The Influence of Hydrology and Time on Productivity and Soil Development of Created and Restored Wetlands
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THE INFLUENCE OF HYDROLOGY AND TIME ON PRODUCTIVITY AND SOIL DEVELOPMENT OF CREATED AND RESTORED WETLANDS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Christopher J. Anderson, M.S. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Approved by William J. Mitsch, Adviser Warren A. Dick P. Charles Goebel Adviser School of Natural Resources ABSTRACT In created and restored wetlands, hydrology (the depth, duration, and dynamics of water in wetlands) and time play an important role in regulating most ecological processes including productivity and soil development. The influence of hydrology on created and restored wetlands was examined using full-scale ecosystems and replicated mesocosm systems at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park (ORWRP). In one study, twenty 540-liter tubs or ‘mesocosms’ were planted with either one of two wetland plants common to the region: narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia L.) or soft- stemmed bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani C.C. (Gmel) Palla). For each species, half the mesocosms were pumped with river water based on a monthly pulsing regime while the other half was pumped on a steady-flow regime (an even amount of water was provided weekly). Overall, Typha wetlands were significantly more productive than Schoenoplectus wetlands; however no significant differences in productivity or morphology were observed between pulsed or steady-flow wetlands among species groups. No significant differences in nutrient concentrations, uptake or uptake efficiency were detected among species groups either; however hydrology did influence plant tissue N:P ratios (P<0.01). For all wetland mesocosms, the mean (±1 SE) N:P ratio was 9.2 ±0.6 for steady-flow and 11.7 ±0.5 for pulsed conditions, suggesting that the steady flow wetlands were more N limited than pulsed wetlands. ii A second project evaluated the restoration of flood pulses on a 5.2-ha (13-acre) bottomland forest along the Olentangy River at the ORWRP. In June 2000, the bottomland forest hydrology was restored to approximate natural flooding by cutting three breeches in an artificial levee constructed between the river and the north section of the forest and a fourth breech along the natural riverbank at the south section of the forest. Total aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) was calculated for two sections of the forest (north and south) using estimated forest litterfall and wood production. No significant difference in mean ANPP was detected between the north section (807 ±86 g m-2 yr-1) and the south section (869 ±56 g m-2 yr-1), however productivity at the north section was substantially higher than a previous ANPP estimate conducted before restoration. A notable increase in canopy tree basal growth was noted in the south section and was primarily due to the prevalence of boxelder (Acer negundo L.) which was the dominant species in this section and showed the same shift in basal area increment during 2003 and 2004. Soil development over time was evaluated in two experimental wetlands (~1 ha each) that were created in non-hydric soils at the ORWRP in 1994. In May 2004, soil samples were collected (10 years and 2 months after the wetlands were flooded) and compared to samples collected in 1993 (after the wetland basins were excavated but prior to flooding) and 1995 (18 months after the wetlands were flooded). Soils in the two wetlands have changed substantially through sedimentation and organic accretion. Since 1995, soil parameters have been influenced most by the deposition of organic matter from colonized macrophyte communities. Mean percent organic matter at the surface increased from 5.3 ±0.1% in 1993 and 6.1 ±0.2% in 1995, to 9.5 ±0.2% in 2004. Mean total P increased iii from 493 ±18 μg g-1 in 1993 and 600 ±23 μg g-1 in 1995, to 724 ±20 μg g-1 in 2004. Spatial analyses of percent organic matter (a common indicator of hydric soils) at both wetlands in 1993, 1995 and 2004 showed that soil conditions have become increasingly more variable. High spatial structure (autocorrelation between data points) was detected in 1993 and 2004, with data in 2004 exhibiting a much higher range of variance between data points (C0 + C: 5.24–9.54) and narrower range of autocorrelation (A0: 24-62 m) than in 1993 (C0 + C: 0.25–0.49 and A0: 152-239 m). Sediment accumulation was also evaluated in the same two experimental wetlands. Higher mean sediment accumulation was detected in the deeper open water zones (62 ±6 and 74 ±5 kg m-2) for the two wetlands than in the emergent vegetation zones (38 ±2 and 39 ±3 kg m-2). Directional spatial structure associated with sediment accumulation was detected