ground water discharge from the surficial aquifer in relatively pristine (Sapelo Island) versus more urbanized (mainland) sites to assess the relative importance of fresh water versus nutrients to productivity, structure and biomass turnover rate in marshes influenced by groundwater. We will also investigate the effect of marine processes (tides, storm surge) on mixing across the fresh/salt interface in the surficial aquifer. Additional physical studies will relate the morphology of salt marsh - tidal creek channel complexes to tidal current distributions and exchange. These findings will be incorporated into a physical model that will be coupled to an existing ecosystem model. The land/ocean margin ecosystem lies at the interface between two ecosystems in which distinctly different groups of decomposers control organic matter degradation. The terrestrial ecosystem is largely dominated by fungal decomposers, while bacterial decomposers dominate the marine ecosystem. Both groups are important in salt marsh-dominated ecosystems. Specific studies will examine, at the level of individual cells and hyphae, the relationship bacteria and fungi in the consortia that decompose standing dead Spartina and other marsh plants and examine how, or if, this changes along the salinity gradient. 6. Funding Source: NSF OCE 9982133 B. Sub-project Description 1. Site Description a. Geographic Location: GCE6 -- Dean Creek, Sapelo Island, Georgia, USA UGAMI -- UGA Marine Institute, Sapelo Island, Georgia, USA ML -- Marsh Landing, Sapelo Island, Georgia, USA Coordinates: GCE6 -- NW: 081 17 58.28 W, 31 23 38.66 N NE: 081 15 51.76 W, 31 23 38.66 N SE: 081 15 51.76 W, 31 22 15.61 N SW: 081 17 58.28 W, 31 22 15.61 N UGAMI -- NW: 081 16 58.62 W, 31 23 55.96 N NE: 081 16 43.80 W, 31 23 55.96 N SE: 081 16 43.80 W, 31 23 43.06 N SW: 081 16 58.62 W, 31 23 43.06 N ML -- NW: 081 17 50.80 W, 31 25 08.03 N NE: 081 17 40.58 W, 31 25 08.03 N SE: 081 17 40.58 W, 31 24 59.03 N SW: 081 17 50.80 W, 31 24 59.03 N b. Physiographic Region: GCE6 -- Barrier island UGAMI -- Barrier island ML -- Barrier island c. Landform Components: GCE6 -- Intertidal salt marsh, sand beach, maritime forest UGAMI -- Intertidal salt marsh bordering maritime forest, paved surfaces, devegetated fields ML -- Intertidal salt marsh d. Hydrographic Characteristics: GCE6 -- Site contains Dean Creek and borders Doboy Sound, and is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides UGAMI -- Site contains a tidal creek which connects with Doboy Sound ML -- Site borders the Duplin River and is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides e. Topographic Attributes: GCE6 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide UGAMI -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide ML -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide f. Geology, Lithology and Soils: GCE6 -- unspecified UGAMI -- unspecified ML -- unspecified g. Vegetation Communities: GCE6 -- Vegetation is mostly short and tall Spartina alterniflora, with small amounts of Juncus and Borrichia. UGAMI -- Spartina alterniflora, saw palmetto, scrub-shrub vegetation, live oak forest ML -- Spartina alterniflora in low marsh, salt pan and salt-tolerant vegetation mixture in high marsh h. History of Land Use and Disturbance: none recorded i. Climate: Climate summary for Sapelo Island, Georgia, based on NWS data from 1980-2010: Daily-aggregated Values: Mean (sample standard deviation) mean air temperature: 20.09°C (7.28°C) minimum air temperature: 15.02°C (7.96°C) maximum air temperature: 24.82°C (6.98°C) total precipitation: 3.26mm (10.3mm) Yearly-aggregated Daily Values: Mean (sample standard deviation) total precipitation (1980-2010): 1124mm (266mm) 2. Experimental or Sampling Design a. Design Characteristics: We identified borders between, or mixtures of, plant species common to each site. We located sixteen 1x1 m plots along each border or within each mixture, and assigned alternate plots to control and fertilization treatments. We selected the most common vegetation borders or mixtures to study. b. Permanent Plots: none c. Data Collection Duration and Frequency: Eight replicate fertilization and control plots were placed within each community under study. Sampling was only carried out once at