Abstract:Stream chemistry effectively integrates watershed ecosystem processes on both spatial and temporal scales. Streams of coastal areas integrate a more homogeneous, flat topography wherein there can be interactions between the stream and the body of water into which it drains, especially where tidal fluxes occur. The present study assessed water quality of Thompson Bayou, which comes to the campus of the University of West Florida in a wetland after flowing through 4 km of commercial and private property with ass… Show more
“…Data (Gilliam, 2022) are available from the University of West Florida Argo Scholar Commons repository: https://ircommons.uwf.edu/esploro/outputs/99380127797206600.…”
Biodiversity in forest ecosystems is paradoxical. Whereas their most apparent component-the woody overstory-is the least diverse with respect to numbers of species, the least apparent component is the biotic community of highest diversity-the soil microbiome. Numerous factors influence the composition and diversity of soil microbial communities, which in turn exert a profound impact on plant species occupying the soil and the biogeochemistry of essential plant nutrients. Of interest in forest ecosystems is how the soil microbiome interacts with the overstory, a phenomenon referred to as linkage. This study compared the soil microbiome of two adjacent stand types-hardwood-and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)-dominated-and addressed the following questions: (1) How does soil microbiome vary with stand type? (2) Do the forest overstory community and soil microbiome exhibit linkage? Twelve 0.04-ha circular plots were established in each stand type to assess tree community composition and structure and to sample mineral soil for three separate analyses: assessment of soil fertility, measurement of total carbon and nitrogen (N), and extraction of genomic DNA for assessment of microbiome communities. All live stems ≥2.5 cm dbh in each plot were identified to species and measured for dbh to the nearest 0.1 cm. Mineral soil was taken from a depth of 5 cm and oven-dried at 38 C prior to analyses. Hardwood stands were dominated by flowering magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) and southern evergreen oaks, whereas pine stands were dominated by longleaf pine and live oak (Quercus virginiana). Although soils of both stand types were highly acidic, the hardwood stands were generally higher in fertility, especially for total and available N. The overstory and soil microbial communities exhibited evidence of linkage among all sample plots combined. When assessed separately by stand type, only hardwood-dominated stands displayed evidence of overstory/microbial linkage. These results have broader implications for future scenarios given the sensitivity of soil microbes to climate change.
“…Data (Gilliam, 2022) are available from the University of West Florida Argo Scholar Commons repository: https://ircommons.uwf.edu/esploro/outputs/99380127797206600.…”
Biodiversity in forest ecosystems is paradoxical. Whereas their most apparent component-the woody overstory-is the least diverse with respect to numbers of species, the least apparent component is the biotic community of highest diversity-the soil microbiome. Numerous factors influence the composition and diversity of soil microbial communities, which in turn exert a profound impact on plant species occupying the soil and the biogeochemistry of essential plant nutrients. Of interest in forest ecosystems is how the soil microbiome interacts with the overstory, a phenomenon referred to as linkage. This study compared the soil microbiome of two adjacent stand types-hardwood-and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)-dominated-and addressed the following questions: (1) How does soil microbiome vary with stand type? (2) Do the forest overstory community and soil microbiome exhibit linkage? Twelve 0.04-ha circular plots were established in each stand type to assess tree community composition and structure and to sample mineral soil for three separate analyses: assessment of soil fertility, measurement of total carbon and nitrogen (N), and extraction of genomic DNA for assessment of microbiome communities. All live stems ≥2.5 cm dbh in each plot were identified to species and measured for dbh to the nearest 0.1 cm. Mineral soil was taken from a depth of 5 cm and oven-dried at 38 C prior to analyses. Hardwood stands were dominated by flowering magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) and southern evergreen oaks, whereas pine stands were dominated by longleaf pine and live oak (Quercus virginiana). Although soils of both stand types were highly acidic, the hardwood stands were generally higher in fertility, especially for total and available N. The overstory and soil microbial communities exhibited evidence of linkage among all sample plots combined. When assessed separately by stand type, only hardwood-dominated stands displayed evidence of overstory/microbial linkage. These results have broader implications for future scenarios given the sensitivity of soil microbes to climate change.
The dependence of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystems on fire is well-understood, and the anthropogenic alteration of fire cycles within its natural range has contributed to its decline. This has been increasingly exacerbated in areas of urban interfaces, wherein the use of prescribed fire can be problematic. The purpose of this study—the University of West Florida Campus Ecosystem Study—was to examine the effects of fire exclusion on longleaf pine in the unique urban interface of a university campus. This was an interconnected series of investigations on the main campus and three associated natural areas that comprised remnant longleaf stands following the cessation of widespread longleaf pine harvesting—120 years ago. This period of chronic fire exclusion allowed for a distinct shift in the stand structure and composition. The open, savanna-like structure of fire-maintained longleaf stands has transitioned into closed-canopy forests with the increased prevalence of southern evergreen oaks (especially live oak—Quercus virginiana) and Magnolia spp., resulting in the complete absence of longleaf regeneration. Fire exclusion also appeared to decrease soil fertility. The significant variation in the mean age of longleaf pine stems on the main campus; natural areas suggest that these natural areas were likely under separate ownership with contrasting land-use history prior to its purchase by the State of Florida for campus construction in 1963.
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