Collaborative Research: Effects of Nutrients on Salt Marsh Zonation

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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.