Abstract
Ecotone dynamics and shifting range limits can be used to advance our understanding of the ecological implications of future range expansions in response to climate change. In the northern Gulf of Mexico, the salt marsh–mangrove ecotone is an area where range limits and ecotone dynamics can be studied in tandem as recent decreases in winter temperature extremes have allowed for mangrove expansion at the expense of salt marsh. In this study, we assessed aboveground and belowground plant–soil dynamics across the salt marsh–mangrove ecotone quantifying micro-spatial patterns in horizontal extent. Specifically, we studied vegetation and rooting dynamics of large and small trees, the impact of salt marshes (e.g. species and structure) on mangroves, and the influence of vegetation on soil properties along transects from underneath the mangrove canopy into the surrounding salt marsh. Vegetation and rooting dynamics differed in horizontal reach, and there was a positive relationship between mangrove tree height and rooting extent. We found that the horizontal expansion of mangrove roots into salt marsh extended up to eight meters beyond the aboveground boundary. Variation in vegetation structure and local hydrology appear to control mangrove seedling dynamics. Finally, soil carbon density and organic matter did not differ within locations across the salt marsh-mangrove interface. By studying aboveground and belowground variation across the ecotone, we can better predict the ecological effects of continued range expansion in response to climate change.
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Acknowledgements
We thank L. Chen, K. Krauss, A. From, T. Sloey, L. Feher, S. Jones, J. McCleod, and D. Lafleur for help with data collection in the field and laboratory. We appreciate comments provided by R. Day, T. Sloey, S. Jones, J. Nelson, K. Krauss, S. Duke-Sylvester, and anonymous reviewers. We are grateful to ConocoPhillips Company/Louisiana Land and Exploration Company, LLC and the Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge for permission to work on their properties. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
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ESY, MJO, and MHW conceived and designed the study. ESY and MJO collected the data. ESY analyzed the data. ESY wrote the first manuscript draft. MJO and MHW contributed to revisions.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Funding and support was provided by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. M.J. Osland was supported by the Ecosystem and Land Change Science Mission Areas of the U.S. Geological Survey as well as the Department of the Interior’s Southeast Climate Science Center, which is supported by the U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center.
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Yando, E.S., Osland, M.J. & Hester, M.W. Microspatial ecotone dynamics at a shifting range limit: plant–soil variation across salt marsh–mangrove interfaces. Oecologia 187, 319–331 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4098-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4098-2