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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Asymmetric Root Distributions Reveal Press–Pulse Responses In Retreating Coastal Forests, Tyler C. Messerschmidt, Amy K. Langston, Matthew L. Kirwan
Asymmetric Root Distributions Reveal Press–Pulse Responses In Retreating Coastal Forests, Tyler C. Messerschmidt, Amy K. Langston, Matthew L. Kirwan
VIMS Articles
The impacts of climate change on ecosystems are manifested in how organisms respond to episodic and continuous stressors. The conversion of coastal forests to salt marshes represents a prominent example of ecosystem state change, driven by the continuous stress of sea-level rise (press), and episodic storms (pulse). Here, we measured the rooting dimension and fall direction of 143 windthrown eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) trees in a rapidly retreating coastal forest in Chesapeake Bay (USA). We found that tree roots were distributed asymmetrically away from the leading edge of soil salinization and towards freshwater sources. The length, number, …