the conclusion of the study. Beginning of Observations: May 01, 1996 End of Observations: Sep 30, 1997 3. Research Methods a. Field and Laboratory Methods: Method 1: Plant Ferilization -- Pelletized fertilizer (29% N, 3% P, 4% K; Scotts Turfbuilder in which nitrogen was 15.6% urea, 12.4% water-soluble organic N, 1% ammoniacal and water-insoluble N) was broadcast into plots by hand at the rate of 60g/m^2 every 2 weeks. This application rate, chosen to be identical to that used by Levine et al. (1998) to facilitate comparison of results, was comparable to other previous salt marsh nutrient enrichment studies (Valiela et al. 1985), and never produced signs of burning. Treatments were initiated in May 1996 and terminated after two summers in September 1997. Method 2: Biomass Measurement -- The central 0.5mx0.5m of each plot was harvested in September, 1997. Live plants were sorted to species, dried to a constant mass, and weighed. Standing dead shoots and litter were not weighed. b. Instrumentation: Method 1: none Method 2: Electronic balance Parameter: mass c. Taxonomy and Systematics: Method 1: not specified Method 2: none d. Permit History: Method 1: none Method 2: none 4. Project Personnel a. Personnel: 1: Steven C. Pennings 2: Wade M. Sheldon, Jr. b. Affiliations: 1: University of Houston, Houston, Texas 2: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia III. Data Set Status and Accessibility A. Status 1. Latest Update: 19-Feb-2012 2. Latest Archive Date: 18-Nov-2011 3. Latest Metadata Update: 19-Feb-2012 4. Data Verification Status: Reviewed by GCE-LTER IM B. Accessibility 1. Storage Location and Medium: Stored at GCE-LTER Data Management Office Dept. of Marine Sciences Univ. of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-3636 USA on media: electronic data download (WWW) or compact disk 2. Contact Person: Name: Wade M. Sheldon, Jr. Address: Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 Country: USA Email: sheldon@uga.edu 3. Copyright Restrictions: not copyrighted 4. Restrictions: All publications based on this data set must cite the contributor and Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER project, and two copies of the manuscript must be submitted to the GCE-LTER Information Management Office. a. Release Date: GCE LTER Affiliates: Sep 02, 2004, Public: Sep 02, 2004 b. Citation: Data provided by the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Project, supported by funds from NSF OCE 9982133 (data set PLT-GCED-0409) c. Disclaimer: The user assumes all responsibility for errors in judgement based on interpretation of data and analyses presented in this data set. 5. Costs: free electronic data download via WWW, distribution on CD may be subject to nominal processing and handling fee IV. Data Structural Descriptors A. Data Set File 1. File Name: PLT-GCED-0409_1_3.CSV 2. Size: 240 records 3. File Format: ASCII text (comma-separated value format) 3a. Delimiters: single comma 4. Header Information: 5 lines of ASCII text 5. Alphanumeric Attributes: none 6. Quality Control Flag Codes: I = invalid value (out of range), Q = questionable 7. Authentication Procedures: 8. Calculations: Plant_Mass_m2: Plant_Mass_m2(g) = Plant_Mass(g/0.25m^2) * 4 9. Processing History: Software version: GCE Data Toolbox Version 3.30 (09-Feb-2012) Data structure version: GCE Data Structure 1.1 (29-Mar-2001) Original data file processed: PLT-GCED-0409.TXT (240 records) Data processing history: 07-Sep-2004: new GCE Data Structure 1.1 created ('newstruct') 07-Sep-2004: 240 rows imported from ASCII data file 'PLT-GCED-0409.TXT' ('imp_ascii') 07-Sep-2004: 12 metadata fields in file header parsed ('parse_header') 07-Sep-2004: data structure validated ('gce_valid') 07-Sep-2004: Q/C flagging criteria applied, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 07-Sep-2004: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 07-Sep-2004: updated 67 metadata fields in the Data, Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('imp_gcemetadata') 21-Mar-2005: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 08-Nov-2005: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 08-Nov-2005: updated 66 metadata fields in the Data, Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('imp_gcemetadata') 