Abstract
Shrub encroachment has been increasing at unprecedented rates worldwide and a knowledge gap exists regarding how nutrient dynamics differ in shrub-encroached wetlands compared to marshes. This study evaluated physicochemical property differences in the soil, water, and vegetation of willow (Salix caroliniana) plots, marsh plots adjacent to willows, and control marsh plots in two wetlands within the St. John’s River watershed, FL. In both wetlands, Moccasin Island and Lake Apopka, willow leaves (484 ± 7 g kg−1) contained more carbon (C) than sawgrass (442 ± 3 g kg−1) and cattail (468 ± 4 g kg−1) leaves. At Moccasin Island, soil nutrient (C, nitrogen, phosphorous) concentrations were doubled in willow and adjacent plots compared to marsh plots, while 37% less soil C was observed in willow plots than marsh plots at Lake Apopka. These results demonstrate willow-encroached marshes have unique properties relative to non-encroached marshes, but the direction and magnitude of the differences are site-specific.
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This research was supported by the Department of Biology at the University of Central Florida.
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Ho, J., Chambers, L.G. Willow-shrub encroachment affects physicochemical properties differently in two subtropical freshwater marshes. Wetlands Ecol Manage 28, 389–395 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-019-09705-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-019-09705-z