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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Benthic Community Responses To Hypoxic Conditions In The Lower Rappahannock River, Virginia, Mary Elaine Smith
Benthic Community Responses To Hypoxic Conditions In The Lower Rappahannock River, Virginia, Mary Elaine Smith
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The effects of seasonal low dissolved oxygen conditions upon benthic macroinvertebrate communities were studied in the lower Rappahannock River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Benthic communities were sampled during March, June, August, and September 1993 at five equidistant depths (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 m) extending upwards from the deepwater Virginia Benthic Biological Monitoring Station LE3.4 located in the deep basin just inside the mouth of the Rappahannock River. Infaunal species diversity, richness, biomass, and density were measured along with the vertical depth distribution of organisms within the sediment. Significant sediment differences were found between the shallowest, 5 …
The Role Of Nitrogen Availability, Hydroperiod And Litter Quality In Root Decomposition Along A Barrier Island Chronosequence, Christine Elizabeth Conn
The Role Of Nitrogen Availability, Hydroperiod And Litter Quality In Root Decomposition Along A Barrier Island Chronosequence, Christine Elizabeth Conn
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The decomposition of organic matter regulates carbon and nutrient flux between biotic and abiotic pools. Traditional research emphasizes above ground decomposition processes and, by inference, extends these findings to below ground systems. The study, conducted along a southeastern Atlantic Coast barrier island dune and swale chronosequence (Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research site), addressed how hydroperiod, litter quality and nitrogen availability influenced below ground root decay in response to gradients associated with site age and topographic position and in the context of a nitrogen limited ecosystem. Effects on rates of mass loss and nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics during decomposition …