The Life History of the Salt Marsh Rush, Juncus roemerianus

Eleuterius, Lionel N.

doi:10.2307/2484735

Cited by 25 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The live and dead plant tissues present in the top 40 em of the marsh soil ranged from 9.7-12.4 kg/m 2 (de la Cruz and Hackney 1977). Eleuterius (1975) estimated that one-third of the rhizomes of J. roemerianus are replaced by new growth each year. Thus, based on the productivity previously estimated (de la Cruz and Hackney 1977), only about 4.0 kg/m 2 of the belowground plant material is alive at any one time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In Situ Decomposition of Roots and Rhizomes of Two Tidal Marsh Plants

Hackney¹,

Cruz²

1980

Ecology

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In situ decomposition of roots and rhizomes of the marsh plants, Juncus roemerianus and Spartina cynosuroides was investigated using litter bags. The decomposition rate was greatest in the top 10 cm (20% mass loss/yr) of the marsh soil. There was no apparent decomposition below 20 cm depth. Belowground tissues of S. cynosuroides decomposed faster than those of J. roemerianus during the first 4 mo. The rhizome decomposition rate of 27%/yr (mass loss) was faster than the 16%/yr of the roots of J. reomerianus. There was no difference between the composition rate of mixed root and rhizome materials between experiments initiated in winter and those started in the spring. This indicates a relatively constant decomposition rate during the year in the 0—10 cm soil zone. There was no apparent trend in the hydrogen, carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, or caloric content changes of the decomposing roots and rhizomes during the study.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In Situ Decomposition of Roots and Rhizomes of Two Tidal Marsh Plants

Hackney¹,

Cruz²

1980

Ecology

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“…under light microscopy. Juncus roemerianus macrofossils are accurate indicators of paleo-marsh surfaces because of their close proximity (within a few cm) to the surface and their short lifespan (approximately 3 years for rhizomes ;Eleuterius, 1975Eleuterius, , 1976; which are the preferred macrofossil for dating paleo marsh surfaces). In addition, we isolated small pieces of wood that we assumed were deposited on a paleomarsh surface.…”

Section: Developing a Chronology For Lmr-9mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing Common Era relative sea-level change on the Gulf Coast of Florida

et al. 2017

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A B S T R A C TTo address a paucity of Common Era data in the Gulf of Mexico, we reconstructed~1.1 m of relative sea-level (RSL) rise over the past~2000 years at Little Manatee River (Gulf Coast of Florida, USA). We applied a regionalscale foraminiferal transfer function to fossil assemblages preserved in a core of salt-marsh peat and organic silt that was dated using radiocarbon and recognition of pollution, 137 Cs and pollen chronohorizons. Our proxy reconstruction was combined with tide-gauge data from four nearby sites spanning 1913-2014 CE. Application of an Errors-in-Variables Integrated Gaussian Process (EIV-IGP) model to the combined proxy and instrumental dataset demonstrates that RSL fell from~350 to 100 BCE, before rising continuously to present. This initial RSL fall was likely the result of local-scale processes (e.g., silting up of a tidal flat or shallow sub-tidal shoal) as saltmarsh development at the site began. Since~0 CE, we consider the reconstruction to be representative of regional-scale RSL trends. We removed a linear rate of 0.3 mm/yr from the RSL record using the EIV-IGP model to estimate climate-driven sea-level trends and to facilitate comparison among sites. This analysis demonstrates that since~0 CE sea level did not deviate significantly from zero until accelerating continuously from~1500 CE to present. Sea level was rising at 1.33 mm/yr in 1900 CE and accelerated until 2014 CE when a rate of 2.02 mm/yr was attained, which is the fastest, century-scale trend in the~2000-year record. Comparison to existing reconstructions from the Gulf coast of Louisiana and the Atlantic coast of northern Florida reveal similar sea-level histories at all three sites. We explored the influence of compaction and fluvial processes on our reconstruction and concluded that compaction was likely insignificant. Fluvial processes were also likely insignificant, but further proxy evidence is needed to fully test this hypothesis. Our results indicate that no significant Common Era sea-level changes took place on the Gulf and southeastern Atlantic U.S. coasts until the onset of modern sea-level rise in the late 19th century.

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“…The life history of this stresstolerator (sensu Grime 1979) is such that throughout the year leaf recruitment occurs and leaves continue to grow, and dead leaves remain standing for long periods of time (Williams & Murdoch 1972, Eleuterius 1975, Eleuterius & Caldwell 1981. The result is a dense assemblage that can easily exceed 1000 leaves, both living and dead, per m' .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Juncus roemerianus production and decomposition along gradients of salinity and hydroperiod

Christian¹,

Bryant²,

Brinson³

1990

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Juncus roemerianus Scheele, the black needlerush, dominates much of an irregularly flooded salt marsh at the Cedar Island National Wildhfe Refuge, North Carolina, USA. We examined its dynamics of growth, senescence, and decomposition along a 1.6 km transect into the marsh over salinity and hydroperiod gradients passing successively through 3 distinct vegetational zones. Little difference was noted among zones in any of the dynamic aspects examined. Aerial, annual net primary production of J. roernerianus averaged 812 g dry mass m-2. This rate is comparable to that of J. roemerianusin other North Carolina marshes. Measured parameters for production estimates were production-to-biomass ratio, frequency of replacement of growing leaves (number of times per year in which leaf cohorts grow to maximum height), and standing crop of growing leaves. Only the latter parameter revealed statistically significant change with distance into the marsh with the most inner zone having the least biomass of leaves. Senescence of leaves progressed similarly along the transect, as did decomposition. A lack of dominance by J. roemerianus in the inner zone may be a consequence of competitive advantages of other species in an environment of lower salinity and shorter hydroperiod. On average, Juncus roemerianus leaves grow for 259 d and senesce for 312 d. The rate of decomposition of standing dead leaves is slow (-0.25 F-'). Thus it would not be uncommon for a leaf to remain standing for several years. Given this longevity and persistence, biomass removal by physical processes such as storms and fire may be important.

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The Life History of the Salt Marsh Rush, Juncus roemerianus

Cited by 25 publications

References 2 publications

In Situ Decomposition of Roots and Rhizomes of Two Tidal Marsh Plants

In Situ Decomposition of Roots and Rhizomes of Two Tidal Marsh Plants

Reconstructing Common Era relative sea-level change on the Gulf Coast of Florida

Juncus roemerianus production and decomposition along gradients of salinity and hydroperiod

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