15-Nov-2011: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 15-Nov-2011: updated 57 metadata fields in the Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('imp_gcemetadata') 18-Nov-2011: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 18-Nov-2011: updated 57 metadata fields in the Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('imp_gcemetadata') 19-Feb-2012: updated 7 metadata fields in the Data, Status sections ('exp_ascii') 19-Feb-2012: updated 15 metadata fields in the Status, Data sections to reflect attribute metadata ('updatecols') 19-Feb-2012: parsed and formatted metadata ('listmeta') B. Variable Information 1. Variable Name: column 1. Site column 2. Community column 3. Treatment column 4. Replicate column 5. Species_Code column 6. ITIS_TSN column 7. Plant_Mass column 8. Plant_Mass_m2 2. Variable Definition: column 1. Nominal GCE-LTER study site column 2. Plant community code column 3. Fertilization treatment column 4. Treatment replicate column 5. Plant species code column 6. Taxonomic Serial Number in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System database column 7. Plant mass measured per 0.25 square meter quadrat column 8. Plant mass calculated per square meter 3. Units of Measurement: column 1. none column 2. none column 3. none column 4. none column 5. none column 6. none column 7. g/0.25m^2 column 8. g/m^2 4. Data Type a. Storage Type: column 1. alphanumeric column 2. alphanumeric column 3. alphanumeric column 4. integer column 5. alphanumeric column 6. alphanumeric column 7. floating-point column 8. floating-point b. Variable Codes: Site: GCE6 = Dean Creek, UGAMI = University of Georgia Marine Institute (Shell Hammock site), ML = Marsh Landing Community: BorJun = Borrichia frutescens and Juncus roemerianus, SpaBor = Spartina alterniflora and Borrichia frutescens, SpaJun = Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus, SpaDis = Spartina alterniflora and Distichlis spicata, SpaSal = Spartina alterniflora and Salicornia virginica Treatment: N = nitrogen fertilizer treatment, C = control treatment Species_Code: JROM = Juncus roemerianus (Juncaceae), BFRU = Borrichia frutescens (Asteraceae), BMAR = Batis maritima (Bataceae), SALT = Spartina alterniflora (Poaceae), DSPI = Distichlis spicata (Poaceae), SVIR = Salicornia virginica (Chenopodiacea) c. Numeric Range: column 1. (none) column 2. (none) column 3. (none) column 4. 1 to 8 column 5. (none) column 6. (none) column 7. 0 to 1590.63 column 8. 0 to 6362.52 d. Missing Value Code: 5. Data Format a. Column Type: column 1. text column 2. text column 3. text column 4. numerical column 5. text column 6. text column 7. numerical column 8. numerical b. Number of Columns: 8 c. Decimal Places: column 1. 0 column 2. 0 column 3. 0 column 4. 0 column 5. 0 column 6. 0 column 7. 2 column 8. 1 6. Logical Variable Type: column 1. coded value (none) column 2. coded value (none) column 3. coded value (none) column 4. ordinal (discrete) column 5. coded value (none) column 6. nominal (none) column 7. data (continuous) column 8. calculation (continuous) 7. Flagging Criteria: column 1. none column 2. none column 3. none column 4. x<1="I", x>8="I" column 5. none column 6. none column 7. x<0="I" column 8. x<0="I" C. Data Anomalies: none noted V. Supplemental Descriptors A. Data Acquisition 1. Data Forms: not specified 2. Form Location: not specified 3. Data Entry Validation: not specified B. Quality Assurance/Quality Control Procedures: QA/QC flags are generated automatically according to domain criteria specified for each data column. A flag column is generated and appended to the data table if any flags are assigned to any value, listing the flags for each column on each row. C. Supplemental Materials: not specified D. Computer Programs: Microsoft Excel 2002, MATLAB R131 E. Archival Practices: Data sets and documentation are stored in structured binary (Matlab 5.x files) and delimited ASCII text formats, and archived on magnetic tape and CD at the GCE LTER Information Management Office at the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA F. Publications: not specified G. History of Data Set Usage 1. Data Request History: not specified 2. Data Set Update History: none 3. Review History: none 4. Questions and Comments from Users: none