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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Monitoring The Influx Of Marine Derived Nitrogen And Characterizing Soil Food Webs Of Riparian Zones Of The Elwha River Watershed, Wa, Usa., Wendal R.H. Kane
Monitoring The Influx Of Marine Derived Nitrogen And Characterizing Soil Food Webs Of Riparian Zones Of The Elwha River Watershed, Wa, Usa., Wendal R.H. Kane
EWU Masters Thesis Collection
Nitrogen is often the most limiting nutrient to productivity in terrestrial ecosystems, and can have large effects on ecosystem processes. Two sources of nitrogen to Pacific Northwest riparian areas are marine derived nitrogen (MDN) via anadromous pacific salmon and symbiotic nitrogen fixation via Alnus rubra. The recent removal of two large dams on the Elwha River, WA, opened up ~60 km of previously inaccessible river habitat for pacific salmon. I used naturally abundant stable nitrogen isotopes (denoted as ‰ δ15N) to establish baseline data to monitor the influx of MDN to riparian zones of Elwha River tributaries, post dam removal. …
The Source Of Excess Nutrients To Pine Draw, Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Henry Price
The Source Of Excess Nutrients To Pine Draw, Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Henry Price
EWU Masters Thesis Collection
Nitrogen and phosphorus are the most common limiting nutrients for biological activity in freshwater ecosystems. Applying inorganic nitrogen fertilizer has increased crop productivity but caused excess nitrogen inputs to the hydrosphere. Nitrate contamination is a worldwide environmental problem. The fate of nitrogen in ecosystems is variable based on land type and hydrogeological interactions. Excess nitrogen can be retained in soils, sequestered in stream organisms, denitrified or transported downstream. The goals of this study were to monitor nitrogen concentrations in Pine Draw, Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR), Washington, U.S.A., and to determine the source of nitrogen loading. Pine Draw is unique …
Vegetation Community Development After Dam Removal On The Elwha River, Olivia A. Morgan
Vegetation Community Development After Dam Removal On The Elwha River, Olivia A. Morgan
EWU Masters Thesis Collection
The Elwha River is the site of the largest dam removal project in the world to date and serves as a case study for the ecological effects of large dam removal. The 2012-2014 removal of two dams on the Elwha River exposed a cumulative 2.76 km2 of previously inundated surfaces. Environmental conditions including sediment texture and nutrients, slope-aspect, dispersal distance from the river and mature forest, disturbance, and elevation vary widely across the reservoir surfaces, causing significant variation in the plant community. The first objective of my study is to continue a long-term study of the passively restored vegetation community …
Riparian Vegetation And The Soil Seed Bank Five Years After Dam Removal On The Elwha River, Washington, Cody C. Thomas
Riparian Vegetation And The Soil Seed Bank Five Years After Dam Removal On The Elwha River, Washington, Cody C. Thomas
EWU Masters Thesis Collection
Damming of rivers is widespread and can profoundly impact riparian areas by altering the fluvial processes that drive riparian vegetation communities. Dam removal may reverse these effects; however, very few studies have examined the response of riparian vegetation to large dam removal and associated disturbances, such as the release of sediment. Understanding how dam removal impacts downstream riparian vegetation is crucial as dam removal becomes more common. The Elwha River, Washington, is the location of the largest dam removals to date and provides an unprecedented opportunity to explore questions related to dam removal and riparian vegetation. The objectives of this …