in both wetlands and was attributed to the high accumulation in the open water zones and the gradual decline in accumulation from inflow to outflow. High accumulations of Ca (2.4 ±0.2 kg m-2 for both wetlands) and inorganic C (730 ±70 and -2 717 ±49 g m ) in the OW zones of both wetlands suggest that CaCO3 deposition has remained a critical process where algae productivity has been highest. Annual rates of sediment and nutrient accumulation for each wetland were lower than those calculated in previous years and typically fall between ranges seen for newly created wetlands and natural wetlands. iv Dedicated to Jamie and Sam v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many individuals that I would like to acknowledge who helped me complete this dissertation. I gratefully acknowledge my adviser William Mitsch for his guidance and support of my research, and the opportunity to study at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park (ORWRP). I am also grateful to Warren Dick and Charles Goebel for serving on my dissertation committee and providing me with their insight and comments regarding my research- from proposal to completion. I also would like to thank Charles Goebel for lending me several pieces of equipment and software necessary for my bottomland research. I thank Robert Vertrees for serving on my candidacy committee and always keeping me mindful of the policy implications to my research. I would like to thank my fellow ‘Wetlanders’ at the ORWRP, particularly: Anne Altor, Don Bachorowski, Natalie Dillon, Debra Gamble, Dan Fink, Michelle Guthrie, Cheri Higgins, Maria Hernandez, Jeremiah Miller, Amanda Nahlik, Rebecca Swab, Cassie Tuttle, Jan Thompson, and Li Zhang. Aside from helping me with my research in various ways, all of you made coming to the research park fun and enjoyable. A special thanks goes to Li Zhang for helping me out with numerous technical problems over the years. I am also indebted to many of the previous researchers who have worked at the ORWRP, many of whom I have never met. Building on their research is what makes the ORWRP a unique and valuable facility, and indeed I truly felt like I was “standing on the shoulder of giants.” In particular I would like to acknowledge Bob Nairn, Lisa Svengsouk, Sarah Harter, Mathew Cochran, and Michael Liptak for their previous research. vi Funding for my doctoral research and education came from several sources including: an assistantship from the School of Natural Resources, an Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) Graduate Research Enhancement Grant, OARDC Grant No. 2002-079, U.S. Department of Agriculture Grant No. 2002-35102-13518, the Ohio Department of Transportation and an Arthur M. Schlesinger Graduate Tuition Fellowship. Finally, I would like to thank my wife Jamie for her love, support and willingness to pick up and move to unknown parts of Ohio. It has been an amazing journey and I am looking forward to sharing the rest of it with you. I love you. I also want to thank the newest star in my life, baby-Sam, who has become an unlimited source of inspiration to me. vii VITA November 19, 1970........................................Born - Fairfax, Virginia 1993................................................................B.S., Forestry & Wildlife, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 1993................................................................Research Assistant, Indiana University, Mountain Lake Biological Station, Virginia 1993-1994 ......................................................Environmental Technician, Southern Biomes, Cape Coral, Florida 1994-1996 ......................................................Environmental Specialist II, Biological Research Associates, Inc., Tampa, Florida 1996-1998 ......................................................Ecologist, Biological Research Associates, Inc., Tampa, Florida 1998-2001 ......................................................Sr. Ecologist, Biological Research Associates, Inc., Tampa and Sarasota, Florida 2001................................................................M.S., Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 2002-2005 ......................................................Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant, The Ohio State University- School of Natural Resources, Columbus, Ohio viii PUBLICATIONS Peer-reviewed journal articles Anderson, C.J., W.J. Mitsch, and R.W. Nairn. 2005. Temporal and spatial development of surface soil conditions at two created riverine marshes. Journal of Environmental Quality 34(6): 2072-2081. Anderson, C.J. and W.J. Mitsch. 2005. The effect of pulsing on macrophyte productivity and nutrient uptake: a mesocosm experiment. American Midland Naturalist 154(2):305-319. Anderson, C.J. and B.C. Cowell. 2004. Mulching effects on the seasonally flooded zone of