 |
Monday, May 18, 2009 - 3:45 PM
63
Impact of woody vegetation removal on prairie streams
Alyssa J. Riley and Walter K. Dodds. Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 104 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506
Woody vegetation encroachment threatens remaining native tallgrass prairie streams. Kings Creek is a prairie stream that was historically a mostly open canopy stream with little surrounding woody vegetation. Many reaches in Kings Creek have been subjected to woody expansion and now have a closed canopy. Closed canopy reaches receive less sunlight for primary producers and receive more leaf and wood material. Woody vegetation was removed from two 35 m reaches in order to determine the impact of woody expansion on stream ecosystem structure and function. We measured whole-stream metabolism in reaches with naturally open and closed canopies and in the vegetation removal reaches. Measurements were made seasonally, pre and post removal. The closed canopy reaches were 60-85% closed and the naturally open canopy reaches were 6-17% closed. The removal reaches went from 60-80% closed to about 5% closed. Daily gross primary production was at least 3 times greater in open canopy reaches than in closed canopy. Heterotrophic respiration was not influenced by canopy cover. Chlorophyll a was significantly greater in open canopied reaches than under closed canopy, even in winter without leaf cover. Fully lighted areas had luxurious growth of filamentous algae.
Web Page: algae, metabolism, canopy
See more of Land/Water Interfaces I
See more of Contributed Sessions
See more of The NABS 57th Annual Meeting (16-23 May, 2009)
See more of Contributed Sessions
See more of The NABS 57th Annual Meeting (16-23 May, 2009)