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Variation in nutrient availability and plant species diversity across forb and graminoid zones of a Northern New England high salt marsh

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Abstract

Plant zonation patterns across New England salt marshes have been investigated for years, but how nutrient availability differs between zones has received little attention. We investigated how N availability, P availability, and plant N status varied across Juncus gerardii, Spartina patens, and mixed forb zones of a Northern New England high salt marsh. We also investigated relationships between several edaphic factors and community production and diversity across the high marsh. P availability, soil salinity, and soil moisture were higher in the mixed forb zone than in the two graminoid zones. NH+ 4-N availability was highest in the J. gerardii zone, but NO− 3-N availability and mid season net N mineralization rates did not vary among zones. Plant tissue N concentrations were highest in the mixed forb zone and lowest in the S. patens zone, reflecting plant physiologies more so than soil N availability. Community production was highest in the J. gerardii zone and was positively correlated with N availability and negatively correlated with soil moisture. Plant species diversity was highest in the mixed forb zone and was positively correlated with P availability and soil salinity. Thus, nutrient availability, plant N status, and plant species diversity varied across zones of this high marsh. Further investigation is needed to ascertain if soil nutrient availability influences or is a result of the production and diversity differences that exist between vegetation zones of New England high salt marshes.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Maine, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland

    Theresa A. Theodose & Justine B. Roths

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  1. Theresa A. Theodose
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  2. Justine B. Roths
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Theodose, T.A., Roths, J.B. Variation in nutrient availability and plant species diversity across forb and graminoid zones of a Northern New England high salt marsh. Plant Ecology 143, 219–228 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009887727465

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