Vascular Flora of the Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest, Little Belt Mountains, Montana

Mincemoyer, Scott.; Birdsall, Jennifer L.

doi:10.3120/0024-9637(2006)53[211:vfottc]2.0.co;2

Cited by 24 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The riparian zones are composed predominantly of bluejoint reedgrass (Calamagrostis canadensis) (Mincemoyer and Birdsall 2006), and no trees are present. In the hillslopes, grouse whortleberry (Vaccinium scoparium) is the dominant understory species (Mincemoyer and Birdsall 2006), and the overstory vegetation is composed mainly of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) (Farnes et al 1995).…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability in soil respiration across riparian-hillslope transitions

et al. 2008

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The spatial and temporal controls on soil CO 2 production and surface CO 2 efflux have been identified as outstanding gaps in our understanding of carbon cycling. We investigated both across two riparian-hillslope transitions in a subalpine catchment, northern Rocky Mountains, Montana. Riparian-hillslope transitions provide ideal locations for investigating the controls on soil CO 2 dynamics due to strong, natural gradients in the factors driving respiration, including soil water content (SWC) and soil temperature. We measured soil air CO 2 concentrations (20 and 50 cm), surface CO 2 efflux, soil temperature, and SWC at eight locations. We investigated (1) how soil CO 2 concentrations differed within and between landscape positions; (2) how the timing of peak soil CO 2 concentrations varied across riparian and hillslope zones; and (3) whether higher soil CO 2 concentrations necessarily resulted in higher efflux (i.e. did surface CO 2 efflux follow patterns of subsurface CO 2 )? Soil CO 2 concentrations were significantly higher in the riparian zones, likely due to higher SWC. The timing of peak soil CO 2 concentrations also differed between riparian and hillslope zones, with highest hillslope concentrations near peak snowmelt and highest riparian concentrations during the late summer and early fall. Surface CO 2 efflux was relatively homogeneous at monthly timescales as a result of different combinations of soil CO 2 production and transport, which led to equifinality in efflux across the transects. However, efflux was 57% higher in the riparian zones when integrated to cumulative growing season efflux, and suggests higher riparian soil CO 2 production.

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Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability in soil respiration across riparian-hillslope transitions

et al. 2008

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“…Vegetation in riparian meadows consists primarily of Calamagrostis canadensis (bluejoint reedgrass), whereas upland forests consist primarily of Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine) and, to a lesser extent, Abies lasiocarpa (Subalpine fir) and Picea engelmannii (Engelmann Spruce). Vaccinium scoparium (Whortleberry) is the predominant upland understory species (28). The geology is characterized by granite gneiss, shales, quartz porphyry, and quartzite (29).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape Position Influences Microbial Composition and Function via Redistribution of Soil Water across a Watershed

Riveros-Iregui

Jones

et al. 2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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g Subalpine forest ecosystems influence global carbon cycling. However, little is known about the compositions of their soil microbial communities and how these may vary with soil environmental conditions. The goal of this study was to characterize the soil microbial communities in a subalpine forest watershed in central Montana (Stringer Creek Watershed within the Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest) and to investigate their relationships with environmental conditions and soil carbonaceous gases. As assessed by tagged Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, community composition and structure differed significantly among three landscape positions: high upland zones (HUZ), low upland zones (LUZ), and riparian zones (RZ). Soil depth effects on phylogenetic diversity and ␤-diversity varied across landscape positions, being more evident in RZ than in HUZ. Mantel tests revealed significant correlations between microbial community assembly patterns and the soil environmental factors tested (water content, temperature, oxygen, and pH) and soil carbonaceous gases (carbon dioxide concentration and efflux and methane concentration). With one exception, methanogens were detected only in RZ soils. In contrast, methanotrophs were detected in all three landscape positions. Type I methanotrophs dominated RZ soils, while type II methanotrophs dominated LUZ and HUZ soils. The relative abundances of methanotroph populations correlated positively with soil water content (R ‫؍‬ 0.72, P < 0.001) and negatively with soil oxygen (R ‫؍‬ ؊0.53, P ‫؍‬ 0.008). Our results suggest the coherence of soil microbial communities within and differences in communities between landscape positions in a subalpine forested watershed that reflect historical and contemporary environmental conditions. I n the western United States, approximately 70% of carbon sink activity is located at elevations above 750 m, where 50 to 85% of land is dominated by hilly or mountainous topography (1). Fluxes of carbonaceous gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ), significantly affect the size of the carbon sink, with soil respiration accounting for the largest terrestrial CO 2 flux to the atmosphere (2). CO 2 in soil pore spaces is derived primarily from autotrophic (root) and heterotrophic (microbe) respiration, which is mediated by environmental factors such as temperature, soil water content (SWC), O 2 availability, and organic matter (3-5). The direction and intensity of CH 4 flux depends on the local balance of the CH 4 consumption by methanotrophs and CH 4 production by methanogens, both of which also are subject to such environmental influences. Because diffusive gas transport through soils is reduced with increasing SWC, hydrologic variations can strongly affect soil O 2 levels, which in turn influence the relative rates of (anaerobic) methanogenesis and (aerobic) methanotrophy. Although saturated soils (e.g., wetlands) are major terrestrial sources of CH 4 emissions (6), emission may at times occur from unsaturated soils, depending on th...

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“…The vegetation in the riparian area is predominately grasses (Juncus, Carex, Poa) and willows (Salix) with a mixture of 15 wildflowers (Erigeron, Aster) The forest is primarily comprised of Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa); Englemann spruce (Picea engelmannii) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) are also common; Grouse whortleberry (Vaccinium scoparium) is dominant in the understory (Mincemoyer and Birdsall, 2006). Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org /10.5194/bg-2017-518 Manuscript under review for journal Biogeosciences Discussion started: 15 January 2018 c Author(s) 2018.…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%