Spatial and temporal patterns of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) along two freshwater-estuarine transects in the Florida Coastal Everglades

Abstract

We present here a 4-year dataset (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004) on the spatial and temporal patterns of aboveground net primary production (ANPP) by dominant primary producers (sawgrass, periphyton, mangroves, and seagrasses) along two transects in the oligotrophic Florida Everglades coastal landscape. The 17 sites of the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (FCE LTER) program are located along fresh-estuarine gradients in Shark River Slough (SRS) and Taylor River/C-111/Florida Bay (TS/Ph) basins that drain the western and southern Everglades, respectively. Within the SRS basin, sawgrass and periphyton ANPP did not differ significantly among sites but mangrove ANPP was highest at the site nearest the Gulf of Mexico. In the southern Everglades transect, there was a productivity peak in sawgrass and periphyton at the upper estuarine ecotone within Taylor River but no trends were observed in the C-111 Basin for either primary producer. Over the 4 years, average sawgrass ANPP in both basins ranged from 255 to 606 g m )2 year )1 . Average periphyton productivity at SRS and TS/Ph was 17-68 g C m )2 year )1 and 342-10371 g C m )2 year )1 , respectively. Mangrove productivity ranged from 340 g m )2 year )1 at Taylor River to 2208 g m )2 year )1 at the lower estuarine Shark River site. Average Thalassia testudinum productivity ranged from 91 to 396 g m )2 year )1 and was 4-fold greater at the site nearest the Gulf of Mexico than in eastern Florida Bay. There were no differences in periphyton productivity at Florida Bay. Interannual comparisons revealed no significant differences within each primary producer at either SRS or TS/Ph with the exception of sawgrass at SRS and the C)111 Basin. Future research will address difficulties in assessing and comparing ANPP of different primary producers along gradients as well as the significance of belowground production to the total productivity of this ecosystem.

Seasonal differences in the CO2 exchange of a short-hydroperiod Florida Everglades marsh

“…Mean periphyton production in the marsh surrounding the tower site was calculated to be (Ewe et al, 2006). While this number is relatively large, productivity in this species is dominated by leaf turnover rather than biomass accrual .…”

“…Wetlands of the tropics and subtropics often have year-round growing seasons and may respond differently to seasonality, typically characterized by wet and dry seasons, relative to temperate systems. One such wetland, the Florida Everglades, is reported to have very high rates of NPP (Ewe et al, 2006), though nothing is known about the annual patterns of CO 2 exchange or the role of environmental factors, including hydroperiod (i.e., the duration of inundation), in driving these patterns.…”

“…Although the Everglades is an oligotrophic ecosystem limited by phosphorus, high rates of aboveground NPP are reportedly maintained in marsh areas through periphyton and aquatic macrophyte growth. Aboveground NPP has been found to reach >10,000 g C m -2 yr -1 in some Everglades marl (calcium carbonate soil) marshes, though rates of 1000-2000 g C m -2 yr -1 are more common (Ewe et al, 2006). Hydroperiod is of central importance in determining productivity in the Everglades and is the product of both active water management and climate (Busch et al, 1998;Childers et al, 2006).…”

Aboveground net primary production and stand dynamics of mangroves along a river on Iriomote Island, southwestern Japan

“…On a global scale, temperature serves as the main factor affecting latitudinal patterns of biomass and productivity (Komiyama et al 2008, Alongi 2009). On a landscape scale, the patterns of mangrove distribution formed in response to chemical, physical and biological factors that have been previously documented within a single estuary (Sherman et al 2003, Ewe et al 2006, Alongi 2011. These factors and their relationship to forest stands have been studied to quantify spatial patterns of biomass and productivity along a geomorphological gradient.…”

“…In addition to the responses of individual trees to abiotic factors in the environment, competition within and between species also interacts with stand structure and species composition as parts of stand dynamics (Ball 2002, Clarke 2004, Rajkaran and Adamas 2012. Sherman et al (2003) and Ewe et al (2006) studied biomass, growth and productivity in association with the environmental conditions, such as salinity and nutrient status, in relation to species composition and stand structure. However, few studies address the production of biomass in relation to stand dynamics (Alongi 2011).…”