Collaborative Research: Effects of Nutrients on Salt Marsh Zonation

本提案的目的是研究营养水平在决定盐沼植物物种分布和丰度方面的作用。初步实验表明，养分水平通过将竞争焦点从地下转移到地上来影响沼泽植物的竞争能力。这表明，随着养分水平的变化，沼泽植被模式的差异是地上和地下竞争之间权衡的结果。研究人员将通过实验研究营养物与竞争能力之间联系的机制以及营养物供应与沼泽植被模式之间的关系。资源管理者对影响物种沿环境梯度分布格局的变量很感兴趣。本研究结果将为生态学家预测人为添加营养物质对原生植物群落的影响提供重要工具。

BERTNESS DEB-9628743 The objective of this proposal is to examine the role of nutrient levels in determining the distribution and abundance of salt marsh plants species. Preliminary experiments indicate that nutrient levels influence the competitive ability of marsh plants by changing the focus of competition from belowground to aboveground. This suggests that differences in marsh vegetation patterns are the result of tradeoffs between above and belowground competition as nutrient levels change. The investigators will experimentally investigate the mechanisms responsible for the linkage between nutrients and competitive ability and the relationship between nutrient supplies and marsh vegetation patterns. The variables that contribute to the distribution patterns of species along environmental gradients are of interest to resource managers. Results from this study will provide an important tool in helping ecologists predict the consequences of anthropogenic nutrient additions on native plant communities.