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Changes in Ecosystem Nitrogen and Carbon Allocation with Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) Encroachment into Spartina alterniflora Salt Marsh

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Abstract

Increases in temperature are expected to facilitate encroachment of tropical mangrove forests into temperate salt marshes, yet the effects on ecosystem services are understudied. Our work was conducted along a mangrove expansion front in Louisiana (USA), an area where coastal wetlands are in rapid decline due to compounding factors, including reduced sediment supply, rising sea level, and subsidence. Marsh and mangrove ecosystems are each known for their ability to adjust to sea-level rise and support numerous ecosystem services, but there are some differences in the societal benefits they provide. Here, we compare carbon and nitrogen stocks and relate these findings to the expected effects of mangrove encroachment on nitrogen filtration and carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands. We specifically evaluate the implications of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) encroachment into Spartina alterniflora-dominated salt marsh. Our results indicate that black mangrove encroachment will lead to increased aboveground carbon and nitrogen stocks. However, we found no differences in belowground (that is, root and sediment) nitrogen or carbon stocks between marshes and mangroves. Thus, the shift from marsh to mangrove may provide decadal-scale increases in aboveground nitrogen and carbon sequestration, but belowground nitrogen and carbon sequestration (that is, carbon burial) may not be affected. We measured lower pore water nitrogen content beneath growing mangroves, which we postulate may be due to greater nitrogen uptake and storage in mangrove aboveground compartments compared to marshes. However, further studies are needed to better characterize the implications of mangrove encroachment on nitrogen cycling, storage, and export to the coastal ocean.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the many folks who gave their time and effort in the field and in laboratory: J. Goff, E. Wellman, G. Martin, A. Moorhead, T. Gruninger, N. Snyder, G. MacManus, L. Puishys, S. Lindhardt, N. Moreno, L. Linn, P. Chanton, B. Mortazavi, A. Robertson, E. Waddell, H. Ehrmann. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (Grand Isle, LA) provided regular lodging, as well as additional lodging support from the USDA Plant Materials Center (Golden Meadow, LA). We are thankful to ConocoPhillips for access to their property. Funding for this project was provided by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Fellowship, the University of South Alabama’s Department of Marine Sciences Fellowship, with additional support from The Wetland Foundation and the Birmingham Audubon Society. MJO’s participation was supported by the DOI Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, USGS Ecosystems Mission Area, USGS Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Science Program, and the USGS Land Change Science Program Climate R&D Program. 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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  1. Aaron Macy

    Present address: Coastal Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, 1815 Popps Ferry Rd, Biloxi, Mississippi, 39532, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory, Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium, Dauphin Island, Alabama, 36528, USA

    Aaron Macy & Just Cebrian

  2. Department of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, 36688, USA

    Aaron Macy & Just Cebrian

  3. U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, Louisiana, 70506, USA

    Michael J. Osland

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, New College, Box 870229, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 35487, USA

    Julia A. Cherry

  5. Northern Gulf Institute, Mississippi State University, 1021 Balch Blvd., Stennis Space Center, Starkville, Mississippi, 39529, USA

    Just Cebrian

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Correspondence to Aaron Macy.

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AM, MJO, JAC, JC conceived or designed study; AM performed research; AM, JC analyzed data; JAC, MJO contributed new methods or models; AM, MJO, JAC, JC wrote the paper.

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Macy, A., Osland, M.J., Cherry, J.A. et al. Changes in Ecosystem Nitrogen and Carbon Allocation with Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) Encroachment into Spartina alterniflora Salt Marsh. Ecosystems 24, 1007–1023 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-020-00565-w

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