Growth of Bald Cypress Boles and Knees As Influenced by Precipitation and Inundation at Sardis Lake, Mississippi
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2014 Growth Of Bald Cypress Boles And Knees As Influenced By Precipitation And Inundation At Sardis Lake, Mississippi Emily M. Stauss University of Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons Recommended Citation Stauss, Emily M., "Growth Of Bald Cypress Boles And Knees As Influenced By Precipitation And Inundation At Sardis Lake, Mississippi" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 373. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/373 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GROWTH OF BALD CYPRESS BOLES AND KNEES AS INFLUENCED BY PRECIPITATION AND INUNDATION AT SARDIS LAKE, MISSISSIPPI A Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Biology The University of Mississippi by EMILY M. STAUSS May 2014 Copyright Emily M. Stauss 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The growth of bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) boles and knees in response to inundation and precipitation over small (< 4 m) elevation gradients was examined by measuring interannual growth increments of boles and knees at five sites at Sardis Lake, Mississippi. There was a significant (p=0.019) growth response to precipitation during November to April (the wet season), but there was not a significant growth response to inundation during the growing season (May to October). Because lake level at Sardis is controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, the Sardis Lake shoreline area may be a habitat where growth response to precipitation and inundation differs from systems where precipitation and inundation are linked. The growth of knees from bald cypress roots was compared to growth of the boles in order to determine if knees and boles respond to the same environmental factors. It was found that the knees have high positive correlation coefficients when compared to the tree’s bole if we assume that knee growth is initiated in response to a major flood event. If we assume knees grow in response to stress that limits bole growth, we would expect but do not find any discernable relationship between the initiation of knee growth and the timing of flood events. ii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this work first to my parents, Brian and Cathy Stauss, who sent me away to Girl Scout camp when I was six years old, where I fell in love with nature and my life was changed forever. I would like to dedicate this work secondly to Ms. Ann Stevens, my middle school science teacher, who took that love of nature, streamlined it into a distinct interest in biology, and opened my eyes to the fascinating world of science. She is easily one of the most creative, gifted, and inspiring teachers I have ever known, and she sparked my desire to pursue biology. Lastly, I would like to recognize my family and cousins, without whose love and support I would never have gotten this far. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Stephen Threlkeld for taking me on as his graduate student. Without him, earning this degree would not have been possible, and I am immensely grateful for his patience and guidance. I would also like to thank Dr. Marjorie Holland and Dr. Gregg Davidson for their support and direction. My gratitude is also extended to the University of Mississippi and the Biology Department and its staff, for their assistance and encouragement, and for employing me and giving me invaluable experience researching and teaching. A special thanks is extended to Dr. Jason Hoeksema and Dr. Megan Rúa for their generous help with R. Thank you to the University of Mississippi Geology and Engineering Department, especially Hal Robinson, for allowing me to use your surveying equipment. I also thank the Army Corps of Engineers, especially Chris Gurner, for allowing me to work on their property and study the habitat and trees at Sardis Lake. Lastly, I am indebted to the graduate students at the University of Mississippi, whose advice, friendship, help, and support has made this thesis possible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………ii 2. Dedication…………………………………………………………………………….......iii 3. Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………….….iv 4. List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………......vi 5. List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………vii 6. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..1 7. Methods………………………………………………………………………………........4 8. Results…………………………………………………………………………………....17 9. Discussion………………………………………………………………………………..23 10. List of References……………………………………………………………………28-30 11. Appendix……………………………………………………………………………..31-34 12. Vita……………………………………………………………………………………….35 v LIST OF TABLES Page 1. Correlation Results Between Knee and Bole Growth Records……………………..…21 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page 1. Locations of Trees at Pat’s Bluff 1 at Sardis Lake, MS………………………………………...5 2. Locations of Trees at Pat’s Bluff 2 at Sardis Lake, MS………………………………………...6 3. Locations of Trees at Blackjack Point at Sardis Lake, MS……………………...……………...8 4. Locations of Trees at Thompson Creek at Sardis Lake, MS………………………...…………9 5. Locations of Trees at Moccasin Point at Sardis Lake, MS……………………………………10 6. Image of Part of a Cross-Section of a Bald Cypress Knee………............................................13 7. A Comparison of the Growth of the Bole of Tree 67 with the Growth of One of Its Knees.....15 8. Total Precipitation Per Year…………………………………………………………………...16 9. Response of Trees to Precipitation at Increasing Elevation during November-April………...19 10. Response of Trees to Inundation at Increasing Elevation during April-October…………….20 11. Growth of Knees Compared to Daily Lake Level at Sardis Lake, MS…...………………….22 12. Response of Trees to Precipitation at Increasing Elevation during November-April, Polynomial Comparison………………………………………………………………………….27 vii I. INTRODUCTION Bald cypress [Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.] often grows in standing water or saturated soils for a substantial part of the year, yet a positive relationship between precipitation and interannual variation in radial growth of bald cypress boles has been documented (Stahle et al. 1985b). Stahle and his colleagues have used this relationship to reconstruct southeastern United States climate (Stahle et al. 1985a; Stahle and Cleaveland 1992) and reasons for the failure of a southeastern colonial settlement (Stahle et al. 1998). The relationship of growth to precipitation 5 is sometimes altered when trees experience major changes in their hydrology, as occurs from subsidence following an earthquake (Stahle et al. 1992, Van Arsdale et al. 1988), or changes in drainage caused by road construction (Young et al. 1995) or from channel incision (Valentine et al. 1997). Such changes can affect the growth-precipitation relationship for extended periods of time (3-17 years). Weber (2010) examined interannual growth in groups of trees along a 1 m elevation gradient at Sky Lake, MS, an oxbow of the Yazoo River near Belzoni, MS, and found that there were differences in growth response to inundation and precipitation between groups of trees even though the elevation difference was a meter or less between them. Interannual growth of trees at the lowest elevation was directly related to inundation, while growth of trees at higher elevations was more influenced by precipitation. Growth of trees at intermediate elevations was not significantly related to either inundation or precipitation. Keeland and Sharitz (1995) examined within-season variations in bole growth using dendrometer bands and found that bald cypress growth was greatest under shallow permanent 1 flooding (water level at 39 + 8 cm to -5 + 13 cm over the course of one year; p. 1086), less under periodic flooding (“frequent, short-term flood events throughout the year”; p. 1088), and most limited in deep, permanently flooded sites (water level 86 + 8cm to 50 + 12cm over the course of one year). Their evidence suggested that magnitude and variation in water depth influenced growth in bald cypress. It is not known, however, when bole growth is responding to inundation and when it is responding to precipitation, and if one of these events is more influential on growth during different parts of the year. Interannual and seasonal variation in growth of bald cypress knees is unstudied, although it is widely accepted that knees grow in response to inundation (Kramer et al., 1956; Whitford 5 1956; Kernall and Levy 1990); the claim that they facilitate gas exchange in the roots is not supported by experimental evidence (Mitsch and Gosselink 2007; Nabors 2004). It is unknown if certain environmental factors trigger knee growth and during what part of the year they are growing. Knees have been observed to show signs of new tissue growth (“blistering”) during the late winter and early spring months, right before the new leaf season in March. Although thought to be a response to inundation (Kernell and Levy 1990; but see Penfound 1952), it is not known if knees grow when the bole is growing or if knees grow in response to stress at times when bole growth is limited. The impoundment of the Little Tallahatchie River in northern Mississippi in 1939-1941 formed Sardis Lake and flooded upland habitat near the Little Tallahatchie River. Bald cypress